Is Abortion Morally Permissible?
Three Main Positions on Abortion:
 Abortion is never morally acceptable (except
possibly to preserve the mother’s life), for the
unborn is a human being in the full sense.
 Abortion is acceptable whenever the woman
wants it, for the unborn is not a human being in
the full sense.
 Some—but not all—abortions may be morally
justified.
Is Abortion Morally Permissible?
A Defense of Abortion—Judith Jarvis Thomson
•
The “famous violinist” has no right, in many cases, to
the woman’s body.
•
Unborn persons whose existence is due to rape have
no right to the use of their mothers’ bodies.
•
The woman does not automatically have a special
relationship to the fetus.
Is Abortion Morally Permissible?
Why Abortion Is Immoral—Don Marquis
•
The anti-abortion principle “It is prima facie seriously
wrong to kill a human being” is ambiguous.
•
The pro-choice notion of personhood is problematic
because there is no good reason to think that
psychological characteristics should make a moral
difference.
•
What makes killing wrong is the loss of the victim’s
future.
Is Abortion Morally Permissible?
Abortion Is Morally Permissible—Mary Anne Warren
•
We must distinguish between two senses of human
being—human in the genetic sense and human in the
moral sense.
•
We have no right to assume that genetic humanity is
necessary for personhood.
•
The traits most central to the concept of personhood
include consciousness, reasoning, and selfawareness.
Is Abortion Morally Permissible?
Abortion Is Morally Permissible—Mary Anne Warren

Any being that satisfies none of the designated criteria
is certainly not a person.

The concept of a person (as defined) is very nearly
universal.

The potentiality of a fetus is not sufficient to show that
it is a person.
Is Abortion Morally Permissible?
The Moderate Position: Beyond the Personhood
Argument—Jane English
•
Both the conservative and liberal positions on
abortion are clearly mistaken.
•
Our concept of a person is not sharp and
decisive enough to give us a solution to the
abortion controversy.
Is Abortion Morally Permissible?
The Moderate Position: Beyond the Personhood
Argument—Jane English
•
Killing an innocent person is sometimes
permissible.
•
A conclusive answer to the question whether a
fetus is a person is unattainable.
Susan Sherwin: Abortion through a
Feminist Ethics Lens
• A fetus has moral significance, but its
moral standing depends on its relationship
to the pregnant woman.
• Feminist views stress “the importance of
protecting women’s rights to continue as
well as to terminate pregnancies as each
sees fit.”