Short Paper on a Defense of Abortion by J. J. Thomson

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Short Paper on A Defense of Abortion by J. J. Thomson In the article A Defense of Abortion, Judith Jarvis Thomson exposes the idea that fetuses are considered persons from the moment of conception and, therefore, they have the right to life. However, Thomson argues that abortion under certain circumstances can be morally permissible. Based on these ideas Thompson implemented thought experiments such as the analogies of the violinist and the “drifting seeds”, which doesn’t really give an adequate explanation for why abortion is sometimes permissible. Thus, based on my understanding of these analogies I believe that Thomson’s arguments are not convincing and, therefore, abortion should not be permissible. Thomson explains that the fetus is a person who has the right to life. However, when the mother’s life is at risk, the idea of abortion can be considered morally permissible. In this scenario abortion is permissible due to the fact that we all have the right to protect our lives from any danger. This is what we call self-defense. Nevertheless, this is not the right term to justify this action, since there is no valid self-defense against someone who is innocent and unwilling to cause any harm. So, who are we to decide who has more right to life, the mother or the fetus? The answer can’t be taken by a game of chance and it will not be morally right to punish with dead an innocent person who has the same rights as the mother. In the same way, Thomson explores the notion of autonomy and the ability for women to decide what happens in and out their body. In other words, the idea of trespassing and violating is used as a metaphor for an unwanted pregnancy, which can also be morally permissible. This idea is illustrated on the analogy of the violinist, which explains that the kidnaped person can unplug himself from the violinist in a morally permissible action since
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