PHLA11H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Abortion Debate, Nippon Tv, Fetus
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The development of a human being from conception through birth into childhood is continuous. So, to draw a line and say that before this time it isn"t a person and after it is a person would be arbitrary. (from p1) Therefore, the fetus is a person from the moment of conception. (from. Thomson"s reply: this is a bad argument; c2 doesn"t follow, similar things might be said about the development of an acorn into an oak tree, and it does not follow that acorns are oak trees. (thomson, p. 352) Skeptical that we can draw a sharp line. Does not think that a fetus is a person from the moment of conception. However, she doesn"t want to spend more time on that question . The assumption people are making: if the fetus is a person, then abortion is impermissible. Thomson: argues against this assumption, argues that even if the fetus is a person, abortion can still be permissible.
