Summary Of A Defense Of Abortion Thomson

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In “A Defense of Abortion” by Judith Jarvis Thomson, her main logical implication is that if a fetus is a person with a right to life, then abortion would still be morally permissible in cases of rape or contraceptive failure. She mentions that all of the arguments she makes are implying the fetus being a person from the moment of conception. If the fetus is not a person from the moment of conception, but only a “fertilized ovum or a clump of cells,” then abortion is okay. First, she brings up the slippery slope argument of when to determine the fetus as being a person or not. It’s hard to say exactly when a fetus becomes a person so the opposite side says “a fetus is a person from the moment pf conception.” Thomson compares this to an acorn turning into an oak tree. We wouldn’t say that the acorn is an oak tree as soon as we plant it in the ground, therefore she believes a fetus in not a person at the moment of conception. Although she does agree that the …show more content…

How is it decided on who lives? The opposing side says no abortion because that’s killing a person, whereas you can do nothing and let the mother’s death take its toll. Thomson creates a similar scenario of a growing child in a very small house. The mother will be crushed if she does nothing or she can act out in self-defense to protect herself. She claims that the mother shouldn’t have to be forced to wait there and be crushed, she can do something about it, just as with a life- threatening pregnancy. Then she argues that not all abortions are unjust killings. Some pregnancies are not planned, yet every way to avoid it, birth control, condoms, etc., was used. The mother should have a choice about her body on whether or not she wants to house this child. Thomson compares this to a burglar coming into your house. If you leave windows open and a burglar comes in, is it justified that he has to

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