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No Way to Decide? | ||
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What if we carefully consider our ordinary moral concepts and
intuitions and come to the conclusion that they do not logically
entail an answer to such questions as "Should we confer the
rights of personhood on the embryo/fetus?" or "Is abortion
intrinsically wrong?" or "Does the mother usually have
the right to withdraw the support of her body from her child?"
If this is the case, would it be morally permissible (perhaps morally best) to decide the issues on the basis of extrinsic considerations? Extrinsic considerations include such matters as whether the child is wanted, whether he or she will be healthy, whether the family's standard of living will go up or down if there is another child, whether the mother's career will be harmed, and so forth. Keep in mind that some extrinsic considerations are moral considerations and some are merely prudential. Does that matter?
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