Abortion Notes essay

Submitted By akalrayyan
Words: 1048
Pages: 5
Open Document
Abortion & Euthanasia * Abortion: Any situation in which a woman’s pregnancy ends in the death and removal of the foetus * Miscarriage: Spontaneous * Abortion: Intentionally induced * Stages of pregnancy: * Fertilization * Zygote (A collection of cells) * Day 5 it becomes a blastocyst * Day 7 to 14 – implantation * After this, it is knows as an embryo * Week 8 – fetus (a pre-baby) * Possible legality for abortions: * Illegal (no exceptions) * Generally illegal (Possible exceptions) * If mother’s life is threatened * If mother’s health is threatened * If the pregnancy results from rape * If the fetus is defective * If the mother’s mental health is threatened * If the mother just doesn’t want to have the baby * The Abortion Act 1967 * Allowed an abortion up to 28 weeks if the mental or physical health of the woman was threatened or the fetus was handicapped * Restricted to 24 weeks in 1990 * Northern Ireland has greater restrictions * 2008: 195,296 abortions * Pro-choice * An embryo or fetus is not a person * Forcing women to have babies represents state control of women’s bodies * “Backstreet abortions” * 20 million unsafe abortions a year * 68 thousand women die a year * Pro-life * An embryo or fetus is a person * Abortion is equivalent to murder * This view is very strong in the USA * Some Americans regard abortion doctors as murderers * When does a person become a person? * Aristotle believed that human life began when the fetus can move * Quickening * 40 days (males) or 90 days (females) * The religious answer: when she/he receives a soul * Ensoulment * Possible beliefs today: * Conception * Viability (22 weeks) * Birth * Conception – the most apparently logical * Problems with the view: * The zygote could become two or more people * Anthony Kenny replaces it with the formation of individual identity (2 weeks) * Zygotes and blastocysts have none of the attributes of people * 38% of all zygotes are lost without the knowledge of the women – roughly 300,000 a day * It means that non-barrier methods of contraception (the pill) cause murder * Viability * The basis of British law * Modern science is extending viability * The record is now 19 weeks and 5 days * Fetal pain * Inconclusive scientific evidence * If an ability to feel pain implies rights, these rights also apply to animals * Peter Singer * Australian philosopher born in 1946 * Utilitarianism * We ought to maximize the good and minimize the bad * The good is people getting what they want * Persons have “rationality”, autonomy, and self-consciousness * Adult humans * Less so human children * No special status comes from membership of the human species * Killing a disabled infant is not morally equivalent to killing a person. Very often it is not wrong at all * Anencephalic babies (born without a higher brain) * Wrong to eat a cow but sometimes right to kill a baby

Euthanasia

* Types of euthanasia * Involuntary * Non-voluntary * Voluntary * How? * Passive * Non-active * Active * Involuntary Euthanasia * The person involved does not want to die and says so * Nazi program of involuntary euthanasia * Action T4 * 275 thousand people who were ‘unworthy of life’ * Mentally and physically disabled Germans * Mainly killed in ‘killing centers’ * The same as murder * Non-voluntary Euthanasia * The
Show More

Related Documents: Abortion Notes essay

Essay about Response to Don Marquis' "Why Abortion Is Immoral"

Don Marquis' "Why Abortion is Immoral" In his essay "Why Abortion is Immoral," Don Marquis argues against the morality of abortion on the premise that the value of a fetus' future is so great that it is immoral to take that potential future away from it. Essentially, he contends, abortion is tantamount to murder: killing an individual is prima facie wrong because the loss of the goods of one's future is the worst loss a human can suffer. He calls this potential future a "future-like-ours,"…

Words 1918 - Pages 8

Questions As Religious Studies Exam Questions

approach Philosophy of Religion Ethics Row 1 The Design Argument The Cosmological Argument Religion and Morality Utilitarianism Situation Ethics Row 2 The problem of evil Miracles Sexual ethics War and peace 1. On the unit 1 exam, you will answer 3 essay questions. Either 2 philosophy and 1 ethics, or 2 ethics and 1 philosophy (you choose) in 1 hour and 45 minutes. Each 2 part question takes 35 minutes to answer. 2. You need to prepare 5 topics: either 3 philosophy and 2 ethics, or 3 ethics and 2 philosophy…

Words 701 - Pages 3

Philo: Appeal and Friendship Model Essay

Essay #1 Instructions: For this writing assignment you will need to write an outline and a 3-4 page essay. Both should be handed in to your TA. Please note the change to the submission deadline. Prompt: In the article “A Defense of Abortion,” Judith Thomson claims that mothers do not have a special duty to care for their children by virtue of their biological relationship. Kaczor rejects this claim, arguing that there are several special duties to care for others due to one’s biological…

Words 336 - Pages 2

Roe V. Wade Argumentative Analysis

Abortion has been a controversial issue in the United States since the passing of Roe v. Wade, a Supreme Court case making abortion legal nationally. As of recent, the argument has evoluted to discuss if there should be a mandate forcing those under eighteen years of age that plan to receive an abortion to notify their parents. There are those who debate that it should not be mandatory for a young girl to notify her parents, typically refer to themselves as “pro-life”, and those that believe that…

Words 1657 - Pages 7

Essay english notes

Essay Basics I) Titles A good title attracts the readers’ interest, and it helps announce the tone of the essay. An informal or humorous essay, for instance, might have a catchy, funny title. Never substitute a mere label, such as “Abortion” or “Essay One” for a meaningful title. Basic rules with Titles: a) Your title should not be underlined, put in quotation marks, bolded, italicized, nor should the font be larger than the standard font; b) Capitalize the first, last, and important words…

Words 907 - Pages 4

How to Write an Argumentative Essay in 9 Easy Steps

How to Write an Argumentative Essay in 9 Easy Steps It goes by many names—the research project, the persuasive essay, the term paper—but all mean the same thing: you’re writing an argument. Before you wrench in agony, know that a smart approach and planning phase (like the one you’re in right now) can make the process of writing an argument approachable, even enjoyable. The following 9 steps will help guide you through the writing process. 1) Choose your topic—carefully. Check your ideas against…

Words 1330 - Pages 6

Unit 4: Culminating Task – 1945-1982

Unit 4: Culminating Task – 1945-1982 Task: Create a thesis statement for your subject before starting your research. For your essay outline, you will need a 3 sub-thesis argument with historical evidence to support each argument. For each sub-thesis argument, you will record figures, historical facts, key figures, statistics, etc. In addition, you must use two methods when recording your research – paraphrasing and direct quotes. Direct quotes are used for short sentences that are profound and…

Words 1226 - Pages 5

US Health Care Notes Essay

healthcare systems? Values, interest groups, institutions? Reasonable, but, quiz: where does US rank among 20 largest industrial democracies in percentage of public expenditure devoted to health? Answer: first! 18 percent of all govt expenditure. Note that US total govt expenditure is a little lower than Canada and Western Europe. But still: US spends a lot on health care. General argument: To a great extent, the difficulty of adopting reform, with universal coverage, is that the existing system—high…

Words 4278 - Pages 18

Essay about En 101 Lesson 8

to prepare your opening paragraph. Have you grabbed your reader’s attention? Have you transitioned from your attention-getter into a clearly defined and focused thesis statement? Have you introduced the main points you will discuss throughout your essay to support (or “prove”) your thesis? Close your introduction with a powerful sentence that allows you to transition into your body paragraphs. Now you are ready to write purposeful body paragraphs that are unified, coherent, consistent, and well developed…

Words 5530 - Pages 23

Prompt One Intersectionality Analysis

oppression are two terms which are inextricably intertwined when viewed under a WGS lens. Privilege can be described as something granted to one group and withheld from another group, with this second group being identified as the oppressed. Many essays within section one of Introduction to Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies, co-written by Ayu Saraswati, Barbara Shaw, and Heather Rellihan, help to further illustrate these ideas.…

Words 2296 - Pages 10