The decision to abort
International Journal of Applied Philosophy 21 (1):25-41 (2007)
| Abstract | Is a woman ever morally obligated to forgo an abortion for the sake of the man who has impregnated her? In “Fathers and Fetuses,” George Harris contends that in some situations women are so obligated. Harris argues that a woman who lies to her partner about her desire to have children, becomes pregnant, and then decides to abort, will, if she acts on this decision, violate her partner’s autonomy and harm him in so far as she will harm his fetus. To avoid these wrongs, a woman must therefore carry this fetus to term. I argue that this conclusion depends on a principle for which Harris offers no argument, namely that the conditions under which a fetus is to be considered a man’s are the same conditions under which a fetus is to be considered a woman’s. Evaluating this principle andconsidering related cases leads to important conclusions about a parent’s relationship with the fetus. Specifically, I challenge the notion that we should ever consider a fetus ‘his’ or even ‘hers.’ | |||||||||
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Similar books and articlesSusan Sherwin (1981). The Concept of a Person in the Context of Abortion. Bioethics Quarterly 3 (1):21-34.
Eric T. Olson (1997). Was I Ever a Fetus? Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 57 (1):95-110.
Holly M. Smith (1983). Intercourse and Moral Responsibility for the Fetus. In William B. Bondesson, H. Tristram Englehardt, Stuart Spicker & Daniel H. Winship (eds.), Abortion and the Status of the Fetus. D. Reidel.
Jeremy Williams (2010). Wrongful Life and Abortion. Res Publica 16 (4):351-366.
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Stellan Welin (2004). Reproductive Ectogenesis: The Third Era of Human Reproduction and Some Moral Consequences. Science and Engineering Ethics 10 (4).
Bertha Alvarez Manninen (2007). Pleading Men and Virtuous Women: Considering the Role of the Father in the Abortion Debate. International Journal of Applied Philosophy 21 (1):1-24.
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