Don Marquis's Choice: Why Abortion Is Imoral?

*Even though his beliefs go against a standard pro-life argument, Don Marquis believes that abortion is immoral because it deprives the victim of a future and is similar to murdering an adult or killing an animal. The argument that Marquis makes for both pro-choice and pro-life are very similar but are both unsuccessful because each party is convinced that their side is correct. Women who are pro-life make the argument that a fetus possess characteristics such as genetic code that make it identifiable as a human as early as conception. Pro-life women believe that this is obvious, which will establish this reasoning on why abortion is murder. This position is supported by moral principle, according to an anti-abortionist. Contrary to a pro-life

When an embryo or a fetus is aborted, they lack the ability to have the same experiences as an adult that lives a normal lifespan. The loss of life is the greatest loss that a human can suffer and the effect of murder, including abortion, has a deeper effect on the victim as opposed to the victim’s friends and family or the murderer. When a human is murdered, they are deprived of any future experiences, activities, projects, or enjoyments. “When I am killed, I am deprived both of what I now value which would have been part of my future personal life, but also what I would come to value” (Marquis 322). Marquis also mentions that premature deaths, such as a death from a terminal illness, is similar to a death after a normal life span because premature death makes the victim lose any future they may have experienced. If a person who was terminally ill decided to end their life via a physician-assisted suicide, they will not suffer any loss, according to Marquis. Marquis explains that not every aspect of our future is valued currently but we will learn to value these aspects as we age, such as attending one university over the other or breaking up with a significant other. These are all experiences that many people face that they do not currently value but will effects on their life in the future. If this person was killed, they would not have the opportunity to make decisions such as what college to attend or who to marry. Where Marquis lacks in his argument is that embryos and fetuses are not sentient beings therefore they lack the ability to value their future. They do not understand that they have future experiences or enjoyments. Fetuses and also infants included are not aware of emotions or motivations similarly to an adult. “The future of a standard fetus includes a set of experiences, projects, activities, and such which are