The Fourth Variation

The Fourth Variation

We finally come to the Fourth Variation:

Step 1:

1

Every fetus is a person.

  
 

2

Every person has a right to life.

  

Therefore

3

Every fetus has a right to life.

1&2
       

Step 2:

4

No being with a right to life may be killed unjustly.

  

Therefore

5

No fetus may be killed unjustly.

3&4

If Thomson is correct, there will only be some cases in which it would be unjust to abort a pregnancy.

Clearly, in cases of rape the mother has not given the fetus the right to use her body, and so may justly abort the pregnancy.

 

 

 

 

What about in cases where the mother intentionally has sexual intercourse, uses contraception, and still gets pregnant. Does she not bear at least a partial responsibility for the fetus' life?

 

 

Thomson's response:

The people-seed thought experiment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suppose peopleseeds drift like pollen on the wind and, if they enter a home, they take root and grow into people. You don't want children, so you put screens on all the windows and try very hard to keep them out. But a hole in one screen allows a peopleseed to enter and implant itself in your carpet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does the peopleseed person that develops have a right to use your house?

 

 

 

 

What about cases where the mother intentionally has sexual intercourse and fails to use contraception. Does she not bear at least a partial responsibility for the fetus' life?

 

 

 

Suppose you intentionally left the windows and screens up on your house, knowing that there is a likelihood that peopleseeds might float in and take root. It would seem that in that case it might be unjust to kill them.

 

 

 

 

What about cases where the mother intentionally becomes pregnant?

 

 

 

 

Anti-abortionists are unjustly requiring women to be Good (in some extreme cases Splendid) Samaritans. No one else is legally required to be even a Minimally Decent Samaritan, although they may be morally required.

It seems that except in cases where we have assumed a special responsibility for someone, we are not morally required to make large sacrifices to keep another person alive.