Front Back
abortion
the intentional ending of a pregnancy
contraception
prevents the occurrence of a pregnancy by preventing conception
miscarriage
the unintentional ending of a pregnancy
pro-life arguments
1. sanctity of life argument 2. future of value argument
pro-choice arguments1. personhood argument
self-determination argument
the sanctity of life argument
1. it's wrong to end the life of an innocent human being 2. the life of a human being begins at conception 3. a fetus is an innocent human being 4. therefore, it is wrong to end the life of a fetus
Problems with the sanctity of life argument
Problem 1: "it's wrong to kill an innocent being" might not be true ---what about beings with no significant cognitive functioning? Problem 2: seems inconsistent with exceptions for rape, incest, and protecting the life of the mother ---some pro-life advocates think these excepti…
future of value argument
1. it's wrong to end the life of a baby who has a future of value 2. except in rare cases, a fetus has a future of value 3. therefore, except in rare cases, it is wrong to end the life of a fetus
problems with the future of value argument
problem 1: seems inconsistent with exceptions of rape, incest, and protecting the life of the mother problem 2: how it weighs the future of the fetus against the future of the pregnant woman ---in order to support pro-life, argument must hold that the fetus's future is more important …
euthanasia
the ending of a life done with the aim of saving the person from continued suffering or poor quality of life (AKA: mercy killing)
physician assisted suicide
a suicide committed with the assistance of a doctor (doctor provides patient with lethal drugs; doctor does not inject them)
active euthanasia
the intervention causes death
passive euthanasia
the person has a medical condition that is sufficient to cause death and death happens when that medical condition is not treated or treatment is withdrawn
voluntary consent
with the will of the person
non voluntary consent
the person's will is not involved
involuntary consent
against the will of the person
2 arguments for active euthanasia (with explanations)
1. it will save people from a lot of suffering ---many who want euthanasia do not have an underlying medical condition that will kill them if left untreated 2. active euthanasia already happens under another description ----safer and more honest to openly allow it with the appropriate …
3 objections to active euthanasia (with explanations)
1. doctors should not kill 2. if we allow active voluntary euthanasia, it will put us on a slippery slope toward active involuntary euthanasia (prediction) 3. most people who want active euthanasia are obsessed with maintaing complete control over their lives ----how can we say this is…
Singer's principles (aid to the poor)
principle excusing us from making sacrifices of comparable moral significance principle excusing us from making any morally significant sacrifices Singer holds that proximity and distance do not affect our obligations to others
Arthur's principles (aid to the poor)
shows that Singer's first principle has many counter-intuitive implications violations of people's rights not giving people what they deserve Arthur endorses a principle similar to Singer's moderate principle that excuses us from significantly reducing our own happiness
personhood argument
1. the only humans whose lives it is wrong to end are persons 2. human fetuses are not persons 3. therefore, it is not wrong to end the life of a human fetus
problem with the personhood argument
it implies the the moral permissibility of not only abortion, but also infanticide
self-determination argument
1. forcing a person to bear a significant burden in the absence of a compelling reason violates her right of self-determination 2. being pregnant and giving birth, when one does not desire that, is such a burden 3. therefore, forcing a person to remain pregnant and to give birth, when s…
Roe vs. Wade 1973 Supreme Court Decision
-the self-determination argument was the basis for the decision -the court relied on the concept of privacy -it did not mean the right to keep things secret, but rather, the right to make one's decisions about important aspects of one's life (the right of self-determination)
the right of self-determination
the right to control your own body; the right to have children or not; the right to live where you want; the right to go to any college you get into; the right to work in whatever kind of job you want

Access the best Study Guides, Lecture Notes and Practice Exams

Login

Join to view and access 3M+ class-specific study document.

or
We will never post anything without your permission.
Don't have an account?
Sign Up

Join to view and access 3M+ class-specific study document.

or

By creating an account you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use

Already a member?