Ectogenesis and the case against the right to the death of the foetus

Ectogenesis, or the use of an artificial womb to allow a foetus to develop, will likely become a reality within a few decades, and could significantly affect the abortion debate. We first examine the implications for Judith Jarvis Thomson’s violinist analogy, which argues for a woman’s right to with...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bioethics
Authors: Blackshaw, Bruce P. (Author) ; Rodger, Daniel (Author)
Contributors: Räsänen, Joona (Bibliographic antecedent)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Wiley-Blackwell [2019]
In: Bioethics
IxTheo Classification:NBE Anthropology
NCH Medical ethics
Further subjects:B ectogenesis
B Pregnancy
B Moral Status
B Infanticide
B foetus
B Abortion
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:Ectogenesis, or the use of an artificial womb to allow a foetus to develop, will likely become a reality within a few decades, and could significantly affect the abortion debate. We first examine the implications for Judith Jarvis Thomson’s violinist analogy, which argues for a woman’s right to withdraw life support from the foetus and so terminate her pregnancy, even if the foetus is granted full moral status. We show that on Thomson’s reasoning, there is no right to the death of the foetus, and abortion is not permissible if ectogenesis is available, provided it is safe and inexpensive. This raises the question of whether there are persuasive reasons for the right to the death of the foetus that could be exercised in the context of ectogenesis. Eric Mathison and Jeremy Davis have examined several arguments for this right, doubting that it exists, while Joona Räsänen has recently criticized their reasoning. We respond to Räsänen’s analysis, concluding that his arguments are unsuccessful, and that there is no right to the death of the foetus in these circumstances.
ISSN:1467-8519
Reference:Kritik von "Ectogenesis, abortion and a right to the death of the fetus (2017)"
Contains:Enthalten in: Bioethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/bioe.12529