Philosophy 320
Professor Galloway
09/27/2017
Philosophy Essay 5
Mary Anne Warren discusses the matter of whether abortion should be legal and moral,
in her journal titled, “On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion.” In the work, she goes over
four topics, which are considered to be the more difficult issues to tackle and various questions
are laid out to present her arguments.
She begins by discussing the definition of a “human”. She delves into topics such as
speciesism, and the moral sense of humanism versus the genetic sense of humanism. She
explains that many people falsely claim that fetuses are genetically human simply because they
contain human DNA. Warren states that many assume one holds a moral sense of humanism
based on genetically being a human. In other words, she disagrees and believes that not all
genetically human beings are “people”, and therefore are not entitled to the rights that
“people” have.
Warren goes on to give five traits in which one must possess to be considered a moral
human. She clarifies that if a being satisfies none of these five traits, then they are not a person.
Warren uses the made-up story of an alien that comes to earth and must decipher who is
human or not, claiming that the alien could only identify living human beings as actual people.
Warren continues into fetal development and one’s right to life. She attempts to explain
that a fetus is not considered a human while in this stage of its life because it is not self-
motivated or self-aware, cannot communicate and cannot reason. With this at hand, she
makes the claim that fetuses don’t have the right to live.
I believe that Marry Anne Warren is absolutely out of her mind with this essay. The
points she suggests are so ludicrous that it was even difficult to read. She ends the essay by
bringing the Alien story back, this time suggesting that it will now make a bunch of alien babies
with its DNA and choose whether to let them live. This essay was not only disturbing to read,
but also an embarrassment to herself.
Professor Galloway
09/27/2017
Philosophy Essay 5
Mary Anne Warren discusses the matter of whether abortion should be legal and moral,
in her journal titled, “On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion.” In the work, she goes over
four topics, which are considered to be the more difficult issues to tackle and various questions
are laid out to present her arguments.
She begins by discussing the definition of a “human”. She delves into topics such as
speciesism, and the moral sense of humanism versus the genetic sense of humanism. She
explains that many people falsely claim that fetuses are genetically human simply because they
contain human DNA. Warren states that many assume one holds a moral sense of humanism
based on genetically being a human. In other words, she disagrees and believes that not all
genetically human beings are “people”, and therefore are not entitled to the rights that
“people” have.
Warren goes on to give five traits in which one must possess to be considered a moral
human. She clarifies that if a being satisfies none of these five traits, then they are not a person.
Warren uses the made-up story of an alien that comes to earth and must decipher who is
human or not, claiming that the alien could only identify living human beings as actual people.
Warren continues into fetal development and one’s right to life. She attempts to explain
that a fetus is not considered a human while in this stage of its life because it is not self-
motivated or self-aware, cannot communicate and cannot reason. With this at hand, she
makes the claim that fetuses don’t have the right to live.
I believe that Marry Anne Warren is absolutely out of her mind with this essay. The
points she suggests are so ludicrous that it was even difficult to read. She ends the essay by
bringing the Alien story back, this time suggesting that it will now make a bunch of alien babies
with its DNA and choose whether to let them live. This essay was not only disturbing to read,
but also an embarrassment to herself.
