Thomson, Judith Jarvis. A Defense of Abortion
1971 1971, Philosophy and Public Affairs 1 (1):47-66.
-
Expand entry
-
Added by: Simon FoktContent: Thomson aims to see if abortion can be defended even if the anti-abortion theorist is granted their key premise, i.e. that the foetus has the status of a person. Thomson argues that this is, in fact, irrelevant since we do not owe it to others to let them use our body in order to survive.
Can’t find it?
Contribute the texts you think should be here and we’ll add them soon!
Comment: This text offers one of the central arguments in favour of moral permissibility of abortion and features the 'famous violinist' thought experiment. It is a central reading for any module in applied ethics focusing on abortion.