Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026
07:28
Auricular Point Acupressure Therapy: A Safe and Effective Treatment for Postsurgical Abortion Recovery
Published on: February 3, 2026
Abortion: Strong's counterexamples fail.
1School of Philosophy, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland. Ezio.DiNucci@ucd.ie
Journal of Medical Ethics
|May 2, 2009
Summary
Strong's counterexamples to Marquis's abortion argument fail. Regardless of interpretation, "valuable future" fails to invalidate Marquis's core argument on the morality of abortion.
Area of Science:
- Bioethics
- Moral Philosophy
Background:
- Don Marquis's argument posits that abortion is morally impermissible because it deprives a fetus of a "valuable future."
- Strong (2008) proposed counterexamples involving terminally ill adult patients to challenge Marquis's argument.
Discussion:
- This paper analyzes Strong's counterexamples, demonstrating their failure to undermine Marquis's argument.
- The analysis considers three interpretations of "valuable future": "future like ours," patient preferences, and objective standards.
Key Insights:
- Counterexamples fail if "valuable future" means "future like ours" as they lack relevance to Marquis's argument concerning fetuses.
- If "valuable future" relates to patient preferences, it implies either these patients have a valuable future or their killing is not seriously wrong.
- Interpreting "valuable future" by objective standards leads to morally implausible conclusions.
Outlook:
- Reasserts the philosophical basis of Marquis's argument against abortion.
- Highlights the challenges in constructing valid counterexamples to deontological and teleological ethical arguments.
- Underscores the importance of precise definition of terms in moral philosophy debates.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Null and Alternative Hypotheses
The actual hypothesis testing begins by considering two hypotheses. They are termed the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis. These hypotheses contain opposing viewpoints.
The null hypothesis, denoted by H0 is a statement of no difference between the variables—they are not related. This can often be considered the status quo. As a result if you cannot accept the null, it requires some action.
The alternative hypothesis, denoted by H1 or Ha, is a claim about the population that is...
The null hypothesis, denoted by H0 is a statement of no difference between the variables—they are not related. This can often be considered the status quo. As a result if you cannot accept the null, it requires some action.
The alternative hypothesis, denoted by H1 or Ha, is a claim about the population that is...
01:17Hypothesis: Accept or Fail to Reject?
The outcome of any hypothesis testing leads to rejecting or not rejecting the null hypothesis. This decision is taken based on the analysis of the data, an appropriate test statistic, an appropriate confidence level, the critical values, and P-values. However, when the evidence suggests that the null hypothesis cannot be rejected, is it right to say, 'Accept' the null hypothesis?
There are two ways to indicate that the null hypothesis is not rejected. 'Accept' the null hypothesis and 'fail to...
There are two ways to indicate that the null hypothesis is not rejected. 'Accept' the null hypothesis and 'fail to...
01:22Birth Control Methods
Vasectomy is a surgical form of male sterilization that involves severing and sealing the vasa deferentia, preventing sperm from mixing with semen during ejaculation. Because a vasectomy does not impact the testes' ability to produce testosterone, hormone levels, libido, and sexual function generally remain unchanged. While vasectomy is highly effective in preventing pregnancy, with a success rate near 99.85%, rare cases of recanalization (spontaneous reconnection) can occur. Although vasectomy...
01:30Apoptosis
Apoptosis is a combination of two Greek words, 'apo' and 'ptosis,' meaning separation and falling off, respectively. Hippocrates used this word to describe gangrene, which was caused due to bandaging of fractured bones. Apoptosis was distinguished from necrosis in 1970 when John Kerr reported observations of morphological changes occurring during apoptosis. During one experiment, he observed that the disruption of blood supply to the liver tissue resulted in a size reduction of the tissue.
01:27Reproductive Cloning
Reproductive cloning is the process of producing a genetically identical copy—a clone—of an entire organism. While clones can be produced by splitting an early embryo—similar to what happens naturally with identical twins—cloning of adult animals is usually done by a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT).
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
In SCNT, an egg cell is taken from an animal and its nucleus is removed, creating an enucleated egg. Then a somatic cell—any cell that is not a sex...
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
In SCNT, an egg cell is taken from an animal and its nucleus is removed, creating an enucleated egg. Then a somatic cell—any cell that is not a sex...
01:27Reproductive Cloning
Reproductive cloning is the process of producing a genetically identical copy—a clone—of an entire organism. While clones can be produced by splitting an early embryo—similar to what happens naturally with identical twins—cloning of adult animals is usually done by a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT).
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
In SCNT, an egg cell is taken from an animal and its nucleus is removed, creating an enucleated egg. Then a somatic cell—any cell that is not a sex...
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
In SCNT, an egg cell is taken from an animal and its nucleus is removed, creating an enucleated egg. Then a somatic cell—any cell that is not a sex...