Abortion Rights And Wrongs

How Strong a Right?

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It seems clear that if A has a right to have X or to do X, it does not follow that A can do whatever it takes in a particular situation to have or to do X. Rights usually have limits.

For example, if I catch someone stealing the mirror off my car, it is clear that the thief is violating my rights. I have a right to keep the mirror and repel the thief. But do I have the right to kill the thief in order to keep the mirror? Probably not.

What I am justified in doing when I am blocked from exercising my rights seems to be limited in part by the value of what I am losing. A mirror is not very valuable. What about the freedom lost by a pregnant woman? Perhaps she has just been accepted at the medical school of her choice. Does her loss justify killing the fetus? (Assume for the moment that the fetus has rights similar to hers.)


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