1. Abortion Stretch and challenge Philip Allan Publishers © 2015

2. Abortion Many arguments about abortion are based on the question of whether a foetus is a ‘person’. Religious arguments tend to focus on the sanctity of life, and in particular whether abortion should be seen as murder.

3. Abortion and utilitarianism (1) The following arguments are of little interest to utilitarians: if the foetus is a ‘person’ if one person has the ‘right’ to the use of another’s body if someone has the ‘right’ to determine what happens in their own body (Judith Jarvis Thompson) if having sex is an ‘invitation’

4. Abortion and utilitarianism (2) The hedonistic approach of utilitarianism is primarily concerned only with the balance of pleasure and pain. Utilitarianism is therefore concerned with the amounts of pleasure and pain where abortion is allowed compared with the amounts of pleasure or pain where abortion is forbidden.

5. Abortion and utilitarianism (3) If the main consideration is the interests of the foetus, utilitarianism would attempt to estimate its future happiness.

6. Abortion and utilitarianism (4) Similarly, if the main consideration is the parents and family, estimation has to be made of present and future happiness. This might include: the financial situation absent or unknown father continuation of genetic abnormalities

7. Abortion and utilitarianism (5) Utilitarianism would also consider the community at large, including maintaining a viable population level. So utilitarianism could be seen as against abortion only when it is generally in favour of raising the numbers of the population and vice versa.

8. Abortion and utilitarianism (6) Therefore, for a utilitarian, it is difficult to produce a general response to abortion, as each case is unique. In reaching a decision, utilitarians have to consider more than the question of rights and personhood and they cannot decide the rightness or wrongness of abortion just by considering the consequences and the effects on those involved.