RELIGST 2C03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Trolley Problem, Fetus, Zygote
28 Sep 2017
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Introduction: j. finnis abortion and healthcare ethics , j. j. thompson a defense of abortion , abortion in canada, abortion and the law, abortion and women. If persons have certain inviolable civic rights, and personhood is dependent on the genetic information of the individual, then abortion should be considered tantamount to murder and, thus, illegal. If murder is both morally wrong and illegal, then abortion too should be considered morally wrong and illegal because it is essentially murder. Problems: mothers in danger from pregnancy, rape, genetic defects, doctors who refer without performing abortions (moral responsibility of third parties?) Finnis: non-maleficence and benevolence for the unborn overrides all considerations. A fetus is not responsible for the death of his mother or the crime of his father. All fetuses should be carried to full term regardless of genetic defects that may affect viability. And all doctors who participate in acts of abortion are guilty of murder. (18-21)
