Abortion and Moral Considerability

1
Abortion and Moral Considerability

• Noonans Argument

2
Why doesnt Arthur agree with Aquinas?

• For Aquinas the right to food is a natural right
  that everyone has. This would mean others have a
  moral obligation to respect that right. But this
  is a positive right that would require other
  people to DO something (not just refrain from
  doing something) i.e., to give food or money for
  food.
• According to Arthur positive rights are not
  natural rights. The only natural rights are
  negative, like the right to property. (Others can
  respect these by NOT stealing or just by doing
  nothing.) Arthur claims that positive rights come
  about only through contracts or commitments.
  Hence, a child has a positive right to help not
  from strangers but from his/her parents because
  those parents made a commitment by having the
  child. Strangers are not obligated to satisfy the
  positive right to help that needy people have.

3
Rights and Obligations

• Positive Rights
• Someone else has a positive obligation to respect
  that right
• Respecting the right requires doing something
• For Arthur, these are not natural rights.
• The right is against only people who have made
  a contract or commitment (e.g., parents of
  children)

• Negative Rights
• A right that can be respected by others just by
  doing nothing
• E.g., a right not to be killed or stolen from
  (right to property)
• Usually everyone has an obligation to respect a
  negative right
• For Arthur these are the only natural rights
  i.e., rights we have just by being human
• Aquinas believes some positive rights are natural
  rights

4
Why doesnt Arthur agree with Aquinas?

• For Aquinas the right to food is a natural right
  that everyone has. This would mean others have a
  moral obligation to respect that right. But this
  is a positive right that would require other
  people to DO something (not just refrain from
  doing something) i.e., to give food or money for
  food.
• According to Arthur positive rights are not
  natural rights. The only natural rights are
  negative, like the right to property. (Others can
  respect these by NOT stealing or just by doing
  nothing.) Arthur claims that positive rights come
  about only through contracts or commitments.
  Hence, a child has a positive right to help not
  from strangers but from his/her parents because
  those parents made a commitment by having the
  child. Strangers are not obligated to satisfy the
  positive right to help that needy people have.

5
Good Quiz Question

• Taking into account both the article and the
  study guide on Noonan.
• What is the central thesis of the Noonan essay?
• State in one clear sentence. The words thesis
  and Noonan will NOT be part of this sentence.

6
Other Good Quiz or Test Questions

• What places to draw the line between human and
  non-human does Noonan reject? Name 2 of them and
  explain why Noonan rejects them.
• How is Noonans position on abortion different
  from the traditional Catholic position?

7
Central Question on Abortion

• When, if ever, is abortion morally permissible?
• Separate question what should the law be?
• Slogans used pro-life, pro-choice
• We can use liberal and conservative as
  shortcuts
• What is your position on central question and key
  reason for it?

8
Status of Fetus

• Clearly a central question, but not the only one.
• Central much easier to justify abortion if fetus
  is (at extreme) like a fingernail even at 8
  months or a full person at 2 days
• But abortion may be morally okay even if fetus a
  full person with right to life (Thomson)
• Abortion may be morally wrong even if fetus not a
  person but only a potential person

9
Moral Considerability

• If something is morally considerable, we have an
  obligation TO it for its own sake.
• We have obligations regarding or with respect to
  lots of things that are not morally considerable
  e.g., another persons watch.
• Its only wrong for me to steal your watch
  because you care about it, but it still is not
  morally considerable.

10
Moral Considerability

• Morally considerable
• Moral standing
• Obligations TO (for its own sake)
• Direct obligation
• Example other people are surely morally
  considerable

• Obligations regarding or with respect to
• Obligation regarding property is not obligation
  TO the property but to people
• An indirect obligation
• When others care, we have obligation regarding,
  but still not morally considerable

11
What Things Are Morally Considerable?

• Clear cases persons (yes) and chairs (no).
• Animals like dogs and cats?
• Insects?
• Human cadavers?
• Future generations?
• Unique natural objects (e.g., Grand Canyon)?
• Anencephalic infants? Pre-embryos? Fetuses?

12
Moral Considerability and Fetus

• If fetus is morally considerable, then
• Obligation TO it for its own sake
• Not dependent on other people caring

• If fetus is not morally considerable, then
• May still have obligation regarding fetus because
  others (e.g., parents) care
• Obligation depends on others.
• Even if others care, still not morally
  considerable (by definition)

13
Better Approach What Does Something Need to Have
to Be Morally Considerable?

• If you were a space explorer, what quality would
  something need to have to count morally?
• What would be
• Necessary conditions
• Sufficient conditions

14
Requirement for Moral Considerability?

• What are your candidates for moral
  considerability?
• ________________________________
• ________________________________
• ________________________________
• _______________________________

15
When Does Fetus Become Fully Morally
Considerable? (Human)

• Sperm and egg cells
• Conceptus (embryo, pre-embryo)
• Implantation
• Brain waves
• Awareness of sensations (e.g., pain and
  pleasure) capacity for experience
• Heart beat
• Quickening
• Birth
• Self-awareness
• Fully developed rationality

16
Noonans Argument

• It is immoral to harm ones fellow man
• It is immoral to harm ones fellow man to the
  point of killing except in self-defense.
• The fetus is a human, a fellow man
• Therefore, it is immoral to kill a fetus except
  in self-defense i.e., when the mothers life is
  in danger.

17
The Probability Argument

• Not meant to be decisive. Just buttressing
• The greatest point of discontinuity in the
  probability of the fetus fully developing
• Why not becoming human?
• E.g., from sperm 1 in 200,000 to 4/5 chance at
  conception

18
Where NOT to Draw Line

• Viability
• What is Noonans reduction to absurdity
  argument against viability?
• How might we criticize it?
• Sentiments of adults
• Think about Warrens (next essays) view on this
  exact point.
• Others