Don Marquis On Abortion

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Abortion is a heavily charged subject in our culture right about now. The true definition of abortion plagues protester of both sides of the argument. Whether it be the simple termination of a pregnancy or as severe as murder, the real question stands, is it morally wrong?
There is no scientific harmony as to when human life begins. As of now, It is a matter of religious belief or ethical opinion. The practice of removing unwanted fetuses is far from new, and actually dates back to ancient times. Though undoubtedly our methods have changed, the stigma surrounding abortions has stayed steady. In 2014, the Washington Examiner ran a poll that showed that nearly six in ten Americans believed that abortion was morally and ethically wrong. Yet even
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While not completely outlawing all purposeful abortions, Marquis still believes that in some rare situations abortion can be necessary and understood. Before diving straight into his argument, Marquis wants to explain the viewpoints from each side of the ethical debate. Since each side has its own strengths and weaknesses, the disagreement between the two sides is troublesome. Marquis states that Pro-life supporters often argue very influentially that fetuses share many of the same traits as adult humans and deserve the same rights, while Pro-choice supporters claim that fetuses do not hold the necessary traits to make up a rationalized human being and therefore are not to be included. Both sides of the argument make efforts to dispute in favor of the true definition of killing that best suits the side of the argument in which their viewpoint falls. Marquis claims that the problem behind this unsolvable debate stems from the overly narrow argument of the Pro-life supporters, and the wide open view of the Pro-choice supporters. He works towards his conclusion by aiming his case mainly in the defense of the human fetus, or what most would consider to be a “standard” fetus. First he states that abortion is morally on a par with the killing of an adult human. Since it is typically a well known fact that it is seriously …show more content…
The truth of the matter is, whether or not this act be ruled ethically sound, abortions will continue to take place. Though in Marquis’ mind, it seems that he believes once he is able to prove its lack of morality, then everyone will agree and the termination of pregnancies will soon end. Marquis presents his take on the subject as a final word, which in itself was a bit off putting. Once again we have an opinion put forward as certain on a subject that will probably never be able to be unequivocally decided. As we’ve seen in most other ethical debates, such as gay rights, mediation becomes tricky when religious views and speculations are

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