Ways to Talk About Abortion

1
Ways to Talk About Abortion
2
Aims of Discussion

• NOT to discuss whether abortion is morally right
  or morally wrong
• Rather to discuss what should happen in a
  democratic, pluralistic society when there are
  such deep moral divisions about abortion

3
Aims of Discussion

• Can we have a thoughtful, mutually respectful
  dialogue over public policy on abortion?
• Is it possible such a dialogue could lead to an
  integrity-preserving compromise on abortion
  policy?

4
Labels

• Would it help to get rid of labels?
• Are pro-life really anti-choice?
• Are pro-choice really anti-life?
• Do such labels enhance mutually respectful
  dialogue?
• Need fuller descriptions of beliefs?

5
Integrity-Preserving Compromise (IPC)

• Benjamin, Splitting the Difference (1990)
• Tend to assume that compromise and integrity are
  mutually exclusive
• Claim One can compromise on policy without
  compromising ones integrity in many (but not
  all) cases

6
IPC (cont)

• Sometimes dialogue reveals a solution in which
  each party can maintain all of his/her moral
  values (I.e. no real moral conflict between
  positions)
• This is wonderful
• This is not IPC however

7
IPC (cont.)

• In IPC each has to give up some moral values to
  reach compromise
• Feels justified in doing so because deeper or
  higher priority moral values are maintained via
  compromise or compromise process

8
Definition of IPC

• Neither side gets all it wanted
• Each side hangs onto some core values
• Both sides share certain core values
• Each side sees itself compromising its position
  not its integrity
• Each side hopes eventually to win over other via
  respectful dialogue

9
Circumstances Favoring IPC

• Common commitment to shared task
• Neither side can fire other side (rough
  equality of power)
• Short term benefits of agreement
• In longer term can continue moral debate
• Example Hospital ethics committee

10
Can you imagine the broad outlines of an
integrity-preserving compromise on abortion
between pro-life and pro-choice sides in US?
11
Possible IPC on Abortion

• Decision to work together to try to reduce as
  much as possible the number of women with
  unwanted pregnancies who may seek abortion
• Include all methods of trying to avoid unwanted
  pregnancy
• Continue to disagree on whether abortion should
  be permitted as last resort

12
Different Approaches

• Analytic ethics moral status of the fetus
• Feminist ethics relationship between mother and
  fetus

13
Maternal-fetal conflict

• Refusal of C-section needed to save life of
  infant
• Mother addicted to alcohol or other drugs
• Mother refuses fetal surgery for known defect

14
Which conflict?

• Andre Is this really maternal-fetal or
  maternal-physician conflict?

15
Why important?

• Maternal-fetal eliminates mention of physician,
  as if purely scientific observer
• Maternal-fetal assumes physician not mother
  speaks for fetus
• Maternal-fetal conflict assumes that conflict
  is nature of relationship between mother and
  child-to-be (so physician must referee)

16
Definition of a pregnant woman a gravid uterus
and its support structures
--Well-known standard textbook of
obstetrics, middle of 20th century
17
Take-home message from feminist ethics

• When discussing ethics and human reproduction,
  extremely important to make sure that terms of
  discussion do not reduce women to a subhuman role
  as mere producer of or container for fetus/child