Abortion Rights And Wrongs

Rights and Responsibility

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Joel Feinberg has proposed the following scale of responsibility in relation to pregnancy:

  • Pregnancy caused by rape (totally involuntary)
  • Pregnancy caused by contraceptive failure, where the fault is entirely that of the manufacturer or pharmaceutical company.
  • Pregnancy caused by contraceptive failure within the advertised 1 percent margin of error (no one's fault).
  • Pregnancy caused by the negligence of the woman (or the man, or both).
  • Pregnancy caused by the recklessness of the woman (or the man, or both).
  • Pregnancy caused by intercourse between partners who are genuinely indifferent at the time to whether or not pregnancy results.
  • Pregnancy caused by the deliberate decision of the parties to produce it (completely voluntary).

How does the consideration of the degree of responsibility affect a woman's obligations? Remember, this consideration only arises if we assume that the embryo/fetus is an individual with rights that require serious consideration.


Reference: Joel Feinberg, "Abortion" in Matters of Life and Death, edited by Tom Regan, p. 212.
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