The Major Social Issue Of Abortion By Judith Thomson
analytical Essay
2111 words
One of the biggest social issues that our nation is facing is the major social problem of abortion. The dispute over abortion began over two centuries ago, but caught the public’s eye again in the 1960’s and 1970’s. During the 60’s and 70’s, the women’s rights movement and civil rights movement really brought the topic of abortion back as a national issue. To this day, abortion has divided people, communities, friends, and especially politics to believe that they belong to two opposing sides, pro-choice and pro-life. Each side has researched abortion deeply and has come up with beliefs and morals that make abortion such a debatable and divisive subject. Judith Thomson’s essay “A Defense of Abortion”, argues about the right to life a fetus and a mother have and how abortion can be morally permissible in certain scenarios. She begins her essay by clarifying that her arguments discuss that abortion is occasionally permissible in certain situations and that it is immoral during others. Also, she addresses the fact that the debate over abortion leans on the argument of whether or not a fetus is a person. Throughout Thomson’s essay, she separates the essay into six arguments and uses her famous violinist example to relate each argument to. Before Thomson begins her first argument, she …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how thomson elaborates on her famous violinist example. the director of the hospital tells you that if you unplug yourself, you kill him. if everyone has a right to life, is unplugging yourself unjust?
- Analyzes how thomson explains the right to life a mother has, if the mother could potentially die because she is pregnant.
- Analyzes how judith thomson's essay, "a defense of abortion", argues about the right to life a fetus and mother have and how abortion can be morally permissible in certain scenarios.
- Analyzes how thomson argues that women have rights to decide what happens in and to her body, and a third party cannot perform an abortion only the mother.
Thomson’s use of the violinist example is used throughout her entire essay and is referenced and changed multiple times to fit the different scenarios of her argument. Even though she uses the violinist a lot, that does not make it a strong example or her arguments any stronger. I believe that the argument of abortion will never be solved. There are way too many underlying issues that are extremely hard to find answers to. The divide of pro-life and pro-choice will always be there because it is simply way too hard to find an answer that will please both
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- analytical
- argumentative
- Summary Of A Defense Of Abortion By Judith Jarvis Thomsonanalytical essayIn the Judith Jarvis Thomson’s paper, “A Defense of Abortion”, the author argues that even though the fetus has a right to life, there are morally permissible reasons to have an abortion. Of course there are impermissible reasons to have an abortion, but she points out her reasoning why an abortion would be morally permissible. She believes that a woman should have control of her body and what is inside of her body. A person and a fetus’ right to life have a strong role in whether an abortion would be okay. Thomson continuously uses the story of a violinist to get the reader to understand her point of view.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how judith jarvis thomson's paper, "a defense of abortion", argues that even though the fetus has a right to life, there are morally permissible reasons to have an abortion.
- Analyzes how thomson focuses on the premises that a fetus' right to life is greater than the mother's use of her body.
- Analyzes how thomson argues that abortion is permissible because it is solely to save the mother's life.
- Opines that it is not right for a third party to intervene in the mother's decision. a mother has ity over her own body so she gets to do what she wants with her body.
- Analyzes how thomson questions whether the fetus has the right to use the mother’s body for survival. thomson understands that depriving someone of something they need to survive is not right either.
- Explains that thomson thinks that when a woman voluntarily has intercourse and becomes pregnant, an abortion is not unjustly killing the fetus.
- Analyzes thomson's argument that it would be impolite to decline the violinist one hour of your life, but she doesn't believe it unjust. the good samaritan says that people should do what they can for a person who is in danger.
- Argues that unplugging the violinist and having an abortion are two separate situations. an abortion is an immediate death of the fetus.
- Explains that the violinist is dying because of his own circumstances of having kidney failure. the fetus is not in danger of dying when it is conceived.
- Argues that the fetus is related to the mother and the violinist is in no way related. thomson makes it out to sound like a pregnant woman is not allowed or capable of doing anything during the nine months of pregnancy.
1559 wordsRead More - The Ethics Of Abortion By Judith Jarvis Thomsonanalytical essayThe ethics of abortion is a topic that establishes arguments that attempt to argue if abortion is morally justified or not. Philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson wrote a pro- choice piece called “A Defense of Abortion.” In this paper, she presents various arguments that attempt to defend abortion by relating it to the woman carrying the fetus and her right in controlling her body. On the other side of the spectrum, philosopher Don Marquis wrote a pro- life paper called “Why Abortion Is Immoral.” Ultimately, Marquis argues that abortion is immoral with rare exceptions because it is resulting in the deprivation of the fetus’s valuable future. He supports his paper by creating the future-like-ours argument that compares the future of a fetus to the
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the ethics of abortion establishes arguments that attempt to argue if abortion is morally justified or not.
- Analyzes thomson's pro-choice argument in "a defense on abortion," which is mainly supported by analogies like the violinist analogy, burglar analog, and the people seeds analog.
- Analyzes how thomson shows that the violinist's right to life is being respected because of the use of her body.
- Analyzes how thomson's people seeds analogy relates to the idea of how consensual intercourse doesn't equal the fetus' use of the body.
- Analyzes how marquis argues that abortion is immoral because of the fact that the fetus' valuable future is deprived.
- Analyzes how marquis argues that killing a fetus is just as wrong as killing an adult, if not, even more wrong.
1549 wordsRead More - Philosopher, Judith Jarvis Thompson's A Defense Against Abortionanalytical essayMany are inclined to believe that the fetus has become a human being even right before birth and being brought into the world. A controversial topic around that surrounds the world, is the act of abortion permissible? Philosophers have seen this idea and tried to understand when in face is abortion permissible. Philosopher, Judith Jarvis Thompson, in her piece, “A Defense Against Abortion” explores the premise is abortion permissible in all cases. Throughout Thompson’s piece she draws multiple analogies to make her argument be seen through a different perspective. Thompson makes the claim that abortion is permissible even when in fact when a woman intentionally engages in sex and knowing what she is doing can have a high risk of pregnancy.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how judith jarvis thompson's piece, "a defense against abortion," explores the premise that abortion is permissible in all cases.
- Analyzes judith thompson's claim that abortion is permissible when knowing there is a high risk of pregnancy.
- Analyzes how thompson sees the argument differently in comparison to abortion. she believes that the woman's body is the house and allows for a man to come in and that leads to sexual activities.
- Argues that thompson's argument that abortion is permissible when knowing that there are high risks of getting pregnant is false.
- Analyzes thompson's argument that it is permissible to abort when the woman intentionally knows what is happening.
- Opines that thompson's claim that abortion is permissible when a burglar comes into the house will always be controversial.
1470 wordsRead More - Response to Judith Jarvis Thomson's A Defense for Abortionanalytical essayResponse to Judith Jarvis Thomson's A Defense for Abortion Judith Jarvis Thomson, in "A Defense of Abortion", argues that even if we grant that fetuses have a fundamental right to life, in many cases the rights of the mother override the rights of a fetus. For the sake of argument, Thomson grants the initial contention that the fetus has a right to life at the moment of conception. However, Thomson explains, it is not self-evident that the fetus's right to life will always outweigh the mother's right to determine what goes on in her body. Thomson also contends that just because a woman voluntarily had intercourse, it does not follow that the fetus acquires special rights against the mother.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how judith jarvis thomson argues that abortion is permissible even if the mother knows the risks of having sex.
- Analyzes how thomson argues that a person has no right to be given the bare minimum that is needed for continued life.
- Analyzes thomson's argument that a woman has no more moral obligation to her unborn child than she has to strangers.
- Opines that one may unplug oneself from the violinist by shooting him in the head, cutting him into pieces, poisoning him, but he dies from his sickness.
- Analyzes how thomson contradicts herself at the end of the essay by saying that she does not agree with killing the unborn child.
- Argues that thomson's volunteerism is fatal to family morality, which has as one of its central beliefs that an individual has special and filial obligations to his offspring and family.
- Argues that the volunteerist thesis is contrary to what people think. the idea that to be committed to an individual is fatal to family morality.
- Argues that pregnancy and childbirth entail certain emotional, physical, and financial sacrifices on the part of the pregnant woman, but these are also endemic of parenthood in general.
- Explains that the sperm donor is not morally responsible for the child he inseminates into a woman, but is forced by an unjust court to pay child support.
- Analyzes how thomson misguidedly infers that all moral obligations to a child are voluntary. the father's responsibility for his offspring stems from the fact that he engaged in sexual intercourse that could result in the creation of another human being.
- Argues that even if the violinist doesn't have a right to his life, it's not morally permissible.
- Analyzes how thomson argues that the right to life includes not being killed by anyone unjustly.
- Argues that the unborn has a prima facie right to her mother's body. the womb is the natural environment for the violinist, whereas being artificially hooked up to strangers is not.
- Argues that thomson's violinist illustration undermines the deep natural bond between mother and child by making it seem no different from that between two strangers artificially hooked up to each other.
- Analyzes how thomson ignores the fact that abortion is killing and not merely the withholding of treatment. levin argues that there is an essential difference between abortion and the unplugging of the violinist
- Argues that thomson's argument is inconsistent with well-established family law, which presupposes parental responsibility.
- Argues that thomson's use of pregnancy as a nine-month involuntary imprisonment in bed skews the argument.
4806 wordsRead More - Analysis of Thompson's Article, A Defense of Abortionanalytical essayIn Judith Jarvis Thompson’s article “A Defense of Abortion” she explores the different arguments against abortion presented by Pro –Life activists, and then attempts to refute these notions using different analogies or made up “for instances” to help argue her point that women do have the right to get an abortion. She explains why abortion is morally permissible using different circumstances of becoming pregnant, such as rape or unplanned pregnancy.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how thomson disagrees with the pro –life argument, calling it a slippery-slope argument. thompson introduces her "violinist analogy."
- Analyzes how thompson uses the analogy to reject the view that the extreme pro – lifers hold that women don't have the right to an abortion.
- Analyzes how judith jarvis thompson compares a woman having sex with the knowledge she can become pregnant — to the burglar breaking into the house.
- Opines that thompson's article focuses too much on why the pro-life ideas are wrong, instead of why pro – choice is right.
- Analyzes how judith jarvis thompson's article "a defense of abortion" explains why abortion is morally permissible using different circumstances of becoming pregnant, such as rape or unplanned pregnancy.
- Analyzes how thompson compares a pregnant woman's body to 'a house', stating that the mother and the unborn child are not like two tenants in the house, and that abortion is not unjust.
- Analyzes how thompson uses analogies to illustrate the strength of her points and to weaken the arguments of pro – lifers.
1773 wordsRead More - A Defense Of Abortion By Judith Jarvis Thomsonargumentative essayThe topic of my paper is abortion. In Judith Jarvis Thomson's paper, “A Defense of Abortion,” she presented a typical anti-abortion argument and tried to prove it false. I believe there is good reason to agree that the argument is sound and Thompson's criticisms of it are false.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that judith jarvis thomson's paper, "a defense of abortion," presented a typical anti-abortion argument and tried to prove it false.
- Explains that the typical anti-abortion argument is as follows: 1. every fetus is a person, 2. every person has the right to life, 3.
- Argues that the definition of person according to merriam-webster dictionary is "a human being." thompson rejects the premise that a person develops from conception to childhood and eventually into adulthood.
- Refutes don marquis' argument that murder is wrong because it's depriving someone of their future and taking away their right to live that cannot be returned.
- Defends premise 4, "everything that has a right to life may not be killed," by paraphrasing the situation.
- Compares the case of abortion due to rape with that of a violinist, who is unplugging himself and trying to help him live.
- Concludes that thompson's criticisms of the standard anti-abortion argument are false. premise 1 stays true as life begins at conception, while premise 2 stays alive because murder is illegal and morally wrong.
1303 wordsRead More - Argumentative Essay On Abortionanalytical essayAbortion is a controversial source of considerable debate in our nation and across the world, where many people feel strongly one way or another. When we discuss abortions we must remember that it is the important decision for the mother as well as the partner involved. This decision is nor black and white, its’ a critical one for future mother and father. It is an important life-changing the decision, attached to internal ethical dilemmas. This controversial topic has two sides; one group believes that it is an immoral act of murder while others believe that should be up to the mother to decide the fate of the unborn child. The advocates on both sides will argue on either side of pro-life or pro-choice platforms. Both platforms determine a
In this essay, the author
- Opines that abortion is a life-changing decision, attached to internal ethical dilemmas. it is an important decision for the mother as well as the partner involved.
- Analyzes the monumental supreme court case of 1973 of roe vs. wade, a debate that brought the argument of abortion.
- Explains that pro-choice can be viewed as an escape from the harsh reality that abortion is the murder of innocent lives.
- Argues that pro-life stance is associated with a divine mandate defended by the beliefs of high power, religion and spirituality that can be traced from christian beliefs.
- Argues that the morality is the biggest and strongest argument toward abortion. the pro-choice activist believes life begins at birth.
- Narrates how they faced a life-changing decision in 2004, when they were engaged to their now husband and were expecting. their father was furious and wanted an abortion, while their mother disagreed.
- Concludes that many theories agree and disagree on the controversial pro-life and prochoice platforms. both advocates claim to hold the righteous to save lives, to each they remain strong in their causes.
879 wordsRead More - Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood by Kristen Luker, analyzes the historical and complex sociology of abortion. Luker focuses on three important factors: a historical overview of abortion, the pro-life and pro-choice views, and the direction the abortion debates are going (11, Luker, Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood p. 000). Abortion has always been seen as murder and with the idea that those who are already living have more rights. Back in the days, the laws didn’t give fetus personhood. Also, the laws against abortions weren’t strictly enforced upon anyone. In addition, abortion didn’t seem to be a huge problem, which explains why abortion was ignored in the past.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes kristen luker's "abortion and the politics of motherhood" to analyze the historical and complex sociology of abortion.
- Analyzes how physicians brought abortion into the public's eye and formed a pro-life movement arguing the moral knowledge they didn't seem to have.
- Analyzes how luker argues that the attitude for abortion ranges to work, religion, children and families, making it difficult for pro-choice and prolife to have a mutual agreement about the values of abortion.
- Analyzes luker's thoughts about teen pregnancy, stating that poor mothers drain the society’s resources by making the wrong life choices.
- Analyzes how luker conducts on both sides on the issue of abortion, arguing that abortion ranges from different core values.
- Analyzes luker's sociological account of the underlying cultural motivations. teens have responsibilities that lead to society’s failure.
- Analyzes how luker's account has been both weakening and expanding the power of ethical rezoning to generate moral insights concerning the ethics of abortion.
- Opines that abortion gives a moral objection to the fetus’ right to life, while it is questionable whether or not the death of the unborn child is unjustifiable.
837 wordsRead More - The Debate Of The Permissibility Of Abortionanalytical essayThe permissibility of abortion has been a crucial topic for debates for many years. People have yet to agree upon a stance on whether abortion is morally just. This country is divided into two groups, believers in a woman’s choice to have an abortion and those who stand for the fetus’s right to live. More commonly these stances are labeled as pro-choice and pro-life. The traditional argument for each side is based upon whether a fetus has a right to life. Complications occur because the qualifications of what gives something a right to life is not agreed upon. The pro-choice argument asserts that only people, not fetuses, have a right to life. The pro-life argument claims that fetuses are human beings and therefore they have a right to life. Philosopher, Judith Jarvis Thomson, rejects this traditional reasoning because the right of the mother is not brought into consideration. Thomson prepares two theses to explain her reasoning for being pro-choice; “A right to life does not entail the right to use your body to stay alive” and “In the majority of cases it is not morally required that you carry a fetus to term.”
In this essay, the author
- Explains that people have yet to agree upon a stance on whether abortion is morally just. judith jarvis thomson rejects this traditional reasoning because the right of the mother is not taken into consideration.
- Analyzes how thompson's theses are strengthened by hypothetical and real-life examples. she disparages the traditional argument to cultivate a deeper analysis on the permissibility of abortion.
- Analyzes thompson's argument that it is not selfish to not pursue an action that leads to an enormous sacrifice. there is a significant difference between moral excellence and moral decency.
- Opines that thompson's argument has some weaknesses, such as she grants the idea that a fetus is person, and doesn't discuss the possibility of the mother opting to an abortion.
1114 wordsRead More - Abortion Chapter Summaryanalytical essayAuthor Robert M. Baired and Edited by Stuart E. Rosenbaum this book provides both pro-choice and pro-life sides in their own words, it discusses a legal, philosophical, historical, personal and religious issues. The book also provides readers with basic understanding of different beliefs on abortion and women’s rights; it includes 22 discussions about abortion from both parties. Since abortion is a very complicated
In this essay, the author
- Explains that state abortion restrictions have been a part of anti-choice strategy, but legislators and activists are now executing an increasingly radical state by state strategy.
- Analyzes how life after abortion is based on true life events on women and men who have suffered from post-abortion, resulting in fear after they silenced their selves for years.
- Explains that planned parenthood's website provides facts on the influential supreme court case that continues to affect reproductive rights today.
- Explains that robert m. baired's book provides both pro-choice and prolife sides in their own words. it includes 22 discussions about abortion from both parties.
- Analyzes how the article supports the roe v. wade case and the statistics on abortion in different age bracts, and argues that abortion should be permitted only in cases such as rape, incest or danger to a woman's health or life.
744 wordsRead More