Infanticide and the liberal view on abortion.

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Moral Philosophy
• Reproductive Rights

Background:

• Mary Anne Warren's influential defense of the liberal position on abortion is widely cited.
• A significant objection to Warren's argument is its potential implication that infanticide is morally permissible.
• Warren addressed this objection in a postscript, asserting her position does not endorse infanticide.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically analyze the coherence of Mary Anne Warren's argument on abortion and infanticide.
• To evaluate whether Warren's postscript successfully reconciles her liberal abortion stance with a prohibition on infanticide.
• To demonstrate how Warren's reasoning on infanticide may undermine her core argument for abortion rights.

Main Methods:

• Philosophical analysis of Mary Anne Warren's arguments on abortion and infanticide.
• Examination of the logical consistency between Warren's original position and her postscript clarifications.
• Argumentative critique focusing on the potential for self-contradiction in Warren's ethical framework.

Main Results:

• The reasoning presented in Warren's postscript to address infanticide objections is found to be logically inconsistent with her original defense of abortion.
• Warren's attempt to simultaneously defend the liberal view on abortion and condemn infanticide using the same argumentative structure is unsuccessful.
• The postscript's reasoning inadvertently weakens the foundation of her original argument for abortion rights.

Conclusions:

• Mary Anne Warren's postscript defense against the infanticide objection compromises the integrity of her primary argument for the liberal position on abortion.
• Scholars defending liberal abortion views must address the infanticide objection without undermining their core arguments.
• The study highlights the complex ethical considerations at the intersection of abortion, infanticide, and moral personhood.