 Module blog ❊ ubphi107.wordpress.com ❊ Look for: Syllabus Slides for week 1 tue Deadlines  Blog comments ❊ Constant name  After-class discussions ❊ pm

 Focus on your own view ❊ Whether various moral claims make sense to you  Features of moral reasoning ❊ Relevant differences ❊ Moral & non-moral claims ❊ Thought experiments

 Sandel: “Doing the Right Thing”  Shafer-Landau: “Introduction”

L IFE  Abortion  Euthanasia  Death Penalty  Animals

 Definition ❊ Intentional termination of a pregnancy  Moral & Legal issue ❊ Does it seem morally right/wrong to you? ❊ Should we legalise it?

 Abortion for any reason is legal up to 24 weeks of pregnancy  Pre-abortion counselling is required ❊ 48 hour waiting period after counselling  Restricted abortion after 24 weeks ❊ Abortion must be necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman, or to prevent permanent injury to her physical or mental health

Gestation week st trimester nd trimester rd trimester32 Total: Source: Ministry of Home Affairs 25% of all SG pregnancies (‘12) 50% by married persons

 Abortions in relation to: Severe health risk to mother Serious concerns for welfare of child-to- be Rape 1 st trimester pregnancy  Abortions in relation to: Fun Dislike for appearance of child-to-be 3 rd trimester abortion due to unwillingness to have child

 Jack & Jill are married, but do not want kids. They are financially well- off.  They had sex and took precautions to avoid pregnancy.  However, Jill becomes pregnant.  In the 3 rd trimester, they decided against giving birth. Unwillingly pregnant

1. Humans have a moral right over what happens within their body. 2. Abortion concerns what happens within a human’s body. 3. Therefore, humans have a moral right to abort the fetus within their body. Moral claim Non-moral claim

1. Humans have a moral right over what happens within their body. 2. Abortion concerns what happens within a human’s body. 3. Therefore, humans have a moral right to abort the fetus within their body. Moral claim Non-moral claim ?

1. It is wrong to murder an innocent sentient being. 1. Abortion is the murder of an innocent sentient being. 1. Therefore, it is wrong to abort. Moral claim Non-moral claim

1.It is wrong to murder an innocent sentient being. 1.Abortion is the murder of an innocent sentient being. 1.Therefore, it is wrong to abort. Response 1: Nature of fetus  Is the fetus a sentient being?

 When does a fetus have moral significance?  Sentience? ❊ Expert consensus: about 26 weeks ❊ Some researchers think the fetus can feel pain at weeks ❊ Intelligence? Self-consciousness?

Response 2: Nature of abortion  Is abortion murder? 1.It is wrong to murder an innocent sentient being. 1.Abortion is the murder of an innocent sentient being. 1.Therefore, it is wrong to abort.

 You wake up in the morning and find yourself back to back in bed with an unconscious violinist. A famous unconscious violinist.  She has been found to have a fatal kidney ailment, and the Society of Music Lovers has canvassed all the available medical records and found that you alone have the right blood type to help.  They have therefore kidnapped you, and last night the violinist's circulatory system was plugged into yours, so that your kidneys can be used to extract poisons from her blood as well as your own.  If she is unplugged from you now, she will die; but in nine months she will have recovered from her ailment, and can safely be unplugged from you.

Is it your moral duty to allow him to attach himself to you?  Immoral to disallow Or is it a matter of generosity?  Morally ok to disallow

”if you do allow him to go on using your kidneys, this is a kindness on your part, and not something he can claim from you as his due.” Abortion deprives the fetus the use of a woman’s body, over which it has no right

Judith Thomson: A Defense of Abortion

Killing: Letting die: Destroying life Not intervening when life is destroyed Healthy person Dying person You stab You stopped him

A fetus cannot survive on its own. It would survive if suitably hooked up to another living entity.

 The thought experiment only justifies forced pregnancy (eg. due to rape).  What about unforced pregnancies?

You Chose not to abstain Dying Entity You Dying Entity Pregnancy due to rapeUnexpected pregnancy No choice Had a choice

 Abortions in relation to: ❊ Severe health risk to mother ❊ Serious concerns for welfare of child-to- be ❊ Rape ❊ 1 st trimester pregnancy ✺ Abortions in relation to: – Fun – Dislike for appearance of child-to-be 3 rd trimester abortion due to unwillingness to have child

 If I do X, then Y may occur.  I want to do X.  But I don’t want Y to occur.  I do X, and take significant precaution to avoid Y’s occurrence.  Am I morally responsible for Y occurring?

 Again, suppose it were like this: people-seeds drift about in the air like pollen, and if you open your windows, one may drift in and take root in your carpets or upholstery.  You don’t want children, so you fix up your windows with fine mesh screens, the very best you can buy.  As can happen, however, and on very, very rare occasions does happen, one of the screens is defective; and a seed drifts in and takes root. Do you have a moral duty to ensure the seed survives, at great cost to yourself?

Rape Protected sex Should have taken more precautions Don’t have sex during fertility period Should have taken more precautions Remove reproductive organ

Had a choice You Chose not to abstain Dying Entity You Dying Entity Pregnancy due to rapeUnexpected pregnancy Chose not to disable reproductive organs Had a choice Due to being wronged? Degree of sacrifice? Had a choice

Is it morally ok to disconnect the violinist? Does this mean it is morally ok to terminate ‘accidental’ pregnancies? Immoral to terminate ‘accidental’ pregnancies YES NO YES NO Immoral to terminate ‘accidental’ pregnancies Morally ok to terminate ‘accidental’ pregnancies (The 2 cases are disanalogous)