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Don Marquis: an Argument That Abortion Is Wrong

question 12

Multiple Choice

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.
-According to Marquis, cruelty to animals is wrong because:

Definitions:

Hartford Convention

Meeting of New England Federalists on December 15, 1814, to protest theWar of 1812; proposed seven constitutional amendments (limiting embargoes and changingrequirements for officeholding, declaration of war, and admission of new states), but the war endedbefore Congress could respond.

Democratic-Republican Society

The Democratic-Republican Society, active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, was a political group in the United States that emphasized states' rights and advocated for a strict interpretation of the Constitution.

Freedom of Assembly

The right of individuals to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue, and defend their ideas; a fundamental aspect of democratic societies.

Freedom of Expression

The freedom to openly express thoughts and beliefs through verbal, written, and various other communication methods without the worry of being censored or penalized.