[lbo-talk] Catholicism, was Re: blacks about as morally conservative as Republicans

[Matthias Wasser]

> Thompson is making a case by hypothetically conceding a premise for the sake
> of argument. She is not saying, a fetus is morally equivalent to a grown
> violinist in having a right to life. Nor is she denying the differences you
> set forth or their moral significance. In fact she is not discussing their
> moral significance. The whole point of her argument is to avoid discussing
> their moral significance.
>
> She is saying, even if were to grant, hypothetically, for the sake of
> arguing, that you, Mr. Anti-Abortionist, are correct that fetuses have a
> right to life equivalent to a grown violinist, even if we were to go along
> with you in saying that the difference in cognitive development are morally
> irrelevant -- we don't in fact grant these things and assert their truth
> with you, but even if we did, there would still be a right to abortion, so
> you can't get from the premise The Fetus Has A Right To Life Equivalent To A
> Grown Violinist to the conclusion, Aborting The Fetus Would Be Immoral.
>

No, I'm quite aware, as I've read the Yo-Yo Ma article - I was just
agreeing with the intuition that abortion is moral even as
disconnecting from the violinist is wrong.

If you knew you were equally likely to be in the violinist's situation
as the kidnapped's situation, and "should we force kidnapped to remain
connected?" were put up to a vote, wouldn't it - unless you really,
really dislike confinement to a hospital bed - be in your interests to
say yes, they should be forced? Or would you not stay in a hospital
bed nine months to save your own life, presuming you would save it for
a sufficient period of time, &c.? That's why my intuition is that it's
usually immoral to unplug; ceteris paribus, there's nothing important
that morally distinguishes me from a famous violinist. That doesn't
seem to be the case for a fetus; so I think Jarvis is wrong and that
the personhood of the fetus is in fact critical for the morality of
abortion (although it may not be for the legality.)