For part one of this series, go here. For part two of this series, go here. Section 4. Is abortion unjust killing? Thomson begins this section by considering that “in the most ordinary sort of case, to deprive someone of what he has a right to is to treat him unjustly.” She illustrates this with […]
For part one of this series, click here. Section 1. The “extreme” pro-life view. [1] I agree with Thomson that the view that abortion is impermissible even to save the mother’s life is an extreme pro-life view. I believe that abortions are justified if the mother’s life is in immediate jeopardy. [2] She does wonder […]
Probably the most famous argument against the pro-life position is Judith Jarvis Thomson’s Violinist Analogy, in which you are attached, against your will, to a famous unconscious violinist to prevent his dying from a kidney ailment. I have already responded to the violinist analogy in previous articles. But within the original essay where the violinist […]
It’s an uncontroversial fact of science that the preborn conceived of a human male and human female are human beings (biologically) from fertilization. But does this mean that just because they’re human beings we can’t kill them? There are times when it’s almost universally accepted that it’s acceptable to kill a human being, such as […]
[Today’s post is reprinted from “Yeah, but…”] Philosophers have proposed, and studies have suggested, that people form opinions based on their emotions first, and after the opinion is formed they find a way to rationalize it. Emotion —> Opinion! —> Rationalization We may like to believe we first carefully think about the logic behind ideas, then form our opinions, and then let our […]
In my previous article, I examined the argument against abortion that I consider to be the strongest, the Substance View. This argument, by philosopher Don Marquis, is also a very strong argument and, when used in tandem with the Substance View, offers a very powerful cumulative case against abortion.This argument comes from Marquis’ 1989 article […]
[Today’s post is part of a series by SPL member Clinton Wilcox. Read part one here.] Now that we’ve learned what goes into making an argument, let’s talk about how to respond to an argument. First, a bit about why philosophy is necessary. Philosophy is all around us. Why are you an Atheist/Christian/Buddhist/etc.? That can […]
[Guest Blogger Simon takes a particular interest in the philosophical aspects of the abortion debate. Here he considers the important role of bodily integrity.] When studying the philosophy of abortion, it is often very hard to find new perspectives. Many arguments run along the usual lines of bodily autonomy, personhood, the moral value of autonomy and […]
[Today’s post is by Aimee Bedoy and Steven Oetjen. It is a shortened version of an article that originally appeared in the Life Matters Journal.] INTRODUCTION A quandary of major proportions faces our nation in this day and age. It could be a matter of life and death for countless persons – we cannot […]
As part of a series of articles on the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, CNN has the touching story of the Graham family. In July 2005, triplets Preston, Tyson, and Landon were born four months prematurely. Preston died shortly after his birth, but Tyson and Landon survived and were transferred to a children’s hospital in […]
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