Abortion Flashcards
What are the issues regarding personhood?
At what stage does a foetus become a person and therefore entities to full moral rights?
If it is impossible to identify a definite point, are foetuses persons from conception?
Are neonates not full persons?
Can someone cease to be a person? Can someone have ire personhood taken away?
What are the four views of personhood?
1 identify as a human organism
2 potential to be a person
3 identify as a person
4 conferred moral status
Personhood - identify as a human organism
Moral development at any stage of development of an individual,human being
Interpreted by some as beginning at conception nad by others at 14 days when the potential for twinning has passed
The embryo is the same as the child into which is develops
An embryo may be equivalent to a ten year old child
This creates difficulties when there are compelling reasons for an abortion
Implies that post coital contraception - morning after pill - is morally equivalent to murdering an adult
Personhood - potential to be a person
If it is wrong to kill a child then it is wrong to kill an embryo or foetus at any stage
Because a potential future child will cease to exist you are killing a potential future child
This make contraception/reproduction problematic - a single sperm can be a oftentimes future argument makes abstinence morally wrong! Cloning by somatic nuclear transfer means that any cell in the. Dog can become a person
Personhood - identify as a person
It is generally wrong to kill people but an embryo is not necessarily a person
Certain characteristics confer parenthood - consciousness, sentience
Conscious life - ability to perceive pain - thought to begin at about 24 weeks in humans
Self conscious life and/or rationality occurs much later
Is this a viable criteria?
Birth - where legal rights occur
Ensiulment is the religious criterion of personhood
Sorites paradox - heap of sand, minus one grain is still a heap - a competent adult is a person, a contract,patent adult minus one day is still a person etc
Personhood - conferred moral status
Moral status is conferred by others
Justified in terms of social fold of baby - fosters warmth and sympathy
Justified in terms of similarity with persons
Those close to the infant care for it
If we kill foetuses, may kill newborns, may kill older children… slippery slope argument
When is killing morally permissible?
Starting point - killing people is generally wrong
At what point is is morally permissible and under what circumstances?
What are some circumstances that might affect the moral status of abortion?
Pregnancy as a result of rape
Pregnant child
Could affect woman’s career
Pregnancy would prevent a planned holiday/other event
Pregnant woman would be a single mother
Pregnant woman would be very poor
Pregnant woman has severe mental/physical illness
Sanctity of life
First principle: it is absolutely prohibited to kill an innocent human being
As applied in medicine: absolutely prohibited either intentions..t to kill a person or let a person die, and to base decisions relating to the prolongation or shortening of human life on considerations if its quality or coins. It is however sometimes permissible to refrain On my way! preventing death.
Implications: a woman carrying a foetus not yet sufficiently developed to be capable of independent existence is discovered to have a highly malignant cancer of the uterus. In order to save her life it is proposed to carry out a hysterectomy. This will entail unavoidable loss of life in the foetus. Is this morally justifiable?
A woman carrying a foetus not yet sufficiently developed is discovered to have a potentially fatal cardiac condition. It is clear that carrying the pregnancy to term would be a serious risk. It is proposed to carry out an abortion to save her life. Is this morally justifiable?
Doctrine of double effect
The act itself must be morally good or at least indifferent
The good effect must be produced directly by the action and not by the bad effect - that would be using a bad means to achieve a good end - forbidden
Good effect must be sufficiently desirable to compensate for the allowing of bad effect
Women’s right argument
Women have the right to health, liberty, pursuit of happiness
Starting and going through pregnancy fundamentally the woman’s choice
Even if moral value is given to the embryo/foetus, it is subordinate to the value of the woman
Is there an obligation to sustain life?
Thomson - limits on the right to life, which does not include the right to use another persons body
Why is pregnancy different?
Abortion on the grounds of foetal abnormality?
Abortion e grounds encouraged disrespect for and discrimination against disabled people
If we agree that foetus/embryos are people, then they are disabled people
Killing a disabled foetus/embryo is morally equivalent to killing disabled people
There is availability of choice to women to prevent creation of disabled embryos, and therefore killing of disabled people
Gillon’s counter argument: abortion of otherwise healthy embryos doesn’t encourage disrespect for mans in general. Permitting abortions to prevent bringing disabled persons into existence does not justify undermining our obligations or care for, respect and be fair to currently existing disabled people.
Virtue ethics and abortion
Hursthouse says that discussions about women’s rights are irrelevant as are discussions about the personhood of foetus
The right decision does not require an understanding of philosophical concepts
The status of pregnancy and its significance in a persons life is relevant - parenthood is intrinsically worthwhile. Abortion is morally grave.
Abortion may be permissible but not for trivial circumstances
Margaret Atwood
Texas funnelled money away from abortion providers. Maternal mortality rates and birth rates have spiked. Disproportionately affected those relying on government funds for medical care.
This is compared to a form of slavery to force women to give birth to and raise children they cannot afford. If the state restricts abortion then the state should pay for all costs associated with that child - health insurance, live costs etc - they do not currently do this.
