ON THE PERMISSIBILITY OF ABORTION

Abstract

In an effort to make the conversation around abortion more productive, I engage in a thought experiment which purposely takes a provocative position. I contend that abortion is permissible whenever a willing patient with capacity elects for one. I respond to the popular critique of abortion that it takes the life of a human by affirming the truth of this assertion. I then argue that this fact alone does not make abortion morally impermissible. I present evidence to suggest that abortion is a natural human behavior practiced by Homo sapiens across time and culture. Abortion can have tremendous benefits to the fitness and survival of the individual. These two facts help show how it is understandable why a person may elect for an abortion. This understandability starts the conversation of how abortions should be viewed in an ethical context. I argue that fully sentient adult humans have a greater moral status than their fetuses, so the treatment of the mother should be prioritized. I then argue that even if the moral statuses of the mother and the fetus are considered to be equal, abortion may still be permissible. Because of the nature of pregnancy, the mother may accurately describe an abortion as an act of self-defense. Lastly, I show that Pro-Choice policies which restrict personal autonomy in favor of fetal life are “anti-woman,” and the calling card of totalitarian systems of control.