Critically evaluate the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade (1973) in light of the arguments presented by Noonan, Thomson and Warren. On Noonan’s view the Court’s decision is too liberal. He would argue that abortion is justified only to save the life of the mother. Thomson would argue that the Court’s decision is too liberal because it allows abortion to be used as a form of birth control. Thomson’s position is that abortion is permissible if the mother’s life is in danger, in the case of rape and if the couple took reasonable precautions to avoid pregnancy (birth control). Warren argues that the Court’s decision is too liberal. On her view, there should be no restrictions on abortion whatsoever.
When do you think abortion is morally permissible? If you agree with Noonan, explain why you think the arguments presented by Thomson and Warren are unconvincing. If you agree with Thomson, explain why you think the arguments presented by Noonan and Warren are unconvincing. If you agree with Warren, explain why you think the arguments presented by Noonan and Thomson are unconvincing.
(Minimum Word Count: 500 Words)
DQ09: Abortion
[1] Do you have a general introductory paragraph with a thesis statement?
[2] Your thesis in this essay is when you think abortion is morally permissible (and why you hold this position).
[3] Does each paragraph begin with a topic sentence?
[4] Do you explain the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade (1973)
[5] Do you explain Noonan’s conservative argument? Do you explain his criterion of personhood?
[6] Do you use expressions such as “According to Noonan”?
[7] Do you explain Thomson’s arguments (including the violinist example, the modified violinist example and the person seeds example)?
[8] Do you use expressions such as “According to Thomson”?
[9] Do you explain Warren’s distinction between being a person in the genetic or biological sense and being a person in the moral sense?
[10] Do you describe Warren’s criterion of personhood?
[11] Do you take a clear stance on when abortion is permissible?
[12] Do you defend your position? If you think Noonan is right, do you give principled reasons for rejecting the arguments by Thomson and Warren? If you think Thomson is right, do you give principled reasons for rejecting the arguments presented by Noonan and Warren? If you think Warren is right, do you give principled reasons for rejecting the arguments presented by Noonan and Thomson? If you think the U.S. Supreme Court decision is right, do you give principled reasons for rejecting all three philosophers?
[13] Do you have an analysis/conclusion? Do you give reasons supporting your thesis statement?
[14] Does your essay reflect a solid understanding of the assigned texts? Note that the purpose of my lecture notes is to help you work your way through the assigned readings. They are not intended as a replacement for the assigned readings. Your exposition of each theory should be drawn from the assigned reading (and not from various websites).
[15] Is your essay composed in standard written English?
[16] Is your essay free from grammatical mistakes and typos?
[17] Is your exposition complete and accurate?
[18] Is your critical analysis logically consistent?
[19] Does your essay meet the minimum 500 words?
[20] Have you removed all subjective language—i.e., “in my opinion”, “I feel” or “I personally think”? Remember, philosophy is based on facts and reasons, not feelings or opinions.
[21] Have you appropriately cited sources? Parenthetical citations are fine.
