|
(2) Cells
Are Not
Persons:
Thomson’s personal belief is that “the fetus is not a person from the
moment of conception,” (para 2) yet she does not plan to argue this
because what is of interest to her is “what happens, if for the sake of
argument, we allow the premise” (para 2). Thomson claims that the
“newly implanted clump of cells , is no more a person than an acorn is
an oak tree” (para. 2). Life is seen in isolated unrelated segments
rather than undergoing unified stages of development.
(3) Violinist Analogy:
From here Thomson takes us to her often quoted violinist analogy. She
begins, “let me ask you to imagine this. You wake up in the morning and
find yourself back to back in bed with an unconscious violinist” (para
4). You had been forcibly kidnapped and the famous violinist’s
circulatory system has been “plugged into yours, so that your kidneys
can be used to extract poison from his blood.” Needless to say, this is
a nine-month procedure and you are the only compatible specimen.
So, the
question is, “Is it morally incumbent on you to accede to this
situation” (para 4)?
Does the violinist have the right to be plugged into you, and if so, who can give him this right?
Where would this right come from?
Legally, one would
assume unplugging oneself is justified on the basis that assault and
battery have been committed and one is fighting in self-defense. After
all, you were kidnapped and confined. Your only intent is to
unplug yourself, not to kill the violinist. The violinist's death
is an unfortunate second effect.
Thomson agrees that generous kindness would be
shown if one accommodated the violinist, but the question at stake is
must one accede to it: " No doubt it would be very nice of you if
you did a great kindness. But do you have to accede to it?" (para 4)
Thomson assumes
most reasonable individuals would see no serous problem in unplugging
themselves. One need not accede to this. The violinist does not have the right to impose on you.
Similarly, a baby does not have the right to impose on his mother for
nine long months, though it would be nice if the mother acquiesced to
her baby.
(4) Henry Fonda Analogy:
To hone her point
on the reasonable limitations of extending oneself, she paints another
dramatic scenario: "If I am sick unto death, and the only thing that
will save my life is the touch of Henry Fonda's cool hand on my fevered
brow, then all the same, I have no right to be given the touch of
Henry's Fonda's cool hand on my fevered brow. It would be frightfully
nice of him to fly in from the West Coast to provide it" (para 19).
Again, it would be very nice of people to
generously extend themselves, Henry Fonda in particular. Thomson and us to the
violinist. What is paramount to keep in mind is that generosity is not
obligatory. People do not have to extend themselves to us because we do
not have a right to this.
(5) Peopleseeds:
Thomson builds on her argument by asking the reader to imagine
peopleseeds drifting "in the air like pollen, and if you open your
windows, one may drift in and take root in your carpets or upholstery.
You don't want children, so you fix up your windows with fine mesh
screen." The seed takes root, so Thomson asks, "Does the person
plant who now develops have a right to use your house" (para 30)? The
answer is "Surely not" (para 30).
(6) Minimally Decent Samaritan Versus Good
Samaritan:
Thomson quotes the Good Samaritan story from the Bible. She notes that
the priest and Levite might have been able to provide help for the
half-dead man with a minimum of effort. They could have been Minimally
Good Samaritans, but chose not to do anything at all. They just walked
on. In fact, "in no state in
this country is any man compelled by law to be even a Minimally Decent
Samaritan to any person" (para. 40). The irony, however, is in
terms of pregnancy: "By contrast, in most states in this country women
are compelled by law to be not merely Minimally Decent Samaritans, but
Good Samaritans to unborn persons inside them" (para 40).
Thomson's View:
Thomson contends when it is not inconvenient to help another out,
then it is the decent action to take. For example, if Henry
Fonda's warm hand were across the room instead of across the country,
"Then surely he ought to do it, it would be indecent to refuse" (para
35). Similarly, she contends if the violinist were in need of our
kidneys for only one short hour, he still does not have a right to
them. To refuse, however would be "self-centered and callous, indecent
in fact, but not unjust." (para 36). In an ideal world, those in
need would not have a right to others, but people would give of
themselves and be Minimally Decent Samaritans. Keep in mind however,
that unreasonable and overly burdensome demands are in a
completely different category, and we should not feel obligated to
short-change our precious lives to satisfy the other at the expense of
our selves.
===========================================================================================
| Critique |
|
Supporters |
Detractors |
Rights:
Feminists laud Thomson for
bringing to life the important issues of rights and mandatory
kindness in her vivid and memorable essay. No one has the right
to overly burden another |
Rights:
Kindness extended to strangers is of a different order than
familial relationships. "Conception confers maternity....A
mother is expected to do things for her children that strangers
are not expected to do for each other" (DeMarco 153). |
| Legal system:
Thomson highlights the incongruities of the legal system by
pointing out the harsh demands imposed on women. Women's rights
need to be protected . Women are harshly discriminated against. |
Legal System:
The legal system demands more of parents than of strangers. Both
mothers and fathers are generally expected to support their
children when they are able. |
Acorn/Oak Tree:
Thomson claims acorn is not an oak tree. She is absolutely
right.
In the same way, she states a clump of cells is not a
baby.
A clump of cells is a clump of cells.
A baby is a baby. |
Acorn/Oak Tree:
There are stages in the life of a being, and the terms describe
the stages and not the being. |
Indelible Analogies:
Thomson's points are memorable
with the violinist, Henry Fonda, and the peopleseeds analogy.
These analogies vividly demonstrate not only the relationship of
the mother to the baby, but also the extent to which one should
inconvenience himself for the sake of the other.
Some instructors claim no better analogies can be
found to clearly illustrate the abortion problem. |
Indelible Analogies:
DeMarco claims the analogies are beautiful, but why not use real
analogies that are more realistic. DeMarco cites a legal
case in Minnesota where the Flateaus denied an overnight stay to
their guest. When the guest left,he suffered frostbite. The
court stated, "The law as well as humanity required that he not
be exposed in his helpless condition to the merciless elements"
( quoting Noonan p.157). Sometimes being human demands more than
minimal of care. |
Minimally decent Versus
Good Samaritan:
Thomson clearly points out that some demands are excessive, and
we should all realize this when imposed upon. Other
demands are not very inconveniencing, so we should consider
acquiescing, while at the same time realizing we are not
obligated to give service and rights to another.
In an ideal world, people would acquiesce to
demands when the inconvenience upon the self is not great. |
Minimally Decent Samaritan:
DeMarco argues man is held to a higher standard than Minimally
Decent Samaritan. He points to a true-to-life example to
illustrate his point: If the Carpathia's captain had
elected not to save the Titanic's survivors, how would the world
have reacted to the following reasoning?
"The captain
announces to the sick, anxious, and grieving survivors that he
fully respects their rights to live, but regrettably since they
do not have tickets, they have no right to board and occupy this
ship" (pages 156-157) |
| Read
Liberty Logic and Abortion for a critique of this essay |
Carpathia |
DeMarco's quotations are from his
essay, "The Secular Utopianist, Judith Jarvis Thomson," printed
in Architects of the Culture of Death, by Ignatius Press in San
Francisco, 2004.
Thomson's copyright-free photo is
from
Wikipedia., Judith Jarvis Thomson.
The Carpathia
copyright-free photo is also from
Wikipedia
|
