{"id":83927,"date":"2022-11-14T18:09:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-14T22:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=83927"},"modified":"2022-11-23T14:43:11","modified_gmt":"2022-11-23T18:43:11","slug":"abortion-ethics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/abortion-ethics\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Philosophical Perspectives on Abortion Ethics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is abortion ethical? Approaching the question from the opposite angle, is it ethical to deny women the right to abortion? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abortion is a morally contentious subject. In his book Justice<\/em>, American political philosopher Michael Sandel examines the contemporary debates over abortion ethics by contrasting two opposing perspectives: the rational perspective and the moral-centric perspective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s examine the argument for each. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Rational Perspective<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sandel explains that from a liberal perspective based on reason, it\u2019s not the job of the government to impose a specific way of living or moral code. Therefore, liberals generally argue that the government should guarantee abortion rights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: While Sandel proposes that liberalism supports abortion rights, many philosophers actively debate how to interpret abortion ethics using Kant\u2019s categorical imperative. One Kantian argument against abortion rights tries to universalize the question<\/a>, suggesting that to consent to other people\u2019s abortions you would have to agree that it would\u2019ve been acceptable for you yourself to have been aborted (something that proponents of this argument claim nobody would accept). On the other hand, one Kantian argument in favor of abortion rights suggests that according to Kant, rational thought is a necessary component of personhood<\/a>. Since a fetus is not capable of rational thought<\/a>, then, it wouldn\u2019t count as a person and aborting it wouldn\u2019t be morally wrong.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moral-Centric Perspective<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

However, Sandel says a moral viewpoint would argue that the government should legislate abortion rights (either banning, limiting, or guaranteeing them) because it\u2019s morally right. Sandel briefly notes the main moral arguments for and against abortion: Moral-centric arguments against abortion rights often claim that life begins at conception and that abortion therefore kills a living person. Moral-centric arguments in favor of abortion rights, on the other hand, often argue that abortion bans are an attempt to punish people (especially the poor or less fortunate) for having sex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Sandel appeals to moral arguments more broadly here instead of specifically to Aristotle\u2014abortion as we now know it didn\u2019t exist during Aristotle\u2019s lifetime. However, both Aristotle\u2019s views and his culture\u2019s conception of childbirth did not support reproductive autonomy<\/a>. Aristotle believed that women were biologically inferior, \u201cflawed\u201d versions of men. Other ancient Athenian medical writers viewed the womb as an independent thing that would \u201cwander\u201d around the body or dry out if not attended to regularly by men through intercourse. All of these views pointed to the broader belief that women couldn\u2019t function autonomously on a fundamental, biological level, and they therefore needed men to control and manage their lives and reproductive health.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is abortion ethical? Approaching the question from the opposite angle, is it ethical to deny women the right to abortion? Abortion is a morally contentious subject. In his book Justice, American political philosopher Michael Sandel examines the contemporary debates over abortion ethics by contrasting two opposing perspectives: the rational perspective and the moral-centric perspective. Let’s examine the argument for each.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":84027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,21],"tags":[804],"class_list":["post-83927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ethics","category-philosophy","tag-justice","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nExploring Philosophical Perspectives on Abortion Ethics - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is abortion ethical? 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