John Finnis Arguments Against Abortion

457 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay argument for and against abortion

The problem of abortion can be derived from several essays that present arguments for and/or against abortion. The argument for abortion usually express that only people have a right to life, therefore fetuses are not to be considered persons and they have no right to life. While the position against abortion asserts that when conception occurs and the fetus materializes they have a right to life, are to be considered persons and have rights.

In John Finnis' essay he states that from the point of conception and the fetus is in existence. Consequently, this is the moment that the they should be considered a person and to maintain the rights that a person has. Although, in the case of rape taking a pill does not hurt the fetus, but protects the mother because you may not know whether or not she is pregnant, this is not abortion according to Finnis. …show more content…

Most notably she uses the analogy of the violinist. In the case of the violinist which involves an innocent person at risk of dying, that results in an innocent person having this violinist hooked up to their bloodstream to save them. A pregnancy caused by rape includes all these features. Although in the violinist case one should be permitted to pull the plug, therefore one should be permitted to “pull the plug” on the pregnancy caused by rape.

On the contrary, Don Marquis argues against abortion, stating that it is immoral to kill a person. Marquis considers fetuses to be persons. Therefore, killing a fetus is immoral and abortion is killing a fetus, thus from Marquis argument abortion is immoral. In relation to this, Marquis argues that it is not right to murder another person because it denies what they are destined to do, which is immoral. Therefore, according to him why abortion is

Show More
Related

  • Judith Jarvis Thompson And Judith Berry's Argument In Defense Of Abortion

    1822 Words  | 4 Pages

    In this essay, I will hold that the strongest argument in defence of abortion was provided by Judith Jarvis Thompson. She argued that abortion is still morally permissible, regardless if one accepts the premise that the foetus is a person from the moment of conception. In what follows, I agree that abortion is permissible in the ‘extreme case’ whereby the woman’s life is threatened by the foetus. Furthermore, I agree that abortion is permissible to prevent future pain and suffering to the child. However, I do not agree that the ‘violinist’ analogy is reliable when attempting to defend abortion involving involuntary conception cases such as rape, whereby the foetus does not threaten the woman’s health. To achieve this, I will highlight the distinction

    Read More

  • Summary Of A Defense Of Abortion By Judith Jarvis Thomson

    1559 Words  | 4 Pages

    Thomson starts off her paper by explaining the general premises that a fetus is a person at conception and all persons have the right to life. One of the main premises that Thomson focuses on is the idea that a fetus’ right to life is greater than the mother’s use of her body. Although she believes these premises are arguable, she allows the premises to further her explanation of why abortion could be morally permissible. People would find it more understanding and more willing to help someone who is a relative.

    Read More

  • Marquis´View on Abortion and Euthanasia

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    Marquis believes abortion to be extremely immoral. However he mentions that there are exceptions in rare but certain circumstances where abortion is acceptable. We can infer that these instances would include situations that would put the mother or child at serious risk by keeping the fetus. He is frustrated that this idea has received minimal support recently. As a result he wants to influence change in society in hopes of receiving the support and publicity this topic deserves. Marquis’ primary argument stems from the idea of killing in general. He explains it is immoral to kill an adult because it prematurely deprives the human of something they may have valued at the time they were killed, as well as something they may had valued in the future. Although the victim may not realize it at the time of their death, they certainly had a valuable future ahead of them to experience which has been cut short. We are the only ones who can decide what is valuable to them; in this case we value some things more than others, and this concept differs from person to person. For example, in the present I value the life I am given and the opportunity I have to earn my degree at Villanova University while also valuing my future as well knowing that I have a chance to be successful in the future. Although I have not succeeded yet, I still value that opportunity I have and the life I’m capable of achieving through earning a degree. Therefore, he connects this same theory to the life of a fetus. By killing the fetus the result is the same, we are depriving it of its futur...

    Read More

  • Why Don Marquis's Essay 'Why Abortion Is Immoral'

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Don Marquis’s essay “Why Abortion is Immoral” he argues that abortion is immoral because he believes that abortion is morally equivalent to killing an adult human being. Marquis’ argument takes the following form:

    Read More

  • Essay On Why Abortion Is Wrong By Marquis

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    In my opinion, Marquis’ argument for why abortion is morally wrong has a couple of flaws, it’s biased towards the fetus and makes some unreasonable assumptions. Specifically, Marquis' account of why killing an adult human is wrong can potentially lead to some controversial conclusions. Marquis also doesn't consider any consequences on the lives of the potential parents of the fetus. Due to the nature of the topic of abortion, it really only applies to women who are thinking of getting an abortion, and as such, we cannot make the standard assumptions that we will have with normal fetuses. In this essay I will explain Marquis' argument, and try to show that his argument cannot conclude that abortion is morally wrong.

    Read More

  • Don Marquis vs. Abortion

    846 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is abortion? Abortion is killing a fetus inside a mother’s womb. According to Don Marquis, killing a fetus is morally impermissible. Marquis came up with an argument that views abortion as immoral and only in rare cases is it accepted. There are only a few rare cases that abortion is morally acceptable according to Marquis in his article, “Why Abortion is Immoral.” Marquis’s view on abortion is relatable because I am a woman and seeing as I am able to bare a child, I feel it is a women’s right to decide if abortion is permissible or not because it is her body and she has all the rights to her own body. Later described is FLO, one of Marquis’s arguments proving abortion is morally impermissible. I do not agree with the FLO argument. Marquis makes strong points, which can be agreeable, but in summary of Marquis’s arguments, he needs to have a more valid case of FLO.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Why Abortion Is Immoral By Dan Marquis

    1145 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thirdly, Marquis concludes from the last two premises and says that if you kill a fetus then it is prima facie seriously morally wrong of you. By killing off a human being’s potential values, it is cruel, especially to children because they are defenseless. Then, Marquis asserts that if fetuses and adults are in the same moral categories then the fetus can only be aborted if there is a serious moral concern. In the beginning, Marquis proclaims that there are special cases like rape and the mom’s life being threatened that would override the “moral wrongness” of abortion.

    Read More

  • Essay On A Defense Of Abortion By Judith Jarvis Thompson

    1398 Words  | 3 Pages

    In her essay, “A Defense of Abortion,” Judith Jarvis Thompson outlines the most common arguments that people defend, and explains her views regarding each of these. She shares numerous examples and situations that she believes will support her views. One of her most prominent arguments is that of whether or not a fetus has moral standing as a “person.” She highlights the so called “battle” between an innocent life, the fetus, and the bodily rights of the mother. Within this argument, Judith outlines for us several situations which can provide people with a different outlook regarding abortion. Throughout Judith’s essay, she does not truly give a clear stance, but rather allows her readers to choose for themselves.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Don Marquis Views On Abortion

    1193 Words  | 3 Pages

    To conclude, Marquis’s argument that abortion is wrong is incorrect. Thomson gives many examples of why Marquis is wrong, including that the mother’s right to her body

    Read More

  • Why Abortion is Immoral by Don Marquis

    1273 Words  | 3 Pages

    Why Abortion is Immoral by Don Marquis is an essay that claims that abortion is morally wrong, and uses one argument in particular to explain why. He argues that many of us would agree that it is wrong to kill a human, and if you believe that, then you should also have that view on abortions. If you think killing is wrong then you think all killing is wrong and the persons biological state, whether it is when a person is a fetus, one year old, or thirty years old, makes no difference. He then explains that killing is wrong not only because it is immoral, but wrong because it deprives the victim of life and the enjoyments one would have otherwise experienced; which Marquis believes is the greatest loss one can suffer (Marquis, 189). Given certain circumstances, Marquis agrees there are cases where killing is acceptable, but nonetheless it is immoral.

    Read More

  • Ethical Dilemmas Surrounding Abortion

    1432 Words  | 3 Pages

    In our society, there are many ethical dilemmas that we are faced with that are virtually impossible to solve. One of the most difficult and controversial issues that we are faced with is abortion. There are many strong arguments both for and against the right to have an abortion which are so complicated that it becomes impossible to resolve. The complexity of this issue lies in the different aspects of the argument. The essence of a person, rights, and who is entitled to these rights, are a few of the many aspects which are very difficult to define. There are also issues of what circumstances would justify abortion. Because the issue of abortion is virtually impossible to solve, all one can hope to do is understand the different aspects of the argument so that if he or she is faced with that issue in their own lives, they would be able to make educated and thoughtful decisions in dealing with it.

    Read More

  • Marquis Abortion Analysis

    643 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is Marquis’s stance on the abortion issue? Marquis believes that abortion is immoral. He compares abortion to the killing of an adult human. Killing an adult human is wrong because of its effect on the victim.

    Read More

  • Consequentialism Vs Abortion

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Judith Thomson in her book “A Defense of Abortion”, a human embryo is a person who has a right to life. But, just because the human fetus has the right to life does not mean that the mother will be forced to carry it (Thomson, 48). Naturally, abortion may be seen as the deliberate termination of a pregnancy before the fetal viability. Though people have understood this, the topic of abortion has remained a controversial issue in the world. Individuals are divided into “Pro-choice” and “Pro-life” debaters depending on their opinion on the morality of the action. "Pro-life," the non-consequentialist side, is the belief that abortion is wrong, generally because it equates to killing. "Pro-choice," the consequentialist view, however,

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Abortion

    2054 Words  | 5 Pages

    Abortion in the United States is a legal form of murder. Each and every year over a million babies are murdered and it must be stopped now before it will continue to get out of hand each and every day. We have discussed in this essay that a fetus is a living humans and not something that can just be thrown away. An unborn child is still a child and he or she needs an opportunity to grow and live a long successful life just like the rest of us have gotten the privilege to do. Abortion cannot go on any longer. More and more live are lost every day.

    Read More

  • Position Paper On Abortion

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    Abortions have always been a very controversial topic. Over the years we continue to fight for or against it. One can say that is one of the most talked and argued topic in the United States. An abortion is when a woman terminates her pregnancy before the fetus is viable using various of methods. Some argue that abortions should be illegal and considered murder, while others, from a religious point of view, say that no one has the right to take away the life of a person, in this case the fetus. However, others insist, that abortions are a basic women’s right.

    Read More

More about John Finnis Arguments Against Abortion

Open Document