Are abortions moral? This question has been stirring up debate between those who favor abortion (liberals / Pro-Choice) and those against it (conservatives / Pro-Life). Liberals believe that the woman should not only be able to choose matters that concern her body, but that a fetus is not a person. The conservatives argue that the fetus is a person from conception. However, when it comes down to legality, the Constitution states that a woman is able to make the choice for herself without government intervention on the basis of the right of privacy. .
In Jane English's article she shows that there are exceptions to every rule concerning why and when abortion is moral or immoral. For example, conservatives say abortion is immoral because it kills potential life but there are justifiable killings. Liberals think since a fetus is not a person it is a justifiable act to kill it. But during the final stages of pregnancy the fetus closely resembles a person. .
What if a fetus is a person? Conservatives will consider abortion to be infanticide. If Judith Jarvis Thompson is able to prove that killing is always wrong, she can conclude whether or not abortion is immoral. However, there are justifiable killings. She uses self-defense as an example along with some scenarios. The defense may only equal the threatened injury in severity and should only be the minimum necessary to deter the attacker. Therefore, if the birth of a child poses threat to the mother, abortion may be considered as self-defense. A second scenario says to avoid an attack all together, suggesting to practice abstinence. A third scenario says use protection against the attacker, implying to use birth control. A fourth scenario says you may kill the attacker only if there is certainty he will kill you. Therefore, abortion is "acceptable" if it will save the woman's life.
What if a fetus is not a person? Since a fetus is considered not to be a full-fledged person, conservatives fear liberals will treat the fetus any way desired hence the debate on abortion.
