A Defense Of Abortion By Judith Jarvis Thomson

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In this essay, I will argue that in the article by Judith Jarvis Thomson, “A Defense of Abortion”, her argument that the killing of an innocent person is permissible in some cases, is morally acceptable. In this article, Thomson argues that abortion can be permissible some cases, for example rape, when a woman is forced to participate in the act of sex, which may lead to pregnancy. I agree with Judith Jarvis’ argument because in the case of rape, a woman’s body is violated and once pregnant she would be forced to carry the child for nine months. A woman would have no control over her body and her health during those nine months required to carry a child. I woman should have a choice in that matter. An ethical egoist will agree with this position …show more content…
The Ethical Egoist Theory is based upon the idea that one ought to peruse their own self-interest exclusively. Any action may be morally acceptable if it benefits and is of no consequence to the individual involved. This theory claims that “our only duty is to do what is best for ourselves. Other people matter only insofar as they can benefit us”. Abortion would be morally acceptable if the pregnancy or birth of the child would not be in the mother’s best interest. Cases may include if the mother’s health would be at risk, if the mother knows for a fact that she is physically, mentally, or financially unable to birth or raise the child, or if the pregnancy would prevent the woman from working, pursuing her education, etc. This theory does not focus on the fetus or on societies viewpoints on abortion. It focuses solely on the mother, who ultimately determines the morality of this act based on if it would be of benefit for …show more content…
I somewhat disagree with the ethical egoist’s perspective on abortion. I believe that whether an abortion is performed or not should be decided by the woman and if the birth of the child will have extreme consequence’s than it would be in that woman best interest to get an abortion. However, I personally believe that this theory is based off of selfishness. It focuses only on the mother and what would benefit her without considering the unborn child’s life. I also disagree with Kant’s Duty Ethics because this theory views abortion as immoral in all cases. I believe that in the case of rape and if the woman’s health is at risk she should have the right to end her
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