Analysis Of Abortion By Julion Thomson

To begin with, it proves beneficial to clarify that Thomson supports abortion under certain conditions; therefore, she believes that there are cases in which abortion is no longer a justifiable course of action but there are a series of instances in which abortion is wholly permissible. From there we can begin to look at the analogies that Thomson utilizes to solidify her stance. First, she paints the picture of a famous violinist who needs anothers kidneys to survive, what would one do if they awoke to find they were volunteered to sustain him? With this analogy she proves that although it would be serviceable of one to stay, it is not required because it would not be an unjust action for one to detach oneself because one does not have any

Then she also creates the analogy of if people were seeds dispersed in the air and one took all the precautions possible to not let the seeds into their house (by covering their windows but still opening them) it is not their fault if something goes wrong and a seed is planted; therefore, they do not have anymore responsibility to maintain the seed than someone who never opened their windows at all. This analogy is in place to clarify if one participates in protected and preventative intercourse; yet, still becomes pregnant, they are not at fault to care for an accidental fertilization. Finally, Thomson introduces the phrase “minimally decent Samaritan” to describe what she believes the best action in each analogy to be. A minimally decent Samaritan is someone who does not necessarily go out of their way to help someone else, or intentionally sacrifices their own rights or life, but instead will do what they can to make improve a situation if their is a demand for action. Nonetheless, being a minimally decent Samaritan does not mean one always has to participate, it is just a baseline of what is to be expected of a good, average

She begins by laying out the positions of pro-choice feminists who she claims have good intentions but have been suaded through a male-dominated societal view on sex. Next, the alternative view, the one belonging to herself, is presented. To begin with, Callahan challenges that not unlike women and other minority groups in the past who were considered ‘unfit’ to be a part of society, fetuses sustain the unjust hardships of being too underdeveloped to be given a chance to live in normalcy. In addition, it is brought into question whether a mother should hold the sole power to decide in pregnancy termination due to the ease to which abortion can be pursued creating a susceptibility for women to rely on it as a option, which goes against the femin model of being respectful and responsible to life. Her next appeal is that of responsibility, a women should be proud of her, and a female’s alone, poweress of creating future generations; therefore, females should have moral obligations to any fetuses. Continuing from here, Callahan follows up with depicting the intrinsic value of life as originating in a biological stage, during which you are a part of the human species and have a contribution to make. Concluding her debates, she hits one of her main points, that through feminism, and not falling prey to the lurking monster of abortion, women have the opportunity to