study_guide - Study Guide for the first test1 The...


View Full Document Right Arrow Icon
Study Guide for the first test 1 The Unspeakable Crime of Abortion (Pope John Paul II) : Abortion is always wrong (there is no exception) (text book p.11) 1. Why abortion is murder? * Fetus is a person or must be treated as person form moment of conception since “it would never be made human if it were not human already 2. Other reasons to protect fetus. * Fetus is completely helpless and innocent person * Unborn child is totally entrusted to women 3. The problems of the Pope’s argument * Equal status claims: a fetus cannot be have same ontological status as an adult woman * Butterfly vs. Caterpillar On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion (Mary Anne Warren) 1. On the Definition of “Human” [The argument of the Pope] (1) It is wrong to kill innocent human being (2) Fetuses are innocent human beings (3) Therefore, it is wrong to kill fetuses. [Mary’s argument against the conservative positoin] : The “human being” in (1) has different meaning from “the human being” in the second premise. The first human being is “moral sense of human.” The second is genetic sense. So she insists that the typical conservative argument commits the fallacy of ambiguity or question begging 2. Defining the Moral Community [How we can find whether or not a being is human?] 1) Consciousness 2) Reasoning 1 This is not answer but a guide for the test. This is not a perfect answer and doesn’t cover everything for the test. So to prepare perfectly for the test, you should read the book and refer to your lecture note. 1
Background image of page 1


View Full DocumentRight Arrow Icon
3) Self-motivated Activity 4) The Capacity to communicate 5) The Presence of self-concepts : Any being which satisfies none of (1)-(5) is certainly not person 3. The criticisms of her argument and her answer (1) Potential Personhood and the Right to Life [Her answer]Even if a potential person does have some prima facie right to life, such a right could not possibly outweigh the right of women to obtain an abortion since the rights of any actual person invariably outweigh those of any potential person. (5) Infanticide
Background image of page 2
Image of page 3

This note was uploaded on 05/08/2008 for the course PHL 304 taught by Professor Leon during the Fall '08 term at University of Texas.

Page1 / 6

study_guide - Study Guide for the first test1 The...


View Full Document Right Arrow Icon
Ask a homework question - tutors are online