Question 1

A utilitarian position can be staked out either for abortion or against it.

Accepted Answer

Utilitarianism, which focuses on the consequences of actions and aims to maximize overall happiness or well-being, can be used to argue both for and against abortion depending on how one assesses the outcomes and whose happiness or well-being is prioritized (e.g., the potential child, the mother, society).

Question 2

Kantian ethics is committed to an anti-abortion position.

Accepted Answer

Kantian ethics does not explicitly commit to an anti-abortion position because it focuses on the categorical imperative and the moral worth of actions based on duty, rather than specific outcomes or positions on issues like abortion.

Question 3

The natural law position on abortion as articulated in Roman Catholicism is that killing the unborn even for the purpose of saving the mother's life is impermissible.

Accepted Answer

According to Roman Catholic teaching, which is grounded in natural law ethics, direct abortion is considered morally impermissible under any circumstances, including when the intention is to save the mother's life. This is because it involves the direct killing of an innocent human being, which is seen as inherently wrong.

Question 4

It is rare for a woman having a first-trimester abortion to suffer major complications that require hospitalization.

Accepted Answer

Most first-trimester abortions are safe and have a low risk of major complications, making hospitalization rare.

Question 5

Most people believe therapeutic abortion to be morally permissible.

Accepted Answer

Surveys and studies across various countries show that a significant portion of the population believes therapeutic abortion, which is performed to save the life of the pregnant woman or for other medical reasons, to be morally permissible. This view is often based on the consideration of the woman's health, life, and well-being.

Question 6

Nearly 90 percent of abortions are performed in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Accepted Answer

Most abortions occur early in pregnancy; statistics show that the vast majority (nearly 90%) of abortions are performed within the first 12 weeks (first trimester) of pregnancy. This is due to various reasons, including the easier access to early abortion methods and the timing of when individuals typically discover and decide to terminate a pregnancy.

Question 7

As a result of Roe v. Wade, a woman's right to end her pregnancy cannot be curtailed by the state in the first trimester.

Accepted Answer

Roe v. Wade (1973) established that the right to privacy under the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment extended to a woman's decision to have an abortion, but that this right must be balanced against the state's interests in regulating abortions. The Supreme Court held that the state cannot impose significant restrictions on the decision to abort before fetal viability (around the end of the first trimester), effectively legalizing abortion during this period.

Question 8

Both liberals and conservatives in the abortion debate agree on the basic moral principles that murder is wrong, that persons have a right to life, and that personal freedom should not be curtailed except for very important reasons.

Accepted Answer

Both liberals and conservatives generally agree on these basic moral principles, but they disagree on how these principles apply to the issue of abortion, such as when life begins and what constitutes a very important reason for curtailing personal freedom.

Question 9

Kant's view can be plausibly construed as sanctioning abortion as a way of respecting a fetus' personhood.

Accepted Answer

Kant's view can be plausibly construed as sanctioning abortion as a way of respecting a fetus' personhood because he believed that a fetus is not a person until it is born.

Question 10

Even if the fetus is considered a person, a Kantian could plausibly argue for therapeutic abortions on the grounds of self-protection.

Accepted Answer

A Kantian could argue that in cases where the pregnancy endangers the life of the mother, therapeutic abortion could be justified on the grounds of self-protection, as preserving one's own life is a fundamental moral duty under Kantian ethics. This does not necessarily conflict with the principle of treating humanity always as an end in itself, as the action can be seen as a necessary means to preserve life.

Question 11

Name and define the three general positions one can take on the moral permissibility of abortion.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Name and define the three general positions...

Question 12

Mary Anne Warren asserts that five traits are central to personhood. Any being that satisfies none of these traits is certainly not a person. A fetus satisfies none and is therefore not a person. Present one common conservative objection to this argument.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Mary Anne Warren asserts that five traits...

Question 13

Present two Kantian arguments regarding abortion: one in which the unborn is considered a person and one in which the unborn is not considered a person.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Present two Kantian arguments regarding abortion: one...

Question 14

Describe the limits on state regulation of abortion granted by Roe v Wade. Be sure to detail the way these limits change at different stages of pregnancy.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the limits on state regulation of...

Question 15

What is the main conservative argument against abortion?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the main conservative argument against...

Question 16

The Following Questions For Readings: "A Defense of Abortion," Judith Jarvis Thomson
-According to Thomson, the view that abortion is impermissible even to save the mother's life is properly called the _______ view.

Accepted Answer

Thomson refers to the view that abortion is impermissible even to save the mother's life as the "extreme" view, highlighting its strict stance against abortion under any circumstances.

Question 17

The Following Questions For Readings: "A Defense of Abortion," Judith Jarvis Thomson
-According to Thomson, the famous violinist has

Accepted Answer

Thomson argues that the famous violinist does not have an absolute right to the woman's body, suggesting that there are circumstances under which the woman is not obligated to sustain the violinist's life with her body.

Question 18

The Following Questions For Readings: "A Defense of Abortion," Judith Jarvis Thomson
-According to Thomson, unborn persons whose existence is due to rape have

Accepted Answer

Thomson argues that in cases of rape, the unborn person does not have a right to the use of their mother's body, as the pregnancy was not consented to by the mother.

Question 19

The Following Questions For Readings: "Why Abortion Is Immoral," Don Marquis
-According to Marquis, the arguments both for and against abortion

Accepted Answer

Marquis argues that the standard arguments for and against abortion share certain symmetries, particularly in their structure and the types of considerations they involve, rather than being completely distinct or unrelated.

Question 20

The Following Questions For Readings: "Why Abortion Is Immoral," Don Marquis
-According to Marquis, the anti-abortion principle "It is prima facie seriously wrong to kill a human being" is

Accepted Answer

Marquis argues that the anti-abortion principle is ambiguous because it does not specify what counts as a "human being," leading to different interpretations and applications of the principle in the abortion debate.

Quiz 7: Abortion