PHIL 27 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Judith Jarvis Thomson, Fetus
Document Summary
No distinct line between fetus becoming human (47: fetus is human person well before birth, by the 10th week, fetus has a face, arms, legs, fingers, and toes (48) Common pro-choice argument: the premise is wrong; a fetus is not a person from the moment of conception: a newly fertilized egg is no more a person than an acorn is an oak tree. Thomson"s argument: grant that the fetus is a person from the moment of conception: what others say: everyone has a right to life, so the fetus has a right to life. The mother has a right to her body, but a person"s right to life outweighs the mother"s right to her body, so abortions should not be performed. However, analogy to that: what if a violinist has a fatal kidney ailment and you have the right blood type to help.
