A Defense of Abortion on the Basis of Self-defense

I offer a positive argument in defense of the moral permissibility of abortion that relies on the moral concept of self-defense. I argue that given the lack of proportional self-defense options in pregnancy, a pregnant woman is morally permitted to procure a self-defensive abortion so long as the risks/burdens of her pregnancy and childbirth reach a sufficiently high threshold of seriousness. I then argue that even standard pregnancies reach this threshold, because of the expected physical and nonphysical risks/burdens imposed. Finally, I consider three objections-an objection based on the risks/burdens of abortion, an objection based on the fetus's status as an innocent aggressor, and an objection based on the pregnant woman's moral responsibility for the creation of the fetus.