Forty-five years ago, the Supreme Court made the decision to give women the right to choose to have an abortion in the landmark case Roe v. Wade. Nevertheless, the topic of abortion is still a sensitive and controversial one. Although many have tried to tackle the issue, there is still much debate over the premises in said arguments. In his essay, “Why Abortion is Immoral”, Don Marquis lays out a unique perspective against abortion. However, his argument is flawed because it does not consider the well-being of the mother, as well as repercussions of raising an unwanted baby. The basic argument Marquis presents is that because it is morally wrong to deny anyone a future of value and in most cases, abortion denies the fetus a future of value,
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Marquis says that “the loss of one’s life deprives one of all the experiences, activities, projects, and enjoyments that would otherwise have constituted one’s future” (Pojman 677). This is the value of the present and future that is lost when one is killed. This is a reasonable and agreeable statement; however, it leaves out an important variable of a pregnancy: the mother. In most cases of an abortion, the mother believes that she is unable to take care of the child to the fullest potential, but it also restricts that woman from fulfilling her goals and dreams in her life. Parenting takes a lot of time and money and resources—all things that some women should not have to compromise for a child she did not plan on having. Meaning, that sometimes becoming a mother deprives that woman of a future of value. If a young woman accidentally becomes pregnant in college, there is a high chance that becoming a parent would mean she would have to give up that opportunity to raise a baby. Setting aside a whole life of amazing experiences for a child that the woman was not ready for or intended on conceiving should also be considered “immoral” by Marquis’ logic, so if it goes both ways then the human being that is certainly a being without a question should have …show more content…
Some prolife people say that the potential life killed by an abortion could have ended up finding the cure for cancer, or the future president of the United States. This argument is not a fair one because keeping a baby that would otherwise be unborn only does more harm than good. Also, rather than coming up with theoretical future for a life that has not even been born and that may not even exist, put the enthusiasm and hopes in the children that already are alive. Also, one may say that the future of value argument does not apply if the person continues to live after the matter. But the most important life in this situation is the living human being and their experiences and goals and that should be protected at all costs. Finally, one may say that the woman should have the child and give it up for adoption to avoid having an abortion and to still give the child a chance at having a good life. This is also not a good point because many children do not have happy and fulfilling lives while going through the foster care system and there are already so many children that do not have parents, it would be morally wrong to force the child into that condition as well. In conclusion, Don Marquis’ position outlined in his essay “Why Abortion is Immoral” is not a good argument because it ignores the life of the woman and disregards the potential results of the living conditions of the child if he or she would be born into a family with
Marquis says that “the loss of one’s life deprives one of all the experiences, activities, projects, and enjoyments that would otherwise have constituted one’s future” (Pojman 677). This is the value of the present and future that is lost when one is killed. This is a reasonable and agreeable statement; however, it leaves out an important variable of a pregnancy: the mother. In most cases of an abortion, the mother believes that she is unable to take care of the child to the fullest potential, but it also restricts that woman from fulfilling her goals and dreams in her life. Parenting takes a lot of time and money and resources—all things that some women should not have to compromise for a child she did not plan on having. Meaning, that sometimes becoming a mother deprives that woman of a future of value. If a young woman accidentally becomes pregnant in college, there is a high chance that becoming a parent would mean she would have to give up that opportunity to raise a baby. Setting aside a whole life of amazing experiences for a child that the woman was not ready for or intended on conceiving should also be considered “immoral” by Marquis’ logic, so if it goes both ways then the human being that is certainly a being without a question should have …show more content…
Some prolife people say that the potential life killed by an abortion could have ended up finding the cure for cancer, or the future president of the United States. This argument is not a fair one because keeping a baby that would otherwise be unborn only does more harm than good. Also, rather than coming up with theoretical future for a life that has not even been born and that may not even exist, put the enthusiasm and hopes in the children that already are alive. Also, one may say that the future of value argument does not apply if the person continues to live after the matter. But the most important life in this situation is the living human being and their experiences and goals and that should be protected at all costs. Finally, one may say that the woman should have the child and give it up for adoption to avoid having an abortion and to still give the child a chance at having a good life. This is also not a good point because many children do not have happy and fulfilling lives while going through the foster care system and there are already so many children that do not have parents, it would be morally wrong to force the child into that condition as well. In conclusion, Don Marquis’ position outlined in his essay “Why Abortion is Immoral” is not a good argument because it ignores the life of the woman and disregards the potential results of the living conditions of the child if he or she would be born into a family with