Abortion

Question	Answer
Applied Ethics - Abortion	Permitted in the UK up to 24 weeks
When was the abortion law updated and why?	Updated in 1990 after the foetus was deemed viable after the point of 24 weeks.
What is John Stuart Mill's principle of liberty?	The 'only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm from others'
What goes against JSM's principle?	The UK abortion law as it doesn't afford woman an absolute right over their own bodies.
What is the Methodist view point?	To most Christians the embryo/foetus is not only a person, but one made in the image of God and that is sacred. However, the Methodist church says that there are circumstances in which an abortion might be the 'lesser of two evils'. The circumstances are - the embryo being grievously handicapped, pregnancy is the result of rape, or the mental or physical health of the mother is at risk.
What is the Roman Catholic point of view on abortion?	Every abortions is a 'moral evil' because from the moment of contraception an embryo is recognised as a human being.
What is the Situation Ethics viewpoint?	Fletcher - those that are in favour of abortion would seek to apply the commandment of 'Love thy neighbour'. These should be followed for the sake of the patients mental and physical health, not only if needed to save her life.
Explain the view of a utilitarianist.	The unborn foetus/embryo's interests or preferences would not be absolute, even if regarded as a person.
Explain the Kantian view.	It would be wrong to have an abortion as by aborting it you would be treating the embryo/foetus as an end, but merely as a means to the happiness or reduced pain of the pregnant woman seeking an abortion.
What does SOL mean?	Sanctity of Life meaning 'life set aside' because it is created specially and uniquely by God.
What does QOL mean?	It stands for Quality of Life and means that the value of life is to do with external or extrinsic factors such as the desire to live and the right to die.
What does VLA mean?	It means Valuable Life Argument and this argues that SOL doesn't adequately account for the strongly intuitive feelings about the preservation and value of life.
Explain Judith Jarvis Thompson's analogy of the violinist.	It's about whether or not it is morally fair for a woman to not have a choice as to whether she wants/keeps the child or aborts it. All people have a right to life, yet this shouldn't be on a higher level than a woman's right to her own body.
What is JJT's analogy of the Tiny House vs the Growing Child about?	The pregnant woman is the house and the argument is that women are not allowed 'self defence' against the growing baby which is 'killing' them. JJT expresses that the woman did not choose to 'house' the child and it must be remembered that the child doesn't necessarily have the right to stay and that the mother is allowing it to stay.
Explain the analogy of the Older Brother vs the Young Brother.	Both brothers have the right to half a box of chocolates. The older brother would be deemed 'unjust' if he refused to give the younger brother any. This explains the point that both the mother has the right over her own body and that the unborn foetus has the right to life.
Explain Judith Jarvis Thompson's analogy of the Window and the Burglar.	If a room is stuffy and you open a window and a burglar climbs in, it would be absurd to say that he can now say stay as you had voluntarily enabled him to get in. It's wrong to say that if the woman gets pregnant it is her fault and that she is fully responsible because she had sex knowing that there was the possibility that she could become pregnant. It's wrong to say that if the woman accidentally became pregnant due to the failure of contraception or rape than it is still her fault.
Explain the idea of Personseeds and the analogy not to represent them.	People-seeds drift about the air like pollen and if you open your windows one might drift in and take roots in the carpet. If you don't want children then you'd fix your windows with mesh screens. People-seeds represent unborn children and that if you didn't want them then you would use contraception. Yet anyone can avoid contraception by having a hysterectomy and some may argue that if the contraception fails you are still responsible for becoming pregnant and that the unborn baby still has a right to life as you accepted the risk of becoming possibly pregnant when you had sex.
Explain the Natural Law view on Abortion.	Abortion is murder as the preservation of life is essential. Reproduction is a primary precept and abortion goes against this. Catholics follow the Divine Law 'Do not murder'. The unborn child has the same status as any other life.
Explain the viewpoint of Christian ethics on abortion.	The idea of the SOL argument is important to all Christians. View held my Evangelicals and Catholics is that life is sacred from the point of conception. Follow Genesis where humans are created in the image of God and cannot be destroyed by anything other than God. Catholics believe that the foetus has the same status as any other human. Some Liberal Christians believe the traditions of the church should be seen in their historical context and are not relevant today. An abortion is morally right or wrong depending on the amount of agape which results from it.
What are the 6 qualities which make a human, human according to Mary Ann Warren?	Sentience, emotionality, reason, the capacity to communicate, self-awareness and moral agency.
What did Pope Pius IX say in the Papal Edicts?	That all foetuses are people.
When does life begin?	For Roman Catholics - contraception. Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1991 - at the moment of implantation in the womb. Others when the heart starts beating or brain activity.
What does 'Right to Choice' mean?	The woman has the right to choose whether or not she keeps the child or aborts it. 'Pro-choice'
What does 'Right to Life' mean?	Right to life means that the unborn child has the right to live. 'Pro-life'

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	Created by Rachel Wallace over 9 years ago