The Ethics Of Abortion In The Cider House Rules

Improved Essays
The prevalent issue in The Cider House Rules concerns the topic of abortion. The world has long since been divided on whether abortion should be a legal option. In 1973, the US Supreme Court's 7-2 decision on Roe v. Wade declared the procedure a "fundamental right." Individuals in favor for abortion identify as pro-choice; they believe that abortion is a right that should not be dictated by the government or religious authority. Those who are against abortions identify as pro-life; they believe that it is immoral and unfair to kill an innocent human being.
The novel focuses on the lives of Dr. Larch and the orphan Homer Wells. The novel is set during a time when abortions are illegal. Dr. Larch does not personally agree with the ethics of abortion

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Abortion is filling headlines of newspapers on a daily basis in America, creating such a strong tension that people murdering others because of differing opinions. This conflict over abortion has been controversial for hundreds of years, as most religions are against birth control and abortions. Additionally, many people see abortions as being morally and ethically wrong, but others may see it as a right to any women, or as a necessity to help control population and prevent economic turmoil. Furthermore, the concern over such controversy is even stated as an issue in some literature works such as “A Modest Proposal” by Johnathan Swift. In Swift’s work, the issue of abortion is founded in the fact that the poor Catholics could often not afford to take care of another child and thus try to get rid of it before it was born.…

    • 1394 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Overall gifts to doctors are not coincided wrong. However a doctor must be cautious when accepting a give for a few different reasons. One the give can be perceived as a bribe for better or favored care over other patients. Second the patient may have an over fondness for the doctor and this can be signs the patient need psychiatric help. And third the gift may leave loved ones of the patient left suffering after a loss.…

    • 119 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A moral philosophy called Judith Jarvis Thomson,came up with “A Defense of Abortion” in 1971.When it comes to argument of the right to life,According to experiments, he argue that fetus has the right to life though the pregnant woman has the right to control her own body. He disagree that abortion is morally impermissible. (Thomson,1971) Long time ago,abortion was considered in the context of gender selection,family planning,population control. First and foremost,almost every family want to have a child who gender is male,such being the case,If the pregnant woman has a fetus which is a girl, there will be more likely to go to an abortion.…

    • 1000 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The mass harvestation and slaughter of newborns is not a viable proposal for the government at this time. While allowing the mother’s of children to contribute to society is an admirable goal, there are several flaws within this modest proposal. To begin; voluntary abortions, truly a wretched practice which has swept through the Irish nation. While this proposal claims that the practice of butchering infants will reduce the murders which mothers commit, their is evidence which shows to the contrary. Think for a moment, a mother has the vile choice of abortion, or selling her infant son to the cleaver.…

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Reiman and Marquis have two different moral principles when it comes to the topic of abortion. Reiman quotes, “My focus, then, is strictly on the question whether killing a fetus is morally murder. I take it that, if abortion is not morally murder if it is not gravely immoral killing then women’s right to control her body implies that abortion is ethically justifiable as long as its authorized by a pregnant women” (Arthur L. Caplan & Robert Arp, 2014 p.112). Reiman falls under the category of utilitarianism moral code because he believes on doing what’s best for the majority of people to maximize happiness. Reiman refers to an unborn baby as a fetus explaining that it doesn’t have the same rights for itself, which the women has over itself.…

    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In her article, “A Defense of Abortion,” Judith Jarvis Thomson maintains that there are instances where a woman might engage in voluntary and mutually consensual sex, but it does not give the fetus the right to inhabit a woman’s body. In a comparison, she points out the absurdity to allow a burglar to stay in your house, even though you might be partially to blame for their presence through a window left open. In this paper, I will reconstruct her argument using the analogy that an unplanned pregnancy is as akin to an open window as an invitation to an unwanted intruder and argue how it falls short of the mark and does not consider or take into account the responsibility attached as the consequence of one’s actions. In Thompson’s view, it is…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Judith Jarvis Thomson who studied at Cambridge University, she is an American philosopher who focuses on morals and abortion. She is well known for her work, “A Defense of Abortion” which she wrote about a woman's write to control her body and a fetus's right to life. The problem that she decided to spend most her time philosophizing on was abortion. Abortion has been a controversial topic for hundreds of years and Thomson decided to break it down to the basics and philosophize. Within Thomson’s essay she had multiple sections in her paper, The Basic Argument, The extreme view, What the Right to Life Is Not, and What the Right to Life Is.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A. Introduction In life, we have choices. Some are more difficult than other to choose the right solution is is. Many women have to choose whether to follow through with a pregnancy or to terminate it, Also known as an abortion. Abortions have been a very touchy subject for different induvial for a very long time.…

    • 1085 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Judith Jarvis Thomson describes a fetus as being as much of a moral person as anyone, but he or she is not in fact entitled to using the mother’s precious resources. The idea of bodily autonomy is heavily stressed in her paper, “A Defense of Abortion”. Most of those who are against abortion tend to use the point that a fetus is a person as their major leg to stand on. Thomson argues that they fail to discuss what is impermissible about abortion. She provides strong reasoning for why abortion should be allowed and still makes the distinction that some cases should not permit it.…

    • 1043 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Social contract theory is based on the view that our moral and political obligations depended on a widely held agreement to form our current society. The benefit to living in this type of arrangement is that it protects our most basic rights. One of the drawbacks is that it is up to society as a whole to create some kind of balance between moral responsibility and personal freedom. So for a price (limited freedom) we receive in exchange a government who promises to protect us from people who might want to harm us.…

    • 373 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Abortion Rights Essay

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Abortion Rights American society is divided over the issue of abortion, the induced termination of a pregnancy. The American people are split between the facts of whether or not the government has an obligation to protect unborn children. Two extremes define people’s stance on abortion: pro-life and pro-choice, the belief that women should not terminate pregnancies and that women have the rights to decide, respectively. This is an essential argument because individual rights are the foundation of American culture. Medical dangers, the origin of human life, and women’s rights all support individual choice; therefore, the American government has no responsibility, moral or legal, to condemn abortion.…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Abortion is an emotive and controversial topic that raises political, ethical and social debates. According to Dictionary.com, “abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, usually before the embryo or fetus is capable of independent life; most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.” In this paper, I’ll explain the main legal and ethical issues surrounding abortions. Also, I will provide a case that has to deal with abortion. Ethical questions mainly stem from religious, social and professional dimensions.…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I.Introduction The topic of abortion is currently one of the most controversial issues. The 1973 supreme court ruling of Roe v. Wade allowed for women to legally obtain abortions throughout their entire pregnancy, however, conditions were put into place that allowed for states to regulate abortions during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The right to have an abortion is protected under the constitution’s 14th amendment which protects the basic rights of citizens. This ruling has left our country divided in half by those who are for and against abortion. Those who oppose Roe v. Wade are referred to as pro-life and those in agreement are pro-choice.…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Abortion is a huge problem that has caused a wide range of controversy all over the United States. There are two sides to the problem, which are people who oppose abortion or support it. Abortion becomes a big deal when trying to decide whether a fetus should be considered a human being already when a woman aborts. In my case I believe that a woman should not be able to abort a child inside her unless there is some type of serious medical issue where the child may not come out alive. When a woman aborts a child, they did not want, it is like the killing of another human being who had no say or ever did anything wrong to deserve it.…

    • 1386 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    An ethical dilemma is a complex situation that challenges our moral values and beliefs. We are presented with choices/options each day, and our decision to pick one option over the other is usually based on our ethical stance, beliefs, and values. Once these decisions are made, there are consequences, which could be positively or negatively impactful. Abortion has been a very sensitive topic over the years and once again one of the topics that takes center stage during this election year. There are many sides to the argument.…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays