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?