Don Marquis: an Argument That Abortion Is Wrong

question 28

Essay

Don Marquis: An Argument That Abortion Is Wrong
Marquis begins by arguing that the abortion debate has reached a standoff, and that the standard arguments on both sides have insurmountable problems. Opponents of abortion usually argue that all human beings have a right to life and the fetus is a human being, so the fetus has a right to life. Marquis objects that cancer-cell cultures are biologically human, but do not have a right to life. On the other hand, those who believe abortion is morally permissible often claim that only persons have a right to life and the fetus is not a person, so the fetus does not have a right to life. Marquis objects to this argument as well, on the grounds that infants and the severely retarded do not seem to be persons in the relevant sense, but clearly have a right to life. This suggests that a different approach to the abortion debate is needed.
Marquis proceeds by asking what it is that makes killing normal adult human beings wrong. Killing is wrong, Marquis maintains, because it deprives the victim of a valuable future. That is, killing someone is wrong if it deprives her of a "future like ours" (FLO). This account is supported by four considerations: It fits with our considered judgment about the nature of the misfortune of death, it explains why murder is the worst of crimes, it coheres with our judgments about cases, and it is analogous to a persuasive argument for the wrongness of animal cruelty. If one accepts the FLO account of the wrongness of killing, one must conclude that abortion is presumptively wrong, because (in most cases) abortion deprives the fetus of a future like ours. Marquis closes by replying to the objection that his view entails that contraception is immoral.
-What does Marquis claim is the standard argument for the permissibility of abortion? What problems does Marquis raise for this argument? Do you think these problems can be overcome?

---

Definitions:

Unsecured Debt

A type of debt or general obligation that is not protected by a guarantor or collateralized by a lien on specific assets of the borrower.

Short-Term

Relating to or occurring on a brief or immediate timescale, typically within one year.

Short-Term Collateralized

Financial arrangements that involve the use of assets as collateral for a short-duration loan.

Repurchase Agreement

A short-term borrowing agreement where one party sells securities and agrees to repurchase them at a higher price at a later date.