Bio ethics

A detailed Summary of Bio ethics

In the article "Are Pregnant Women Fetal Containers", by Laura Purdy she discusses her philosophical position on abortion. Is the fetus a person? Does the fetus have the moral status of a person, whether technically a person or not? Does the fetus have any moral status at all and if so does this status change during the course of a pregnancy? What is the woman's role in the matter? Is she merely an incubator for another organism? When does the tissue, which comprises the fetus cease to be a part of her body? Is there a distinction between what a women-contemplating abortion ought to do and what a society can justly coerce her to do? Purdy's main argument is that if the fetus is apart of a women's body and not a separate entity, therefore she has the right to make a choice on whether to have an abortion or not. Claiming that the fetus is dependent on the mother and is not a person; the fetus cannot evolve into an individual with rights because the mother has the right to choose whether to bring the child into the world or not. In this essay I'm going to provide supportive explanations on why Purdy believes it's ethical to leave the choice of abortion entirely up the mother.

First of all Purdy confronts the problem of women havi

In the latter part of Purdy's article, she grapples fundamental moral questions that are at the heart of the debate: Is the fetus a person or not? "What do we owe others who do not yet exist? What legally enforceable duties towards such future persons can be exacted of us?" These questions are answered by comparing a child of which is a person to a fetus that is not a moral person. In legal terms a mother cannot be forced to save the life of her child by donating her organs, therefore it's her choice to do so. If in deed a child were a person than what since would it make for a mother to be forced to submit to invasive surgical procedures for the sake of her fetus than for her child. On the same note how can we expect mothers to owe more to a fetus than to an independent living-breathing child. "Parents are not expected to submit to bodily invasions to save a dying child, then a women should not be expected to do so for the benefit of a fetus." Parenthood and pregnancy become a relevant difference in defining whether it's permissible to abort the fetus. If a child is denied life because a parent refuses to donate bone marrow for example, than certainly our legal system cannot logically order women to proceed with the birth of the child.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Laura Purdy, Thirdly Purdy, fetus person, person fetus, person fetus moral, fetus moral, rights mother, moral status, , abortion fetus person, fetus moral status, child world, fetus child, abortion fetus, child person, save life,

Approximate Word count = 936
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous

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Bio ethics

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