Philosophy 320
Professor Galloway
10/10/2017
Essay 6
In Judith Jarvis Thomson’s A Defense of Abortion, she lays out various different points in
support of a mother’s right to an abortion. In comparison to Marry Ann Warren’s article on
aliens and the five characteristics of humanism that fetuses, in fact, do possess, it is a much more
sound and enjoyable article to read.
She starts by stating that it is wrong of anybody to draw a line at when the fetus becomes
a person. She says that it is not a particular point that can be discovered, similar to the fact that
one cannot consider acorns as oak trees, simply because they are two different things. She says
that she does not believe a fetus is a person, claims that it will become a person at some point
before birth, but fails to ever give an answer as to when.
Thomson devotes the bulk of her paper to justifying abortions when the mother’s safety is
at stake. Considering this is probably the most commonly accepted justification that liberals and
many conservatives share, I believe Thomson used this tactic to ease the reader into her
outrageous arguments that follow.
Her arguments align with a hypothetical story she provides. One day, you wake up and
find yourself in a hospital bed connected to a famous violinist that needs your kidneys to survive.
The question is, are you now inclined to stay connected to this violinist until he can live on his
own? This comparison to motherhood is absolutely ridiculous. It is one thing to voluntarily
commit yourself to someone to save their life, like for a blood transplant. In this particular
situation, it should not be required of someone to dedicate their life to helping them. This random
Professor Galloway
10/10/2017
Essay 6
In Judith Jarvis Thomson’s A Defense of Abortion, she lays out various different points in
support of a mother’s right to an abortion. In comparison to Marry Ann Warren’s article on
aliens and the five characteristics of humanism that fetuses, in fact, do possess, it is a much more
sound and enjoyable article to read.
She starts by stating that it is wrong of anybody to draw a line at when the fetus becomes
a person. She says that it is not a particular point that can be discovered, similar to the fact that
one cannot consider acorns as oak trees, simply because they are two different things. She says
that she does not believe a fetus is a person, claims that it will become a person at some point
before birth, but fails to ever give an answer as to when.
Thomson devotes the bulk of her paper to justifying abortions when the mother’s safety is
at stake. Considering this is probably the most commonly accepted justification that liberals and
many conservatives share, I believe Thomson used this tactic to ease the reader into her
outrageous arguments that follow.
Her arguments align with a hypothetical story she provides. One day, you wake up and
find yourself in a hospital bed connected to a famous violinist that needs your kidneys to survive.
The question is, are you now inclined to stay connected to this violinist until he can live on his
own? This comparison to motherhood is absolutely ridiculous. It is one thing to voluntarily
commit yourself to someone to save their life, like for a blood transplant. In this particular
situation, it should not be required of someone to dedicate their life to helping them. This random
