Philosophy and Abortion

Philosophy and Abortion 

Abortion, which can be defined as the deliberate termination of a pregnancy before normal childbirth, is an old, but living topic for debate and disputation.

Abortion in the Ancient World

Plato: appropriate in certain circumstances. Aristotle: permissible prior to the higher soul develops. The Hippocratic School: not to be performed by physicians (apparently because of harm to woman). Aquinas: a minor sin before ensoulment, homicide after ensoulment.

Abortion in the Modern World

Widely performed (half of abortion world-wide are illegal). Most controversial is “elective abortion”. Legalized in some U.S. states in the 1960’s and Legalized by U.S. Supreme Court in 1973.

Abortion: The Main Argument Against

► Premise 1: It is wrong to kill an innocent person.

► Premise 2: The fetus is an innocent person.

► Conclusion: It is wrong to kill a fetus.

► It is a question of moral respect for the basic human rights of the fetus.

The Moral Status of the Fetus

► The main argument thus presumes that the fetus is a person.

► If the fetus is not a person, then the main argument collapses.

Fetus and Personhood

► Is the fetus a person?

§ Aristotle & Aquinas: only once the soul has entered the fetus

§ Contemporary Pro-Life Argument: At the moment of conception the embryo is a person.

Fetus & Personhood

► On What Grounds Would the Fetus Count as Person?

§ DNA?

§ Perception?

§ Potentiality?

Ordinary Moral Intuitions

► Many of our “ordinary” moral intuitions conflict with the idea that the fetus is a person from the moment of conception

§ Abortion is often allowed in cases of rape or incest

§ We do not legally name fetuses

§ We do not have funerals for fetuses that result in miscarriage/spontaneous abortion.

Abortion: Main Argument for Permissibility

► 1. The fetus is not a person

► 2. The fetus is a part of the woman’s body

► 3. Adults are said to have a moral and legal right to self-determination, a right to privacy

► Conclusion: 4. Therefore, it ought to be a woman’s moral right to choose.

Problems with the Permissibility Argument

► When does the fetus become a person?

§ At birth? (Sounds arbitrary. What is the morally important difference between a 39-week fetus and a newly born baby?)

§ Viability?

► Why consider viability?

► When is viability? 30 weeks? 23 weeks?

Critique of Extreme Views

► The main arguments typically used both for and against abortion are problematic

§ Conceptually weak.

§ Are in conflict with ordinary moral intuitions.