Chapter Four: Abortion Review Applying Ethics: A Text with Readings (10 th ed.) Julie C. Van Camp, Jeffrey Olen, Vincent Barry Cengage Learning/Wadsworth

How should we approach the central question in abortion, what is a “person”? As a biological category: homo sapiens In terms of its ethical status: moral agent In terms of its political status: legal recognition

What are the moral positions on abortion? Conservative – –abortion is never morally justified or, at most, justifiable only to save the mother’s life Liberal – –abortion is always morally justifiable, regardless of the reasons or the time in fetal development Intermediate or moderate – –abortion is morally acceptable up to a certain point in fetal development and/or with some reasons, though not all

“Why Abortion Is Immoral” Donald Marquis Killing a fetus is just as immoral as killing an adult human being Both the fetus and the adult human being are deprived of all value of their future Contraception is not wrong, as it does not deny something a human future of value

“A Defense of Abortion” Judith Jarvis Thomson What is Thomson’s strategy for analyzing abortion? –Assume the anti-abortion premise: that fetus is a person from the moment of conception –Ask what are the consequences for abortion rights if we assume that premise? –Ask, even if the fetus is a person from the moment of conception, are all abortions necessarily wrong?

“On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion” Mary Ann Warren Which position does Warren defend? –The extreme liberal position Does she believe the fetus is a person? –No, and therefore, abortion is not immoral What is one of the strongest criticisms of her position? –It seems to permit infanticide

“Virtue Theory and Abortion” Rosalind Hursthouse What is her reasoning strategy for adding abortion issues? – –She uses Aristotelian virtue theory to consider the morality (not the legality) of abortion How does she use virtue theory? – –She analyzes what a “virtuous woman” would do to make the abortion decision