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Two puzzles for Marquis's conservative view on abortion.

Robert F Card¹

¹Department of Philosophy, State University of New York, Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126, USA. rcard@oswego.edu

|November 15, 2006

Summary

Don Marquis argues abortion is wrong because it deprives fetuses of future value. This analysis shows his argument forces a choice between extreme conservatism or abandoning his view, questioning its plausibility for modified conservative positions.

Keywords:

Analytical Approach Genetics and Reproduction Philosophical Approach

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Area of Science:

Bioethics
Moral Philosophy
Reproductive Ethics

Background:

Don Marquis's influential argument posits that abortion is morally impermissible due to the fetus's lost future value.
This argument supports a modified conservative stance on the morality of abortion.
Critiques of Marquis's view often challenge the premise of future value or its application.

Purpose of the Study:

To critically evaluate Don Marquis's argument regarding the moral status of abortion.
To explore the logical implications of accepting Marquis's core premise on the modified conservative view.
To determine if Marquis's argument can consistently support his intended ethical position.

Main Methods:

Adoption of an internal critique strategy, working within the framework of Marquis's basic account.
Logical analysis of the consequences of granting the soundness of Marquis's fundamental idea.
Examination of the resulting ethical position on abortion if the premise is accepted.

Main Results:

Marquis's argument leads to a dilemma when applied to the modified conservative view.
The dilemma forces a choice: either abortion is deemed impermissible in all cases (extreme conservatism) or the argument fails to support a recognizably conservative position.
This outcome highlights potential implausibility or ineffectiveness of Marquis's argument for his stated goals.

Conclusions:

Don Marquis's argument, when analyzed internally, presents a significant challenge to its own modified conservative conclusions.
The presented dilemma suggests that the argument is either deeply flawed or cannot adequately support a nuanced conservative stance on abortion.
Further philosophical work is needed to reconcile the concept of future value with a consistent ethical framework for abortion.