CAS PH 251 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Abortion Debate, Wisdom, Fetus
2 May 2018
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Department
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Abortion: Philosophical Arguments
Overview:
• Don Marquis – makes the first argument against abortion (believes that it is immoral)
o Remains one of the strongest and secular arguments
o Was introduced at a time when abortion and women’s rights were morally
permissible and accepted
• The abortion debate is largely based on the ethical question – is the fetus a human being
with moral standing/value and is it right to kill them?
General Schematic
• 1. Make some claim regarding the relevant properties of the fetus
o Properties chosen by Anti-Abortionists – the property of being a human/homo-
sapient
o Properties chosen by Pro-Choicers – the property of being a person/a rational
agent/a member of a social/moral community
• 2. Formulate principles that tie these properties of the fetus to its having/not having a
right to life
o ***Principles are made from properties
o Principles chosen by Anti-Abortionists – the principle that it is prima-facie wrong
to kill an innocent human life/fetuses/a being with the potential to become an
adult
o Principles chosen by Pro-Choicers – the principle that it is only intrinsically wrong
to kill beings with properties, but since fetuses do not hold these properties, it is
inherently not wrong
• 3. Show how the properties proposed by the other side lead to absurd consequences
o Anti-Abortionists principles proven to be too broad – “it is wrong to kill everyone”
effectively leads to the conclusion that if cell cultures living in labs are considered
“living”, they cannot be killed
o Pro-Choicers principles proven to be too narrow – “it is only wrong to kill specific
persons” effectively leads to the conclusion that infants/persons with severe
handicaps should not be allowed to live
• 4. Show that attempted revisions are inadequate
o Ad hoc revisions of principles do not succeed for either side
▪ The Anti-Abortionist dilemma – this may lead to unawareness of what
humanistic properties truly matter
▪ The Pro-Choicer dilemma – this may lead to an overvaluing of infants,
severely handicapped persons
Feinberg v. Marquis
• Question: If “human being” is a biological category, what makes it the basis for moral
standing?
o Debate – the Pro-Choicer relies on ‘personhood’ as the relevant moral property
while the Anti-Abortionist relies on the psychological aspects as the relevant
moral property
o Does this make the argument arbitrary?
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Living , they cannot be killed: pro-choicers principles proven to be too narrow it is only wrong to kill specific persons effectively leads to the conclusion that infants/persons with severe handicaps should not be allowed to live, 4. It is because people are conscious, have a sense of personal identities, have plans/goals/projects, experience emotions, can feel pain/anxiety, can reason/bargain, etc. These developed capacities lead people to assume rights/duties to themselves and give them the ability to make claims and be ascribed fundamental rights: marquis"s critique we must consider the possibility of counterexamples, such as, 1. People who are mentally disabled they may one day rise to the level of having self-awareness and independence: 2. People who are temporarily unconscious you may not have general desires/wishes at certain moments in life (ex: anesthetized, brain dead) but this should not entail a loss of rights: this leads to the fourth counterexample, 3. People that will never have psychological properties: 4.
