Abortion and Don Marquis

The issue of abortion is one that has some of societies most noted thinkers bewildered. The two sides of the argument are that of anti-abortionists and pro-choice. Those who agree with the pro-choice argument believe that a woman has the right to choose whether or not she has a baby or not, its her body. Anti-abortionists argue that the fetus has the right to life. Some debate whether or not the fetus is human and if it has the right to life as any, and every other human does. Don Marquis is one of those noted thinkers who argued that abortion is, with rare exceptions, seriously immoral.

In his article, he ranks abortion in the same category as the killing of an innocent human being. He argues, "The effect of the loss of my biological life is the loss to me of all those activities, projects, experiences, and enjoyments which would otherwise have constituted my future personal life ...

Human fetus, age unknown

Gestational age may determine which abortion metho...

ABORTION // Fetus & Moron

some parts of my future are not valued by me now, but will come to be valued be me as I grow older and as my values and capacities change." Of course, there are some instances where he believes abortions are morally permissible.

Marquis states that there are certain issues that he will not address. He does agree that in the case of rape or when the life of the mother is at stake, that abortion is morally permissible. "Some anti-abortionists will allow that certain abortions, such as abortion before implantation or abortion when the life of the mother is threatened by a pregnancy or abortion after rape, may be morally permissible. This essay will not explore the casuistry of these hard cases." He agrees that abortion is a controversial issue.

He agrees that there are certain issues in abortion that...