The Extreme View: Abortion is always impermissible, even to save the life of the mother.
| Step 1: | 1 | Every fetus is a person. | |
| 2 | Every person has a right to life. | ||
| Therefore | 3 | Every fetus has a right to life. | 1&2 |
| Step 2: | 4 | No being with a right to life may be killed. | |
| Therefore | 5 | No fetus may be killed. | 3&4 |
Why should we think that premise (4), No being with a right to life may be killed, is true? Thomson considers each of the following arguments, but shows that each is unsound.
First try: Directly killing an innocent person is morally impermissible.
| 1 | Directly killing an innocent person is morally impermissible. | ||
| 2 | If (1) then (3) | ||
| Therefore | 3 | No being with a right to life may be killed | 1&2 |
Second try: Directly killing an innocent person is murder and murder is morally impermissible.
| 1 | Directly killing an innocent person is murder and murder is morally impermissible. | ||
| 2 | If (1) then (3) | ||
| Therefore | 3 | No being with a right to life may be killed | 1&2 |
Third try: There is a greater obligation to refrain from directly killing an innocent person than there is to keep a person from dying.
| 1 | There is a greater obligation to refrain from directly killing an innocent person than there is to keep a person from dying. | ||
| 2 | If (1) then (3). | ||
| Therefore | 3 | No being with a right to life may be killed | 1&2 |
Fourth try: If the only options are to either directly kill an innocent person or let a person die, then it is better to let the person die.
| 1 | If the only options are to either directly kill an innocent person or let a person die, then it is better to let the person die. | ||
| 2 | If (1) then (3). | ||
| Therefore | 3 | No being with a right to life may be killed | 1&2 |