Judith Thomson’s Argument for the Moral Permissibility of Abortion

8/12/2019 Judith Thomson’s Argument for the Moral Permissibility of Abortion

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Judith Thomson’s Argument for the Moral Permissibility of Abortion



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Judith Thomson’s Argument for the Moral Permissibility of Abortion

Every creature’s life starts when it first sees a ray of light; when it first inhales

fresh air and darkly watches the mother’s smile (or feels a female animal’s touch). But

there are arguments that we going to be considered like live beings even when we are in

our future mother’s belly. If an unborn child was planned by loving parents it can be

reputed a human being and deserves normal life in future. Unfortunately, sometimes

children do not even have a possibility to see a world by their own eyes by reason of

adult indifference. But are they always adult who get pregnant? Or they just pretend to

be responsible for their life and the lives of their possible future children?

To resolve this controversial issue we have the ideas of Judith Thomson, known

as American moral philosopher. She states that people are in right to decide what to do

with their own bodies due to the right of Self-Ownership. In accordance with Thomson,

we are the only ones who can decide how to live and whom to take care of. She admits

that women have a right to protect themselves, so if pregnancy violates female’s bodies

they are allowed to get rid of a fetus. So, there is no need to think over the future of

unborn child because according to the right of self-ownership, it provides people with an

absolute priority over all other individual rights. In other words, people can take care of

themselves only and organize the life they want to have instead of being worried about

the future of their unborn lives.

It is definitely difficult issue to talk about, as moral problems always have several

ways to be resolved, or get left to be not discussed at all. Morality is a word that has a

great amount of meaning, as there are so many human thoughts, that is why there is a right to deliver a separate opinion towards certain problem. For instance, for somebody a



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bird death is a heart-breaking event, and for another one it is just a funny game. So, very

often majority opinion is not taken into consideration during abortion resolving issue.

Judith Thomson presents positive ideas of the moral permissibility of abortion. I am more

likely to be against her moral permissibility of abortion, wherethrough we, human beings

are not in right to decide who can have a life. We are all in God's hands and do not have

to tempt the Lord. It is absolutely unreasonable to resort to abortion, as a woman who has

an intention to abort was given a life before, is not in right to deprive her unborn children

of future life of full value like she has. She was given a life; therefore she is obliged to

give a new life too, as it is her moral duty. We are totally in right to control and protect

our bodies, but at the same time we have to pay for the life we were given by sacrificing

our lives and every day lifestyle.

I am totally agree with Warren’s conclusion about a woman who is voluntary

involved in sexual relations has to be morally responsible in a way that negates her right

to use her body as she wishes. People received a possibility to live on the Earth, so we

have to respect the world existence rules – to be alive according to the nature

demography process. If the physiology is the main vehicle of human existence

development, human’s body is a property of God, so we have obey this rule, as we were

born the same way. Maybe a fetus does not posses the properties of persons, as Warren

says, but it has a chance for a valuable life in future. Despite all the positive and negative

dispute ideas, abortion is a killing and not a way to perfect the life of an individual.



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References

Judith Thomson. Argument for the Moral Permissibility of Abortion.

AbortionLecNotes.doc

Documents

Judith Thomson’s Argument for the Moral Permissibility of Abortion