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The Impairment Argument and Future-Like-Ours: A Problematic Dependence

Christopher Bobier1

  • 1Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, 700 Terrace Heights, SM 326, Winona, MN, 55987, USA. cbobier@smumn.edu.

Journal of Bioethical Inquiry
|June 6, 2023
PubMed

Insights

The impairment argument for abortion

Area of Science:

  • Bioethics
  • Moral Philosophy

Background:

  • Criticism exists regarding the impairment argument for abortion's immorality.
  • Blackshaw and Hendricks propose using Don Marquis's future-like-ours (FLO) theory to support this argument.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the novelty and logical consistency of using the FLO account within the impairment argument for abortion.
  • To determine if the impairment argument remains successful when relying on the FLO account.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical analysis of the impairment argument and the FLO account.
  • Examination of the logical relationship between the impairment argument and FLO.
  • Assessment of alternative explanations for the wrongness of causing fetal impairments.

Main Results:

  • Linking the impairment argument's success to the FLO account challenges its claim to novelty.
  • Utilizing FLO without considering other explanations for fetal impairment constitutes begging the question.

Conclusions:

  • The impairment argument for the immorality of abortion, when reliant on the FLO account, is not novel.
  • The impairment argument, as presented, remains unsuccessful in establishing the immorality of abortion.
Keywords:
AbortionFetal harmsFuture-like-oursImpairment

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