Philosophical critique on the traditional argument against abortion
Robert Bertram - UBC ID: 24675373
Phil 333 (001) - Biomedical Ethics
The University of British Columbia
The concept of morality in relation to abortion is a significant cause of conflict. These moral ambiguities are put into question by Pope John Paul II’s excerpts on the “unspeakable crime of abortion” with regards to the validity, committed fallacies, and the fetus’s content to the right to life (Paul II, 1995, pg. 1). Paul II's Evangelium Vitae (1995), states that aborting a fetus is the "deliberate and direct killing...of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence". In the paragraphs to follow, this essay will reconstruct the argument, and analyze Thomson's, and Warren's objection to Paul II's statement.
In regards to Paul II’s uncompromising stance on abortion, he proclaims that the moment fertilization occurs, …show more content…
Where Thomson addresses John Paul II’s missed premise about the content to the right to life, leads his argument to be an invalid conclusion. She also touches upon and disagrees that the fetus’s rights outweigh that of the mother whereas Paul II believes otherwise. Warren chooses to elaborate Thomson's objections with the argument of what constitutes as person, and personhood, with the five traits that a fetus does not satisfy. Thus, according to these counterarguments the traditional argument loses its validity; leading to my own conclusion that the argument is invalid.
References:
Thomson, J. (1971). A Defense of Abortion. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 1(1), 47-66. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/stable/2265091
Warren, M. (1973). ON THE MORAL AND LEGAL STATUS OF ABORTION. The Monist, 57(1), 43-61. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/stable/27902294
Pope II, J. P. (1995.). Evangelium
Robert Bertram - UBC ID: 24675373
Phil 333 (001) - Biomedical Ethics
The University of British Columbia
The concept of morality in relation to abortion is a significant cause of conflict. These moral ambiguities are put into question by Pope John Paul II’s excerpts on the “unspeakable crime of abortion” with regards to the validity, committed fallacies, and the fetus’s content to the right to life (Paul II, 1995, pg. 1). Paul II's Evangelium Vitae (1995), states that aborting a fetus is the "deliberate and direct killing...of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence". In the paragraphs to follow, this essay will reconstruct the argument, and analyze Thomson's, and Warren's objection to Paul II's statement.
In regards to Paul II’s uncompromising stance on abortion, he proclaims that the moment fertilization occurs, …show more content…
Where Thomson addresses John Paul II’s missed premise about the content to the right to life, leads his argument to be an invalid conclusion. She also touches upon and disagrees that the fetus’s rights outweigh that of the mother whereas Paul II believes otherwise. Warren chooses to elaborate Thomson's objections with the argument of what constitutes as person, and personhood, with the five traits that a fetus does not satisfy. Thus, according to these counterarguments the traditional argument loses its validity; leading to my own conclusion that the argument is invalid.
References:
Thomson, J. (1971). A Defense of Abortion. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 1(1), 47-66. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/stable/2265091
Warren, M. (1973). ON THE MORAL AND LEGAL STATUS OF ABORTION. The Monist, 57(1), 43-61. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/stable/27902294
Pope II, J. P. (1995.). Evangelium