A Brief Analysis of “Why Abortion is Immoral”
In Don Marquis’s paper, “Why Abortion is Immoral,” he argues that it is unjust to kill a fetus because it has a valuable future like ours. He presents valid arguments for the value of a future like ours account throughout the paper, and the paper seems to be sound in its entirety. However, there is a specific problem with one of the examples he uses to further his argument. The example compares killing an unborn child to killing a suicidal teenager, but does not address the idea that the same example can be applied to the mother.
Marquis’s suicidal teenager example is part of his broader argument against pro-choice philosophers who claim that in order to have a valuable life, there must be …show more content…
He goes on to point out the example of a teenager who sees no value in his future and attempts to take his own life but is rescued before finding a bright future for himself. Though the fetus is different from the teenager in that does not even have the capacity to value anything, Marquis’s main point is that neither values his future but both have a valuable one. Therefore, Marquis’s first premise in his argument is that a future can have value even without a valuer. Then, his second premise is that if someone has a valuable future, it is immoral to kill them. Because fetuses have a valuable future, (even though they can not value them), this argument supports his conclusion that it is immoral to abort an unborn fetus. Still, Marquis fails to address some arguments that arise from his suicidal teenager …show more content…
In his example, Marquis claims that someone’s future can be valuable just by the mere fact that others may value it. It can be said then that a mother’s future is actually more valuable than a fetus’s because there are more people to value it. An important point that Marquis barely grazes in his argument is that a major part of what makes humans human is the fact that we can make emotional connections. The more emotional connections a human makes, the more valuable that human’s life is to the outside world. As a fetus, one has much fewer emotional connections than a mother. Therefore, the mother’s life is more important than the fetus’s, and her decision of what she wants to do with her life takes precedence over the fetus’s right to life. However, Marquis does find a way around
In Don Marquis’s paper, “Why Abortion is Immoral,” he argues that it is unjust to kill a fetus because it has a valuable future like ours. He presents valid arguments for the value of a future like ours account throughout the paper, and the paper seems to be sound in its entirety. However, there is a specific problem with one of the examples he uses to further his argument. The example compares killing an unborn child to killing a suicidal teenager, but does not address the idea that the same example can be applied to the mother.
Marquis’s suicidal teenager example is part of his broader argument against pro-choice philosophers who claim that in order to have a valuable life, there must be …show more content…
He goes on to point out the example of a teenager who sees no value in his future and attempts to take his own life but is rescued before finding a bright future for himself. Though the fetus is different from the teenager in that does not even have the capacity to value anything, Marquis’s main point is that neither values his future but both have a valuable one. Therefore, Marquis’s first premise in his argument is that a future can have value even without a valuer. Then, his second premise is that if someone has a valuable future, it is immoral to kill them. Because fetuses have a valuable future, (even though they can not value them), this argument supports his conclusion that it is immoral to abort an unborn fetus. Still, Marquis fails to address some arguments that arise from his suicidal teenager …show more content…
In his example, Marquis claims that someone’s future can be valuable just by the mere fact that others may value it. It can be said then that a mother’s future is actually more valuable than a fetus’s because there are more people to value it. An important point that Marquis barely grazes in his argument is that a major part of what makes humans human is the fact that we can make emotional connections. The more emotional connections a human makes, the more valuable that human’s life is to the outside world. As a fetus, one has much fewer emotional connections than a mother. Therefore, the mother’s life is more important than the fetus’s, and her decision of what she wants to do with her life takes precedence over the fetus’s right to life. However, Marquis does find a way around