1

A Defense of Abortion

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Course Name and Number

Instructor’s Name

Date
 2

A Defense of Abortion

Judith Jarvis Thomson says that most arguments and opposition about abortion are based

on the premise that a fetus is a human being from the moment of conception because the

development of a human being begins at the time of conception and continues. The fetus begins

to get human features at an earlier stage, and by the tenth week, it has the face, arms, toes,

fingers, and internal organs, and the brain. However, she says that those who defend abortion

depend on the premise that a fetus is not a person but rather a bit of tissue that will become a

person at birth. She then proposes to grant the fetus that it is a human being from the time of

conception, and as we all know, every human being has a right to life, and therefore a fetus has a

right to life. 

She argues that in the case of performing an abortion to save a mother's life, a woman has every

right to protect her life from any threat posed by the fetus. In this case, the abortion should only

be conducted by the mother herself, and no third party should be involved since both mother and

child have the right to life, and the third party will be directly killing the innocent child. If the

mother’s life is not in danger, she proposes that all human beings have a right to live in

connection with all-natural rights. If a woman was raped, the fetus has no right to use their

mother’s body, and hence aborting them will be justified.

           She argues that the fetus is not a human being because a woman has a special obligation

issuing given that she is the fetus's mother. Both men and women are rounded up together by law

to provide essentials for their children. If both parents agree to keep the pregnancy, it is assumed

that they have accepted that responsibility and given it rights for existence. If assuming

responsibility will need more sacrifices from both parents, then they may choose to reject the

pregnancy. In conclusion, her argument does not give a general yes or no because some cases
 3

require abortion if the mother cannot take responsibility or the mother’s life will be at stake.

Therefore, abortion at the early stages is not killing a human being.