Two puzzles for Marquis's conservative view on abortion

Bioethics 20 (5):264–277 (2006)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

ABSTRACT Don Marquis argues that abortion is morally wrong in most cases since it deprives the fetus of the value of its future. I criticize Marquis’s argument for the modified conservative view by adopting an argumentative strategy in which I work within his basic account: if it is granted that his fundamental idea is sound, what follows about the morality of abortion? I conclude that Marquis is faced with a dilemma: either his position must shift towards the extreme conservative view on which abortion is never morally permissible, or he must abandon any recognizably conservative view. This dilemma suggests that Marquis’s view is either deeply implausible or that he cannot use this argument to successfully support his preferred position.

Other Versions

No versions found

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 101,880

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

A critique of “the best secular argument against abortion”.C. Strong - 2008 - Journal of Medical Ethics 34 (10):727-731.
A future like ours revisited.M. T. Brown - 2002 - Journal of Medical Ethics 28 (3):192-195.
Marquis: A defense of abortion?Scott D. Gelfand - 2001 - Bioethics 15 (2):135–145.
The parenthood argument.William Simkulet - 2017 - Bioethics 32 (1):10-15.
Broadening the future of value account of the wrongness of killing.Ezio Di Nucci - 2015 - Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy 18 (4):587-590.
Abortion, Time-Relative Interests, and Futures Like Ours.Peter Nichols - 2012 - Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 15 (4):493-506.

Analytics

Added to PP
2009-01-28

Downloads
112 (#192,793)

6 months
12 (#323,469)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Robert F. Card
University of Rochester

Citations of this work

For what we do, and fail to do.Christopher Dodsworth, Tihamer Toth-Fejel & Zach Stangebye - 2008 - American Journal of Bioethics 8 (7):29 – 31.
Scouring the scourge: Spontaneous abortion and morality.Robert F. Card - 2008 - American Journal of Bioethics 8 (7):27 – 29.

Add more citations

References found in this work

The Case for Animal Rights.Tom Regan - 2004 - Univ of California Press.
Why abortion is immoral.Don Marquis - 1989 - Journal of Philosophy 86 (4):183-202.
Life's Dominion.Melissa Lane & Ronald Dworkin - 1994 - Philosophical Quarterly 44 (176):413.
Does a Fetus Already have a Future-Like-Ours?Peter K. McInerney - 1990 - Journal of Philosophy 87 (5):264.

View all 9 references / Add more references