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Auricular Point Acupressure Therapy: A Safe and Effective Treatment for Postsurgical Abortion Recovery
07:28

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Published on: February 3, 2026

A Defense of Post-Viability Abortion.

Jina Kim1

  • 1Department of Philosophy, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK.

Bioethics
|June 6, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Judith Thomson's violinist argument can justify post-viability abortion. Unwanted childbirth is invasive, akin to rape, establishing a stringent right to bodily autonomy and self-defense even after fetal viability.

Keywords:
Thomsonabortionbodily invasionchildbirthself‐defenseviability

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Area of Science:

  • Bioethics
  • Moral Philosophy
  • Reproductive Rights

Background:

  • The Violinist argument, a prominent defense of abortion, is often considered applicable only pre-viability.
  • Existing literature primarily focuses on abortion as self-defense against pregnancy, not childbirth.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To extend Thomson's self-defense framework to justify post-viability abortion.
  • To establish a stringent right not to undergo childbirth based on invasiveness.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of Judith Thomson's violinist argument and its relation to fetal viability.
  • Defense of the "Invasiveness Claim" regarding childbirth and its procedures.
  • Application of Thomson's self-defense principles to post-viability abortion.

Main Results:

  • The invasiveness of childbirth, including procedures like C-sections, constitutes a harm comparable to rape.
  • The Invasiveness Claim, combined with Thomson's self-defense ethics, supports the moral permissibility of post-viability abortion.

Conclusions:

  • Post-viability abortion is morally permissible under a Thomsonian framework, defending a pregnant person's right to avoid childbirth.
  • This offers a novel, underexplored defense for nearly all post-viability abortions for those aligned with Thomson's philosophy.