PHI 2396 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Therapeutic Abortion, Moral Agency, Fetus
12 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Susan sherwin, abortion through a feminist ethics lens; mary ann warren, on the moral and legal status of abortion. Bill c-43 abortion allowed only if a doctor certifies that her physical, mental or emotional health will be otherwise threatened. Feminists object to bill c-43 because it places the doctors (not women) as the best judges of a woman"s need for abortion. Feminists also feel that women must have control over their own reproduction. Non-feminists" arguments are grounded in masculinist conceptions of freedom that don"t meet the needs, interests, and intuitions of many of the women concerned. Feminists view the pregnant woman as principal concern in abortion decisions. Non- feminists focus their attention on the moral status of the developing embryo/fetus. Abortion is killing a human being; therefore we have to ban abortion unless it"s therapeutic. Argument 1: women are responsible for getting pregnant and therefore they have to be held responsible for bringing the human babies to life and safety.
