A Defense Of Abortion, By Judith Thomson And John Noonan

When it comes to ethical issues in the world, there are not many more controversial issues outside of the topic of abortion. Abortion brings in emotion, religion and ethics all at once, which is why it is such a polarizing topic. This leads to having many on each side of the debate, such as Judith Thomson and John Noonan. Thomson makes many valid analogies in support of abortion in comparison to Noonan who just refutes basic arguments for abortion, and it is for this reason that Thomson is more persuasive. While Thomson makes many different analogies in his essay â€Å"A Defense of Abortion†, none were as persuasive as the famous violinist analogy. In the analogy, Thomas paints the picture of someone being kidnapped and their kidneys being used to support the life of the violinist. Thomson uses this argument to represent the idea of a woman supporting the life of a child or fetus at the expense of their own. Thomson goes on to show the reader that the idea of unplugging yourself is not unjust, therefore â€Å"unplugging† yourself from a fetus is not unjust as well. The question of rape is also addressed with this analogy as the violinist is violating the victim’s body just as the rapist does. Thomson goes on to modify the analogy throughout the essay. The first modification to the analogy is that the act of supporting the violinist will kill you, just as sometimes birth may kill a woman. In either case, it is widely accepted that unplugging yourself or aborting the baby is withinShow MoreRelatedThe Argument Of Defending Abortion850 Words   |  4 PagesDefending abortion is always controversial. But, in some circumstances it can be justified. In the case of Clare Macwurter, her mental state questions if abortion is permissible. Judith Thomson’s article â€Å"A Defense of Abortion† argues analogies defending her reasoning for justifiable abortion. In some cases, Thomson reasons that abortion is sometimes justifiable. Munson states, â€Å"When the reasons for having an abortion are trivial, then abortion is not legitimate. When the reasons are serious andRead MoreA Defense Of Abortion By Judith Thomson965 Words   |  4 PagesPhilosopher Judith Thomson, in her article â€Å"A Defense of Abortion,† presents a hypothetical case of a famous violinist who has a health condition that can only be healed by getting â€Å"connected† to someone compatible and use his kidneys for 9 months to clean his contaminated blood. A compatible person is then kidnapped, rendered unconscious, and connected without permission to the dying violinist. When the victim wakes up, he gets an explanation and is presented with two options: he stays connectedRead MoreMorality and Social Policy1205 Words   |  5 Pages(1970)7057055John T. NoonanJohn T. Noonan, JrAn Almost Absolute Value in HistoryThe Morality of Abortion: Legal and Historica l Perspectives51-591970CambridgeHarvard University Press HYPERLINK l _ENREF_2 o Noonan, 1970 #705 Noonan (1970), anyone conceived by a man and a woman is human and by recognizing this fact, it is inhuman to kill the fetus despite its imperfections. He also presents the argument that by limiting humanity to exclude certain groups which comes from allowing abortion as a result of imperfectionsRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal?1448 Words   |  6 Pagesstudying the debate on whether or not abortion should be illegal, you are approached by many different writers with interesting arguments, filled with their opinions and reasons for why abortion should or should not be allowed. Two essays that have caught my attention while reading about the debate of abortion are: â€Å"A Defense of Abortion† by Judith Jarvis Thomson, and â€Å"An Almost Absolute Value in History†, by John T. Noonan Jr. Thomson argues that abortion is permissible in cases where the mother’sRead M oreThe Argument Of Abortion On Abortion1692 Words   |  7 PagesThe argument of abortion is largely circumstanced around whether or not a fetus should be considered as a human person and, if indeed it is, when exactly in the stages of development can a person agree with the aforementioned statement. Most pro-life supporters firmly believe that a fetus is a human at the instance of conception and use this as a sole basis to argue that abortion is therefore immoral. Judith Jarvis Thomson is not convinced that this basis is a sufficient defense and approaches theRead More The Debate Over Abortion Essay2024 Words   |  9 Pagesa fetus, abortion, the ending of a pregnancy by removing a fertilized egg, has become increasingly controversial. The morality of abortion has caused many to separate into opposite sides of the spectrum, pro-life and pro-choice. The arguments over abortion has stirred a continuous debate between a pro-choice stance such as that presented by the analogical reas oning of Thomson or Glover’s examination of social context and a pro-life position argued by a moral view of personhood by Noonan. The ethicalRead MoreAbortion Matters of Life and Death Casts Dispersions on Both Pro-Abortion and Anti-Abortion Debates1980 Words   |  8 PagesAbortion A. Jonathan Glover, in his article Matters of Life and Death casts dispersions on both pro-abortion and anti-abortion debates citing them as too knee-jerk emotional reactions diminishing the inherent complexity of the other side (1. Glover, CC2006, p. 0110). Glover comprehensively addresses the key points of both sides of the abortion debate and evaluates their inherent virtues, especially for those who hold these opinions, then methodically points out its flaws. Ultimately, Glover comesRead MorePermitting Abortion and Prohibiting Prenatal Harm Essay2987 Words   |  12 Pagesis a basic contradiction involved in permitting abortion while at the same time prohibiting prenatal harm. (1) This contradiction can be stated in personhood terms and in terms of the womans rights. Id like to elucidate that contradiction and examine three solutions which rise out of current literature; Id like then to propose a somewhat new, fourth solution. The Contradiction Stated in terms of personhood, the contradiction is this: abortion is permitted or condoned because the fetus (2)Read MoreA Defense of Abortion: Most Opposition to Abortion Relies on the Premise That the Fetus Is a Human Being9495 Words   |  38 PagesA Defense of Abortion Author(s): Judith Jarvis Thomson Source: Philosophy and Public Affairs, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Autumn, 1971), pp. 47-66 Published by: Blackwell Publishing Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2265091 Accessed: 10/01/2010 00:54 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTORs Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTORs Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior