Thomson Defense of Abortion free essay sample

In this paper I will discuss the relevance of J. J. Thomson’s argument in her article, A Defense of Abortion, to that of pregnancy reduction and if there is any relevance, if there are exceptions or situations where that might change. J. J. Thomson’s argument in A Defense of Abortion is that the one thing a person has rights to is his/her body and the right to control what happens with it. Thomson also states that there is an innate desire and need for self-preservation that we all have that must additionally be considered. To support her argument, Thomson uses the example of a violinist where an unconscious violinist would only stay alive if you were constantly attached to him to compensate for his fatal kidney ailment. She states, â€Å"If he is unplugged from you now, he will die: but in nine months he will have recovered from his ailment, and can safely be unplugged from you†. We will write a custom essay sample on Thomson Defense of Abortion or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Her premise is that a person’s right to life does not include the right to use another person’s body and so by unplugging the violinist you do not violate his right to life or deprive him of the use of your body – to which he has no right. Another example Thomson uses to make her argument is that opponents use that abortion is â€Å"directly killing a child† therefore killing an innocent person is morally wrong however, â€Å"letting a person die† as in the case of the mother’s life being at risk would not be directly killing them. Thomson supports that this does not give the mother’s life the same status as the unborn child’s life and ignores her natural tendency for self-preservation. In the article The Two Minus One Pregnancy, pregnancy reduction is explained as having a multiple child pregnancy reduced at least one child, meaning they actually decide to kill one of the babies while still in the mothers stomach, whether that be for health or other reasons. J. J. Thompson’s arguments can all be applied to the discussion of pregnancy reduction since they could all be from the same situations as a single pregnancy. Whether the pregnancy was by choice or not the argument of Thompson’s that an individual has sole rights to their body and no person or group should assert that they have more right over another person than that person has over their self. In pregnancy reduction the same arguments that Thomson uses would apply especially concerning her example of finding yourself trapped in a tiny house with a growing child in it and that you would be crushed to death but the child would not be crushed to death if allowed to continue growing. She concludes that it would not be a bystander’s decision to decide who lives or dies but that you have the right to attack to save your own life. This is pertinent because pregnancy reduction requires a medical procedure, therefore involves a third party, a bystander, that you are asking to help you in your own self defense and because multiple pregnancy is most often a higher risk to the mother as well as the child. She states that both parties are innocent here and â€Å"the person threatened† can interfere even if it requires a third party to assist her. What a third party might do in response to a woman’s request for an abortion could vary and they have that right however no third party should stop a woman from defending â€Å"her life against the threat to it posed by the unborn child even if doing so involves its death. Thomson goes on to say that the mother has more rights than the child because the â€Å"mother owns the house† and therefore more rights than a renter. One difference that would be the most obvious is that it seems highly unlikely that a person would seek an abortion if they went through the time and expense of attempting to become pregnant by means of artificial insemination or other means of medically intentionally becoming pregnant. Even with this significant difference, it could be argued that a person might desire to not have more than one child at a time even though they â€Å"intentionally† got pregnant. Therefore, Thompson’s arguments still apply in these cases. There is no difference morally on abortion of a singleton pregnancy or a multiple pregnancy that would apply with Thomson’s arguments because those that supported the belief that any abortion was killing would use the same argument for â€Å"killing† one fetus and keeping one. Additionally, those that supported the woman’s right to make decisions about her own body or health would still use those claims in a woman’s right to choose whether or not she had the right to a pregnancy reduction. In conclusion, Thomson’s argument, in A Defense of Abortion, that the one thing a person has rights to is his or her body and the right to control what happens with it and to fight for self-preservation would not change at all if those same arguments were applied to a pregnancy reduction situation.

Henry David Thoreaus Philosophical Ideas essays

Henry David Thoreau's Philosophical Ideas essays Henry David Thoreau is famous as one of the greatest living American Transcendentalist authors of the 19th century. Unlike Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau is famous for putting Emerson's Transcendentalist principles of self-reliance into action. Self-reliance and an immediate, human experience of nature and the natural world as spiritually beneficial were some of the core ideals of both the movement and of Thoreau's own personal One of the reasons Thoreau embarked upon his famous experiment of living in the woods, was to prove to himself that even in an increasingly complex industrial society such as the newly formed rail-road crossed, post- industrialized America, one was still able to live with one's hands. Thoreau advocated a simpler life, boiled down to life's most basic necessities and based upon the rhythms of daily life rather than the rhythms of commerce. Rather than mediating one's spirituality through a church, Transcendentalists believed that nature was the best teacher of God and the greater, spiritual and inner life of human kind. Thus, by living in and appreciating nature, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Thoreau hoped to achieve a better connection with his own spirituality and As so much of the basis of Thoreau's life and writings came from the sense of self-reliance he gained in nature, the importance of a healthy relationship with the natural environment is also critical to Thoreau's writings. Unlike many of his Transcendentalist colleagues, Thoreau did not believe in gazing at nature with a hazy, sentimental eye of mere appreciation. Rather, he believed in acknowledging nature's power, beauty, and also occasionally terrible and cruel behavior with respect. Thoreau believed that nature was not something to be preserved to help farmers and those whose lives depended upon it. Rather, nature was something that must ...

Interpretation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Interpretation - Essay Example 99-117). To understand the relationship between cultural aspects in the global environment and the economic sector, this paper will analyze and interpret the Japanese culture and its influence on the global economics through a focus on the global sushi boom. Sushi is a Japanese food that consists of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients. Sushi is often combined with seafood, vegetables and fruits of various kinds. The food can either be prepared with a brown or white rice, but usually combined with raw seafood. The original sushi was first made in Japan along Mekong River, with the word sushi meaning, â€Å"sour testing† in Japanese dialect. Other than being food for the Japanese, sushi has hit the global market and can be treated as a case of culturally oriented food that is economically sold due to its orientation to a particular culture (Rumi, 2011, pp. 99-117). In 1960’s and 70’s, the global sushi boom hit the American market and quickly spread to many parts of the world. With the increased association of the food to the Japanese culture, most people who wished a test of the Japanese culture favored the sushi making the food a market viable product. Currently, there are sushi restaurants in most cities of Europe, Asia, Russia, India and in the Latin America. An increased number of Japanese restaurants overseas have in the past led to high profile media coverage of the success of the Japanese culture overseas in the country. However, with the glory of the success of the sushi, Japan has in the recent past attempted to certify genuine sushi overseas, a move that is seen by other nations as Japan attempt to create a â€Å"sushi police†. The development of sushi, which is a culturally oriented food to a global commodity, has given Japan pride and challenges with equal measure. In Japan, following the success of the product in 1960’s, they developed a popular