Study Guide:
Judith Jarvis Thomson – A Defense
of Abortion
1. What premise of the conservative position on abortion is Thomson willing
to grant for the sake of argument?
2. Is Thomson's reconstruction of the conservative argument accurate?
3. What purpose does Thomson have in giving the case of the famous violinist?
4. Thomson points out that the violinist case seems to most closely parallel
the case of rape. What further conclusions does she make here?
5. In addressing "the extreme view" that abortion is impermissible even to
save the mother's life, Thomson gives four principles that the "extremist"
might use to make their argument. Thomson finds all four false. Explain why.
6. Explain the point of the case of the growing child in the tiny house.
7. What does Thomson think of the idea that abortion may be permissible for
the mother, but that it may be impermissible for any third party to assist
her?
8. What is the point of Thomson's example of "Henry Fonda's cool hand"?
9. What is the point of Thomson's example of the brothers and the chocolates?
10. What implications for the abortion debate does Thomson find in analyzing
the right to life as "the right not to be killed unjustly"?
11. What is the point of the case of the "people-seeds"? What is this supposed
to be analagous to?
12. Does Thomson regard abortion as morally permissible in all cases? Which
cases are permissible and which not?