Thomson Arguments Against Abortion

1952 Words8 Pages
Abortion: Summary Digest Some believe the sanctity of life is naturally determined by an inherent moral code, while others believe the value of life should be determined by personal choice. Despite the differences, there is no bigger quarrel amongst these views than the issue of abortion. The “pro-choice” perspective believes that any attempt at prohibiting abortion infringes on their natural rights. “Pro-life” advocates claim that there is not a fine line between the act of killing and abortion. In fact, they believe it is simply premeditated murder. We will evaluate the social division through arguments written by two articulate professors. These professors include Judith Jarvis Thomson and Dan Marquis. Judith Jarvis Thomson is a Philosophy…show more content…
He claims that abortion advocates find a slim margin to dictate when a fetus becomes a human. This criteria for pro-choice believers is “…only persons have the right to life seems evident enough. Furthermore, because fetuses are neither rational nor possess the capacity to communicate in complex ways nor posses a concept of self that continues through time, no fetus is a person.”(206,II,B) He challenges this concept by comparing its requirements to that of an infant, or a mentally challenged individual. Marquis then presents the reoccurring argument of his “FLO”…show more content…
Secondly, is the acknowledgement that the worst crime possible is murder; no matter what the circumstance. The consequence of murder is it’s deprivation of future life, and is why there is a law prohibiting it, says Marquis. Don Marquis asks you to realize how unjust it would be to kill you if you were a fetus and relate it to your life now. He states “Thus, reader, the FLO account explains why it is wrong to kill you when you were an infant as it is to kill you now.”(209,I,C) Lastly, he references animal rights. He focuses on suffering. If we can understand the saliency of animals and that to make animals suffer is barbaric, we can only conclude the same about causing harm to humans. After stating his arguments, Don Marquis proceeds to his
Open Document