The Abortion Debate essays

The Abortion Debate essays The debate on whether abortion is right has remained a longstanding source of contention among members of the various fronts of our society. On one hand, proponents claim of the view that making abortion illegal is a contradiction to the ability by women to enjoy their right to life and freedom of choice as fundamental human rights. Opponents on the other hand however claim of the view that abortion amounts to killing. For them, life begins at conception, making abortion for any reasons an act of killing. All in all, given common consensus among scientists that life begins at conception, and that pregnancy can be a threat to the life of women, abortion should be allowed only in serious cases. In the article, A Defense of Abortion, Thompson argues of eminent insufficiencies in most of the common arguments offered by either side on the abortion debate. First, Thompson argues on the view on the impermissible abortion ,even when such risks the life of the mother as an extreme view. For her, this argument is founded on poorly engaged premises given the fact that it seems to emphasize on the significance of the right to life the fetus with limited consideration to the right to life by the woman. In addition, this argument is limited in establishing a strong case against abortion since it uses the opinion of a third party as the basis for its conclusion. Since, the women owns their bodies, they should enjoy absolute right of defending it any threat posed on it by the unborn and such can involve killing of the unborn. Thompson also follows the view that third parties should not be allowed to help in commissioning an abortion to those mothers that desire one. This is because it fails to acknowledge the eminent inability by mothers to commission abortion without the assistance of a third party. For her, this argument seems to depict the inability by mothers to have priority over their bodies. However, for Thompson, claim to the body is ...