PHIL 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Negative And Positive Rights, Fetus

• School: Lafayette College
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHIL 102
• Professor: Professor Panichias

Document Summary

Concludes that sometimes even if the fetus is a person abortion is ok. Cannot be impermissible if women kill fetus to save her life especially if it will die anyway (self- defense: women can kill fetus herself. General right -> right to life: negative rich right that people not take things away from you, not a duty to assist. Specific right ->right to body: only given with other person"s consent, [positive right, do not owe the fetus the use of my body it is an imperfect duty. Once your entry you have positive right. Rape: fetus has no positive rights to women"s body because she never gave it to the fetus. The circumstances of the pregnancy are a very important determining if an abortion is permissible: the distinguishing if there is or is not a specific right. Fetus needs special right to a women"s body for abortion to be not permissible.