Philosophy Paper
PHI 101-G Introduction to Philosophy, Spring 2021 Instructor: Hwan Ryu
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Introduction to Philosophy – Week 10 (2) Thomson on Abortion
Thomson’s purpose in this paper
- Background offered by Thomson: Sometimes both proponents and opponents of abortion share the following: if a fetus is a human being, abortion is morally impermissible because the fetus has a right to life. On the other hand, it is difficult to determine when does a fetus become a human being. - Thomson’s purpose: To show that sometimes abortion is morally permissible even if we assume that a fetus is a human being.
Violinist case - Setting: All of a sudden you find yourself with your kidney plugged into the kidney of a famous violinist. A group of fans of the violinist kidnapped you and did this to save the violinist’s life. They ask you to stay in bed for nine months. - Thomson’s intuition: It is morally permissible for you to unplug yourself.
cf. That the violinist needs to use your kidney to survive does not imply that he has a right to use your kidney. cf. It would be morally praiseworthy if you choose not to unplug yourself. But you are not morally blameworthy if you choose to unplug yourself.
- Argument from analogy: The violinist case is analogous to involuntary pregnancy. Therefore, we should also say that abortion is morally permissible in the case of involuntary pregnancy.
People-seed case
- Objection: I can grant that abortion is morally permissible in the case of involuntary pregnancy. But think about the cases where the pregnant woman and her partner knew that their choice might result in pregnancy. Aren’t they partially responsible for the fetus’s life if the pregnancy actually results, which makes abortion morally impermissible in this case? - Thomson’s reply: Such cases are analogous to the people-seed case. - Setting: People-seeds drift in the air. You know that if you open your windows, one may drift in and take root in your wall. To prevent that result, you set a fine mesh screen on your window. Unfortunately, however, the screen was defective and a seed takes root in your wall. - Thomson’s intuition: Removing the people-plant is morally permissible in this case. - Argument from analogy: The people-seed case is analogous to the cases described above. Therefore, we should also say that abortion is morally permissible in those cases as well.
PHI 101-G Introduction to Philosophy, Spring 2021 Instructor: Hwan Ryu
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Right vs. decency - Variation of the violinist case: You need to stay only an hour and the violinist will recover from the disease. - Thomson’s intuition: You ought to allow the violinist to use your kidney. This is because it would be morally indecent for you to refuse.
cf. Not because the violinist has a right to use your kidney. As the original violinist case shows, the violinist does not have a right to use your kidney. It would not be unjust for you to refuse.
- Analogy: There is a boy and his younger brother. Suppose that I gave a box of chocolates to the older boy. I didn’t know that he has a younger brother. When the older boy came back to home, the younger brother wanted some chocolate. In this case, we would say that the older boy ought to give some of the chocolates because not doing so would be indecent.
cf. Again, not because the younger brother has a right to have some of the chocolates. It would not be unjust for the older brother to refuse to give some chocolates.
- Indecent abortion: If the pregnant woman “is in her seventh months, and wants the abortion just to avoid the nuisance of postponing a trip abroad.”
Fischer’s case
Suppose you have planned for many years to take a trip to a very remote place in the Himalaya mountains. You have secured a cabin in an extremely remote and inaccessible place in the mountains. You wish to be alone; you have enough supplies for yourself, and also some extras in case of an emergency. Unfortunately, a very evil man has kidnapped an innocent person and brought him to die in the desolate mountain country near your cabin. The innocent person wanders for hours and finally happens upon your cabin.
You have the following problem. You can radio for help, but because of the remoteness and inaccessibility of your cabin and the relatively primitive technology of the country in which it is located, the rescue party will require nine months to reach your cabin. Thus, you are faced with a choice. You can let the innocent stranger into your cabin and provide food and shelter until the rescue party arrives in nine months, or you can forcibly prevent him from entering your cabin (or staying there) and thus cause his death (or perhaps allow him to die). (It is evident that he will die unless you allow him to stay in the cabin.) (Fischer 1991: 6)
- Fischer: Intuitively, you ought to allow the stranger to stay in your cabin. But then we have a puzzle because “[t]he violinist case and the cabin case tug us in different directions.” Which one is more similar to involuntary pregnancy?
PHI 101-G Introduction to Philosophy, Spring 2021 Instructor: Hwan Ryu
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References Fischer, John M. (1991) “Abortion and Self-Determination,” Journal of Social Philosophy 22: 5-
11.