A Defense of Post-Viability Abortion.

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.