Michael Tooley, Abortion and infanticide (1)

Overview of the Essay on Abortion and Infanticide

  • Author: Michael Tooley

  • Published in: Philosophy and Public Affairs, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Autumn, 1972)

  • Central Question: The morality of abortion and infanticide

Main Arguments

Fundamental Ethical Objections

  • Traditional view: Fetuses and infants have a right to life.

  • Tooley challenges this by discussing the properties necessary for a serious right to life.

  • Sets forth a moral principle defining these properties.

Properties Required for a Right to Life

  • Claims that human fetuses and infants do not meet the required properties for having a serious right to life.

  • Concludes abortion and infanticide may be considered morally acceptable.

  • Contrasts this with the possible rights of certain non-human animals, which may possess the properties granting them a right to life.

Abortion and Infanticide Examination

The Liberal Position

  • Challenges in defining a non-arbitrary cutoff point for when life begins.

  • Highlights conservative concerns regarding the moral relevance of different developmental stages.

Infanticide Moral Challenges

  • Discusses how the morality of infanticide forces deeper reflection on personhood and rights.

  • Infanticide raises strong emotional responses akin to taboos like incest and cannibalism, suggesting societal rather than rational basis for opposition.

Terminology

Person vs. Human Being

  • Defines 'person' as a moral concept synonymous with having a serious moral right to life.

  • Critiques the interchangeable use of "person" and "human being" in contemporary discussions.

  • Draws distinctions between entities with rights and those with a right to life, advocating for clarity in definitions.

Arguments About Cutoff Points

Essential Questions on Personhood

  • What properties confer personhood?

  • When does a member of Homo sapiens acquire these properties?

Critique of Common Cutoff Points

  1. Conception: Arbitrary as it does not reflect significant moral properties.

  2. Human Form: Developmental milestone that is emotionally persuasive but lacks moral weight.

  3. Ability to Move: Suggests agency; however, adult humans can lack such abilities yet retain rights.

  4. Viability: Capability to exist independently does not confer moral status.

  5. Birth: A starting point for rights, but lack of moral significance is noted.

Conservative Position and Its Challenges

Potentiality Principle

  • Conservatives argue fetal potential confers rights, but this principle is challenged.

  • Tooley questions the moral implications of fetal potentiality when compared to non-human animals.

Moral Symmetry Principle

  • Asserts that the moral impermissibility of killing a human fetus cannot solely rely on its potentiality.

  • Draws parallels with newborn animals and their potentialities, emphasizing moral distinctions.

Conclusion

Self-Consciousness Requirement

  • Tooley's ultimate claim: Serious right to life requires possessing the concept of self and continuity of experiences.

  • Questions the timeline of self-concept acquisition among humans and other species.

  • Suggests potential moral implications for our treatment of non-human animals.

  • Recommends a cautious approach to moral decision-making around infanticide based on the stages of awareness.