Whose Line Is It Anyway?

In Marquis’s argument, he mentions that an antiabortionist’s view is primarily supported by the idea that it is wrong to take the life of an innocent human being away. While I agree that there should be certain cut off points where abortion is no longer permissible, I think that saying that a fetus has life upon conception is a little out of line. While the fetus has potential to become a baby, until it actually happens I think it should not be considered murder to have an abortion.

One example that came to mind is as follows: you know that in a hospital that is on fire, there is an infant, and a petri dish containing an embryo. Which one do you save first? It goes without saying that the actual corporeal baby’s life is a little more worth it because the one in the petri dish, despite its potential to become an actual human being, isn’t quite a baby yet.

Marquis talks a lot about the accounts that give a person the right to live, one of them involving potential or contribution. The idea of saving the embryo because of its potential is unfair because a lot of the time the argument does not consider the potential of the mother in that same sense. Wouldn’t her potential also be compromised? While neither lives’ potential are guaranteed, I think that the mother potential, more often than not can show more promise that a baby who hasn’t had a chance to be born yet. The mother has contributed more in life, and is in a better position to continue doing so. Even if she were a drug addict or someone who was in a bad position, not allowing the mother to have an abortion will more than likely make things worse. Except this time, the baby is committing the crime, since it takes more from the mother when she is already at such a low point in her life. 

In terms of the “right” to take away someone’s life,  I think that until the baby is out of the mother’s womb once at for all, or has reached a point where it could come out (pre-mature, before the 9 months are up) its life is not similar to that of a live baby. Therefore, should the mother decide to have an abortion (for acceptable reasons) it should not be considered taking a life away.

The only scenario where I think that abortion is not morally permissible is when the mother is fully capable (physically) to raise the kid, or has some means to do it, whatever the difficulty. For cases such as rape, or where the mother’s life is at stake, or even if the mother is too young to raise a child (under 18) I think abortion should be an option to the mother.