Abortion

            
             Is abortion murder? What about in times where rape is involved with conception? Who is held accountable for the child? These are just a few of the numerous questions asked when dealing with the heated debate over abortion. There are many viewpoints on the topic, pro-life and pro-choice, and sometimes people will disagree with others in their own category. Judith Jarvis Thomson assumes, in her essay A Defense of Abortion, that a fetus is a human being from the moment of conception. She does not state she believes this, but uses it as a premise for her argument on why and when abortion should be permitted. She uses analogies to illustrate why, in times of rape and failed contraception, abortion should be allowed. Mary Anne Warren, in her essay On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion, talks about one of Thomson's analogies and refutes it. Warren believes that banning abortion would be unconstitutional, but disagrees with some of Thomson's ideas on responsibility. Is Warrens discontent with Thomson grounded?.
             Judith Thomson argues that an abortion is morally permissible in cases of rape. If a woman becomes pregnant by an uncontrollable force, they should be allowed to chose their own life over that of the baby's. A woman who has been raped, she says, cannot be held responsible for the life of the fetus. She uses the analogy of a violinist to illustrate her point. Thomson asks us to imagine waking up next to a violinist who has had an accident and only your blood can save him. You are plugged into the violinist and unplugging yourself would kill him. Opponents of abortion say that everyone has a right to life. This suggests that the mothers right to decide is outweighed by the fetus" right to life. So, opponents would have to believe that the violinist, since he has the right to life, should be let to live off the woman for as long as he need; nine months or nine years.