PHLB09H3 Study Guide - Final Guide: A Defense Of Abortion, Fetus, Euthanasia
Document Summary
Implication: fetus does not have a special right to life, even if it is a person. Thompson presents rival accounts against her arguments (only focus on 4: 1. It is worse to kill the fetus than to let the mother die. Thompson"s rebuttal: two lives are being threatened: 2. Even if it is permissible to save the mother, it cannot be performed by a third party. Thompson"s rebuttal: we cannot meddle with a private individual"s affairs: 3. Thompson"s rebuttal: right to life isn"t the right to another person"s body: 4. With regards to the violinist example, there is a problem with the premise. Thompson"s rebuttal: this shows that abortion is only sometimes unjust. Conclusion: even if the fetus is a person, it has no special right to life so it does not follow that abortion is wrong. Those against abortion argue that fetuses are a part because of the biologically human principle.
