{"title":"A Defense of Abortion on the Basis of Self-defense","authors":"Timothy Kirschenheiter","doi":"10.1007/s41649-024-00312-6","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>I offer a positive argument in defense of the moral permissibility of abortion that relies on the moral concept of self-defense. I argue that given the lack of proportional self-defense options in pregnancy, a pregnant woman is morally permitted to procure a self-defensive abortion so long as the risks/burdens of her pregnancy and childbirth reach a sufficiently high threshold of seriousness. I then argue that even standard pregnancies reach this threshold, because of the expected physical and nonphysical risks/burdens imposed. Finally, I consider three objections—an objection based on the risks/burdens of abortion, an objection based on the fetus’s status as an innocent aggressor, and an objection based on the pregnant woman’s moral responsibility for the creation of the fetus.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":44520,"journal":{"name":"Asian Bioethics Review","volume":"17 3","pages":"545 - 569"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Asian Bioethics Review","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41649-024-00312-6","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ETHICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
I offer a positive argument in defense of the moral permissibility of abortion that relies on the moral concept of self-defense. I argue that given the lack of proportional self-defense options in pregnancy, a pregnant woman is morally permitted to procure a self-defensive abortion so long as the risks/burdens of her pregnancy and childbirth reach a sufficiently high threshold of seriousness. I then argue that even standard pregnancies reach this threshold, because of the expected physical and nonphysical risks/burdens imposed. Finally, I consider three objections—an objection based on the risks/burdens of abortion, an objection based on the fetus’s status as an innocent aggressor, and an objection based on the pregnant woman’s moral responsibility for the creation of the fetus.
期刊介绍：
Asian Bioethics Review (ABR) is an international academic journal, based in Asia, providing a forum to express and exchange original ideas on all aspects of bioethics, especially those relevant to the region. Published quarterly, the journal seeks to promote collaborative research among scholars in Asia or with an interest in Asia, as well as multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary bioethical studies more generally. It will appeal to all working on bioethical issues in biomedicine, healthcare, caregiving and patient support, genetics, law and governance, health systems and policy, science studies and research. ABR provides analyses, perspectives and insights into new approaches in bioethics, recent changes in biomedical law and policy, developments in capacity building and professional training, and voices or essays from a student’s perspective. The journal includes articles, research studies, target articles, case evaluations and commentaries. It also publishes book reviews and correspondence to the editor. ABR welcomes original papers from all countries, particularly those that relate to Asia. ABR is the flagship publication of the Centre for Biomedical Ethics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. The Centre for Biomedical Ethics is a collaborating centre on bioethics of the World Health Organization.
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