Morality of Abortion: Thomson vs Marquis - Essay Sample

Introduction

Apart from abortion being a sin in most religions, morality dictates that the fetus experiences pain and suffering and the consequences of abortion are harsh. Thomson argues that abortion is the right measure since a fetus is not a fully grown human being but Marquis answers her that abortion is morally wrong as it is a form of murder. This paper will use Thomson and Marquis's arguments to justify the thesis.

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As a typical antiabortionist, Marquis argues that at all points, abortion is illegal. He argues that life is present right from the time of conception and when the fetus develops and has characteristics of a baby. According to him, abortion is not different from murder except in unusual circumstances. According to him, abortion is wrong because it involves killing someone who is a human being, even though he or she is young. Killing is illegal, and no killing is justified, or not killing is less immoral compared to the other. Marquis justifies his arguments by asking who is wronged by the murder. The killing is not explained by the loss of a family and friends or in terms of the brutalization of the killer. The great wrong is on brutalization and what it does. Killing imposes the misfortune of premature death, and this is where the wrongness lies.

Marquis asserts that it is a misfortune when a premature person dies because one has been deprived of life. He argues that premature death cannot deprive a woman's past life because her past life is already gone. Since one's past life is gone, what is essential is future life; hence it is not moral to deny a fetus its next life (Marquis, 439). He defends his argument by stating that the loss of a future biological life does not explain the misfortune of death.

He uses two scenarios to justify his claims. In the former life, one falls into a coma, and he does not recover until his death of thirty years. In the later, one dies now. The later does not define the high misfortune compared to the former. Abortion denies the fetus's future goods in life that other people value. Killing is the worst crime compared to being robbed or harmed because killing deprives one of all the value of his or her future. Perhaps this is why the penalty of murder is high than any other crime. Instead of giving abortion an upper hand, Marquis argues that people should first consider medicine.

Thomson is of a different opinion, and according to her, abortion is not a crime. She has argued that for the sake of argument, a fetus has a right to life, but the argument is not strong enough. Thomson challenges people to think of a situation where they have been connected while asleep, bloodstream to bloodstream, to a well-known violinist. If disconnected, a violinist who suffers from a rare blood disease will die. Thomas hence argues that you will have a right to detach yourself. In her view, when one lies in bed with a violinist for an extended period, it becomes too much for morality to demand. She asserts that the body being used is your body and not the body of the violinist. In this way, she distinguishes the right to life, which the violinist owns from the right to use the body of someone else when necessary to preserve one's life. Since the case of pregnancy is similar to that of the violinist, one remains attached to the fetus more than getting attached to the violinist.

Additionally, Thompson argues that abortion is morally upright in a case where pregnancy is as a result of rape. However, this is not a must case for carrying out an abortion. According to her, despite the fact the fetus uses a body of the woman as support in growth, a pregnant woman does not use the body of the fetus as a life-support system. Therefore, in an abortion, the life that is lost is that of the fetus and not the mother. Further, she argues that even though the fetus has a right to life, it does not have the right to use another person's body to preserve its life (Christensen, 23). This argument does not seem to be strong because an antiabortionist can argue that the woman can have a right to control her body but does not have a right to end someone's life just because she has a right to do what she wants with her body. Thomson's arguments lead to a conflict right because, as she argues, some rights override others.

Marquis' arguments challenge those of Thomson even though some arguments of Thomson have some sense. Considering the arguments of the two, Marquis tends to value the life of a fetus since it is human life, and human life should be respected. According to him, abortion is not different from murder, and I think he is justified to argue so. First, killing people is wrong. It is wrong morally and by law to kill innocent human beings. Human life, just like animal life, begins at conception; therefore, a fetus is an innocent human being. Abortionists argue that a fetus is not a human being because it has not fully developed, but the claim is weak since life begins at conception. Going by this fact, killing a fetus is wrong; therefore, abortion is wrong. A fetus has a unique genetic code meaning that it is a unique individual. Fetuses are potential people in the making; therefore, it is wrong to destroy possible human life.

Additionally, killing people with a future like ours is wrong. Every fetus if given a chance to live, they would have a future like us as beings. A future like us does not mean that the fetus, if not aborted, will experience the challenges and the better parts of our lives. For instance, human beings have difficulties in life, but the problems do not justify them to take away their lives. The fetus, too, should not be aborted just like the expense of evading worldly challenges. The fetus should be given a chance of life to explore the good in life and make decisions like other beings. Important to note is that abortion causes pain, and causing pain and suffering to other humans is wrong. Scientists argue that a fetus is sufficiently developed to feel pain by the 18th week. Any abortion carried out after eighteen weeks of pregnancy.

Antiabortionists have also argued that increased tolerance of killing is wrong. If abortion is allowed and legalized, then it means that killing is being legalized. When we legalize killing, we will be reducing respect for people's lives. This can create room for other killings that are controversial, such as euthanasia and assisted suicide (Kaczor, 17). Abortion may only sound to be just when the life of a mother is medically proven to be at risk. For instance, if the doctors prove that pregnancy can be fatal to the mother if it is allowed to stay, under that circumstance, it will be a moral act to save the life of the mother. However, if it cannot cause a severe problem, then any alteration of the pregnancy is morally wrong.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this essay holds the argument that abortion is morally wrong except in a few cases. Killing adults and children is wrong because it is murder. Abortion deprives the fetus of the goods of the future. Abortion should only be permitted in cases where the pregnancy is medically advisable to be terminated that is when the life of the mother is in danger. When it is a matter of choice or pregnancy as a result of rape, abortion is not a wise move. Therefore, except in unusual circumstances, abortion is a serious crime. Killing unborn babies is just like killing adults, and both cases are acts of murder.

Work Cited

Christensen, Anna. "Abortion and deprivation: a reply to Marquis." Journal of medical ethics, 2019. https://jme.bmj.com/content/45/1/22.abstract

Kaczor, Christopher. The ethics of abortion: women's rights, human life, and the question of justice. Routledge, 2014. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Imm2BQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=n+Argument+That+Abortion+Is+Wrong+by+DON+MARQUIS&ots=LG7jqI5bbs&sig=yztTM_xyLxp5IRRML7JNe7Kks-0&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=n%20Argument%20That%20Abortion%20Is%20Wrong%20by%20DON%20MARQUIS&f=false

Marquis, Don. "An argument that abortion is wrong." Ethical theory: An anthology, 2007. http://web.csulb.edu/~cwallis/382/readings/160/marquis.html