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ABORTION, AUTONOMY, AND CONTROL OVER ONE'S BODY

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 December 2003

John Martin Fischer
John Martin Fischer
Affiliation:
Philosophy, University of California, Riverside
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Extract

It is often thought that if a developing human being is considered a “person” from the beginning, then it would follow that abortion (at any time) would be impermissible. For, after all, a person has a stringent right to life, and because life is a prerequisite for enjoying any other goods, it is plausible that the right to life is a “basic” or “fundamental” one, not easily overridden by other considerations. The right to life, it would seem, could not be outweighed by another individual's preferences, even preferences about what should happen in or to her body.

Type
Research Article
Information
Social Philosophy and Policy , Volume 20 , Issue 2 , July 2003 , pp. 286 - 306
Copyright
© 2003 Social Philosophy and Policy Foundation

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