Margaret Olivia Little’s “The Moral Permissibility of Abortion” and Callahan’s “
ID: 117033 • Letter: M
Question
Margaret Olivia Little’s “The Moral Permissibility of Abortion” and Callahan’s “A Case for Pro-Life Feminism SUBJECT: PHILOSOPHY
Reflection prompt: Callahan argues that consistency with the fundamental feminist commitments to equality and empathy requires that women extend compassion and respect to vulnerable UDHs, and not treat them as mere things to be discarded. Women have long argued that it is illegitimate for men to use power disparities to treat them as property, and so for women to treat UDHs in a similar fashion is hypocritical, and actually undermines the loving, committed sexual paradigm that would be more advantageous to women. On the other hand, Little endorses Thomson's point that any right to life UDHs might enjoy does not entail a duty for mothers to do maintain gestation, and emphasizes both the burdens of pregnancy and the fact that UDHs would not exist without their mothers to conclude that abortions are always permissible and never unjust, though sometimes (when selected for trivial reasons) indecent. Please reflect on these contrasting positions and reference the original articles to argue which approach makes more all-things-considered sense and why.
Explanation / Answer
SYDNEY CALLAHAN essay "Abortion and the sexual agenda: A case for pro life feminism" do state that a woman choosing abortion is a basic right to do and she has all the rights to do what she wishes to her body. We can easily understand Callahan intention here about if one doesn't really want to be pregnant and give birth, that particular woman should not be compelled to do so and its her basic right to terminate her pregnancy because they cannot afford for medical care bills, pregnancy and childbirth. And Callahan do feel that abortion is very necessary to guarantee women this particular freedom and should be considered of moral worth. Permissive abortion laws do not bring women freedom and social equality. Women's rights and liberation are linked with federal rights.
According to MARGARET OLIVIA LITTLE'S "The moral permissibility of abortion" in her point of view abortion may not be a decision to destroy and well pregnancy shouldn't be a punishment to women because all this falls entirely on woman who can face economic disadvantage. Just imagine the situation where a particular lady divorce or relationship breakdown just after pregnancy confirmation, how much struggle women do face in this situation. Finally it is about ones personal choice and freedom. If a woman doesn't want her pregnancy then that is her choice because no one knows the real reason why she opted for abortion. So abortion should be LEGAL.
In my opinion what men do doesn't count in our male dominated world and pregnancy, childbirth are major problems that women alone needs to fight, we can see many couples where men generally date with multiple women and becoming the reason for this particular abortion issue and this in particular handicaps women in the real world. Depending on what nation, country and state one lives in, they are subjected to different laws.