Doubts about a Classic Defence of Abortion
1 Citations•2011•
J. Difford
Human Reproduction & Genetic Ethics
It is argued that Judith Jarvis Thomson's thought experiments do not compare to the reality of abortion and the influence of the paper on arguments concerning personhood is focused on.
Abstract
Abstract Professor Judith Jarvis Thomson's seminal paper "A Defence of Abortion" published in 1971 has formed part of higher education syllabi for decades. In the paper Thomson criticizes one of the fundamental arguments against abortion, that is, the right of the foetus to life by denying that the foetus is a person. This article argues that her thought experiments do not compare to the reality of abortion and focuses on the influence of the paper on arguments concerning personhood.