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Liberal Abortion Rights*
I. The Introductory Moral Issues
Since the rise of liberalism in the 17th and 18th centuries, the West has embraced the philosophy, generally speaking, that as many decisions as possible about the shape of individuals' lives should be left to those individuals. So, respecting the individuals' autonomy, the state or community must not interfere in people's private modus vivendi, particularly in religious, philosophical, and moral spheres.
Is abortion one of these untouchable private matters? Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that each person in today's society is allowed to have his or her own opinion on abortion and he or she can adopt, so-- to-speak, a pro-choice, pro-life or middle position on abortion. So, for example, people can choose a Catholic pro-life position or a feminist pro-choice position. No, in the sense that some people believe that one position should be adopted rather than another. Moreover, some people maintain that the government should make one position the law and enforce it on everyone.1
A lot of questions arise in the abortion debate. What is the moral status of the fetus? Can the fetus be a member of the moral community? Is the fetus a mere part of the woman's body or a full-fledged human being with the fullest sense of morality? What properties must something have to be a person with a serious right to life? Is genetic humanity either a necessary or a sufficient condition for personhood? Is it morally permissible for a pregnant woman willfully to terminate her pregnancy? Should abortion be publicly prohibited and unfinanced?
In what follows, I will challenge a number of anti-abortion views and defend my own pro-choice view2 using the Housing Right Principle, the Potentiality Plus Principle, and the Rationality Proper Principle. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to set out an argument for the claim that having an abortion can be a rational and morally permissible choice, which contrasts with other conservative anti-abortion views and is designed to secure liberal rights on abortion. In this discussion, a proper understanding of the fetal right to life (if any) and the rights and duties of pregnant women lie at the heart of the abortion debate. Liberal rights on abortion matter.
To make this...