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The reading under consideration written by Judith Jarvis Thomson dwells upon the abortion debate. The major point Thomson (2018) makes reveals the one-sidedness of the arguments against abortion. The writer stresses that the opponents of abortion focus on proving the fact that a fetus is a person, so, like any other person, the fetus has the right to life. However, those debating on the matter have many more aspects to uncover. This paper includes a summary of the reading and the author’s major points.
Importantly, the author mentions that the major traits of a human appear by the tenth month of pregnancy. Thomson (2018) also considers the argument regarding the female’s right to decide what can be done to her body and what is inside it. The writer provides a bright metaphor involving a talented violinist plugged into another person (the reader). The author invites the reader to consider a hypothetical situation, in which they have another person plugged into their body and an array of people supporting this act committed without the reader’s permission.
The writer offers eight major arguments regarding abortion to consider. Thomson (2018) emphasizes that the extreme view that the mother cannot try to save her life at the expense of the child’s life is groundless. Although the fetus is regarded as a person that has the right to life, the mother is also a person who also has the right to life. The second argument is concerned with the involvement of third parties performing the procedure some people see as killing. Thomson (2018) notes that every person decides whether they can make such a decision, but it is stressed that the woman has the right to life and to decide what is better for her body.
The following arguments are concerned with the way people may behave and what is unjust or indecent. Arguments three to six are based on the premise that the right to life does not involve the right to use another person’s body and life. Thomson (2018) claims that a person can help others and invest effort and all available resources to help another individual. However, there is no legal ground forcing people to act that way. Being a Good Samaritan or Minimally Decent Samaritan is every people’s choice.
The seventh argument is related to the responsibility the mother has or does not have for the unborn child. In other arguments, the author often refers to cases involving rape to justify abortion. Thomson (2018) argues that the mother who has undertaken measures to avoid pregnancy is not responsible for the unborn child. The eighth argument the author makes is concerned with the impossibility of the use of any general rules. Thomson (2018) stresses that every case should be considered properly, and in many cases, abortion can be impermissible.
In conclusion, the text in question provides a set of sound evidence in support of abortion. The author finishes her writing with the statement that very early abortions are, by all means, permissible as the fetus cannot be seen as a human being. Moreover, the writer manages to prove that abortion, in many cases, is a permissible and sometimes necessary procedure. Importantly, it is also stressed that abortion can be impermissible under certain circumstances, and people should make sure they consider all arguments when addressing such issues.
Reference
Thomson, J. J. (2018). A defense of abortion. In L. Vaughn (Ed.), Doing ethics: Moral reasoning, theory, and contemporary issues (5th ed.) (pp. 237-247). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.
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