Ethics Case

ME: What's going on? You look nervous is everything cool? DAN: No, I got a problem I need some help with. I know we don't know each other too well, but I need someone to talk to. I think I got my girlfriend pregnant. I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but I don't know what to do. We are both really nervous and we don't know what the right choice to make is. ME: Alright, just calm down. It's going to be alright. I've never been in your situation, but I studied a lot of different philosophers this year who discussed various abortion positions. Let me tell you what I know and it should help you to make a decision. DAN: Okay, I just need to hear something that will make my decision a little bit easier. I've never been this uneasy about anything and it's really stressing me out. ME: Yeah, I understand. Well, the first philosopher I remember studying was Judith Jarvis Thomson. She wrote a very well-known piece called "A defense of Abortion." As you can tell, she is in favor of abortion and thinks it is acceptable. Her main argument is that "having a right to life does not guarantee having either a right to be given the use of or a right to be allowed continued use of another person's body--even if one needs it for life itself. " (Timmons, p. 394) So, we can both agree that there is going to be a baby growing inside your girlfriend. From Thomson's point of view, that baby does not have the right to use your girlfriend's body for the purpose of growth and development. If she does allow the baby to grow through the use of her body, Thomson says it's simply "very nice of you...a great kindness." (Timmons, p.392) But, your girlfriend does not owe anything to the baby and it would just be a generous act on her part if you two decide to go through with the pregnancy. DAN: Wow, I've never looked at it like that. This is making me think about the situation completely differently already. Did you study other philosophers too? ME: Yes, I have two others to get through. Hopefully by the end of it you will know what you want to do. DAN: Alright, great. I think if I hear a couple more perspectives I'll be able to talk it over with my girlfriend and we can make the right decision for ourselves. ME: Sounds good. The next philosopher I remember is Dan Marquis. Maybe you'll be able to relate to him since you guys have the same name. Anyways, his feelings on abortion were entirely different than those of Judith Thomson. Marquis felt that abortion was immoral. He liked to compare humans of all ages as being worth the same due to the "moral value of their lives." (Timmons, p. 400) So, he felt that whether we're discussing a fetus or a college student like ourselves or a successful mature adult, our lives are all morally worth the