Judith Jarvis Thomson on Abortion

Paper Summary:

This paper comments upon Judith Jarvis Thomson's views on abortion in her article "A Defense of Abortion". The paper analyzes Thomson's arguments and beliefs about a woman's right to have an abortion, including her belief that abortion should be safe, legal, albeit rare. The paper concludes that Thomson's cautious and meticulous position is not unreasonable.

From the Paper:

"To Thomson, this leads to a logical dilemma. If the pregnancy will kill the mother, why is it wrong to deny an abortion at the cost of the mother's life? She rejects the notion that killing the fetus (direct killing) is fundamentally different from allowing the mother to die. (190) Thomson reasons that if the woman managed to cause an abortion, she would not be charged with murder. She has a right to defend her life, even against the fetus in her womb. (189-91) From this, she reasons that if the woman unplugged the violinist, causing his death, she would not commit murder. If this is so, then to refuse to grant the rape victim the right to terminate a pregnancy is to refuse to grant her "that very status of person which is so firmly insisted on for the fetus.""

Sample of Sources Used:

• Boonin-Vail, David. (1997a, Jan.). A defense of 'A Defense of Abortion': On the Responsibility Objection to Thomson's Argument. Ethics. 107 (2): 286-313.
• Boonin-Vail, David. (1997b, Fall). Death Comes for the Violinist: On Two Objections to Thomson's "Defense of Abortion." Social Theory & Practice. 23 (3): 329-364.
• Cohen, Marshall, Nagel, Thomas, & Scanlon, Thomas, eds. (1974). The Rights and Wrongs of Abortion. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
• Cornell, Drucilla. Letter to the Editors. Boston Review. Dated Oct./Nov. 1995; accessed 17 May 2007; available at <http://bostonreview.net/BR20.4/Cornell.html>. Internet
• Davis, Michael (1983, July). Foetuses, Famous Violinists, and the Right to Continued Aid. Philosophical Quarterly. 33 (132): 259-278.

More papers on Judith Jarvis Thomson on Abortion:

• Analytical Essay # 14465 : "A Defense Of Abortion" ( Judith Jarvis Thomson )"
• Analytical Essay # 138701 : "Abortion: Liberal or Conservative Issue?"
• Argumentative Essay # 123935 : "A Woman's Choice"

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