Evaluate Thomson's defence of abortion
Abortion is not a new topic by any means and is yet still one of the most controversial subjects of our time, with Judith Jarvis Thomson's 1971 article entitled "A defence of Abortion" being one of, if not the most discussed articles with regards abortion in the last 50 years.
In this essay I will attempt to evaluate the arguments put forward by Thomson by examining them and considering whether they are sound in their presumptions. I will also, in my evaluation, be considering the ideas and opinions of others in relation to abortion but in particular in relation to Thomson's article itself.
From the very beginning of the article Thomson stresses to make it clear that in order to give the matter closer examination than is commonly given, she is going to start her argument from the point that she will grant that the foetus is a person from the moment of conception.
Pro-life memorial in Bytom, Poland. Translation fr...
English: A map showing laws about abortion arround...
Youth gathered to meet Benedict XVI at the Estádi...A point that she feels is relied on heavily by those who oppose abortion and that "when we do give it this closer examination we shall feel inclined to reject it" (Thomson 1971:38). The foetus's right to life (since it is a person and all people have a right to life) is a major point in her argument. She suggests that the foetus's right to life is far more important than the mother's right to decide what shall happen in and to her body and that therefore the abortion may not be performed. It is at this point that she introduces the Violinist example, an example that she runs with throughout the entire article.
Basically, the Violinist example goes like this: you are kidnapped and wake-up to find yourself hooked up a famous Violinist, who will die without the...