Question While I don't have a firm opinion on the issue, I never understand many pro-life positions that state they are against abortion except in the case of rape or incest. Life is life. These babies are as innocent as others. The situation in which they were conceived should have no bearing on whether they should be allowed to be aborted. It is illogical.

Accepted:
September 10, 2009

Comments

If the moral objection to abortion is that it kills innocent persons, then you are right, the circumstances of conception should be irrelevant.

An important philosophical article by Judith Jarvis Thomson, "A Defense of Abortion" (originally published in Philosophy and Public Affairs in 1971 and widely reprinted) argues that in some circumstances, killing innocent persons is permissible. Those special circumstances are when the life of another is dependent on some huge personal sacrifice of an individual who did not voluntarily take on that responsibility. Thomson argues that when pregnancy occurs against the will of the pregnant woman (rape is clearly an instance of this, and Thomson argues that contraceptive failure is also an instance) it is morally permissible to abort (although it would be morally admirable to go through with the pregnancy).

Perhaps, such positions concerning abortion are based on the idea that a developing fetus is very morally valuable, but not equal in moral value to a fully developed human being. Therefore, something like the great emotional pain involved in being forced to carry a child conceived as the result of rape might be enough to justify an abortion. But, very few things other than the life of the mother or rape would be adequate to justify an abortion.

Or, perhaps, such views on abortion are mainly developed based on political pragmatism.