Analysis Of Thompson's Essay, A Defense Of Abortion

I agree with the argument Thompson makes in her essay,’ A defense of Abortion,’ that abortion is; morally permissible in the instance of rape or possible health complications that would endanger the life of the mother, and morally permissible in other circumstances due to the mother’s right to her own body outweighing the child’s right to live in the circumstance that the parents took the appropriate precautions to prevent pregnancy. Thompson’s violinist case provides a strong conclusive argument for the moral permissibility of abortion in the instance of rape, but her people seed argument does not provide a plausible argument for the moral permissibility of abortion when proper precautions were taken because she does not factor in the parental …show more content…
In this scenario, the air is inhabited by people seeds, which float like pollen and can enter your house through an open window and take root in your carpet or upholstery. Couples who want children can leave their windows open all they want. However, if you don’t want children, you can install mesh screens to your window to prevent people seeds from entering your apartment. The people seeds represent conception, with the mesh being forms of birth control and the house representing the woman’s body. She proceeds to argue that in the very rare circumstance that the mesh fails and a seed drifts in and manages to take root, you still have the right to uproot it. Just because the people seed has now entered your house, it does not have the right to remain there and proceed to use your house. Once again, if you choose to let the people seed remain in your house, you do so out of kindness, not …show more content…
I argue that the people seed argument is disanalogous because it fails to take in account the parental responsibility one feels towards their child. In Thompson 's argument, people seeds simply float around and have the chance to enter your house. You have no relation to that people seed and therefore you only view it as a parasite leeching upon your house. In the real world however, you are related to the fetus. The fetus is the direct result of you and someone else’s genetic material intertwining to create life. And because of that, you have a form of parental responsibility towards your child. I don’t argue that the parental responsibility prevents you from having an abortion, but that Thompson 's analogy falls short, as it does not address parental