In this essay I wish to discuss what Hursthouse calls the argument for the Extreme Liberal View concerning the moral status of the human foetus – that is, the view that the foetus is in most if not all morally relevant respects like a piece of tissue or a bit of the human body.
The argument is an extension of all Libertarian philosophy. That is, that I as an individual have the ultimate right of what decisions happen to my own body, and that this right cannot be trumped by another. This right to bodily autonomy is thus extended to all pregnant woman. As the foetus is growing within them, and is nourishing itself from then, they have the right to remove said foetus at any point lest their bodily autonomy be denied.
Having identified the argument, I wish to discuss whether the argument is good or bad. To do this I need to ask myself whether the conclusion – that is, that denying women the right to an abortion denies them bodily autonomy – is morally sound.
Firstly, it’s worth examining the concept of bodily autonomy and deciding if the …show more content…
If the foetus in question is of any age where medical technology is able to guarantee a reasonable chance of survival away from the mother– I cannot go into further discussion on how we would define this due to word count issues – then it can no longer be seen as just an extension of her own body, for it has attained the potential to be autonomous. That is, it would be unethical for her to have an abortion as she would be denying another human their autonomy. Up until that point however, the woman may do with her foetus whatever she
The argument is an extension of all Libertarian philosophy. That is, that I as an individual have the ultimate right of what decisions happen to my own body, and that this right cannot be trumped by another. This right to bodily autonomy is thus extended to all pregnant woman. As the foetus is growing within them, and is nourishing itself from then, they have the right to remove said foetus at any point lest their bodily autonomy be denied.
Having identified the argument, I wish to discuss whether the argument is good or bad. To do this I need to ask myself whether the conclusion – that is, that denying women the right to an abortion denies them bodily autonomy – is morally sound.
Firstly, it’s worth examining the concept of bodily autonomy and deciding if the …show more content…
If the foetus in question is of any age where medical technology is able to guarantee a reasonable chance of survival away from the mother– I cannot go into further discussion on how we would define this due to word count issues – then it can no longer be seen as just an extension of her own body, for it has attained the potential to be autonomous. That is, it would be unethical for her to have an abortion as she would be denying another human their autonomy. Up until that point however, the woman may do with her foetus whatever she