A Critical Introduction to the Ethics of Abortion: Understanding the Moral Arguments

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A Critical Introduction to the Ethics of Abortion addresses some of the most prominent and influential arguments to the abortion debate. These include the Being a Person verses Functioning as a Person Argument, womens rights vis--vis the rights of the foetus, personhood as an essentially contested concept, and a virtue ethics approach. Also covered are central bioethical issues concerning prenatal screening, stem cell research and cloning. Based on a critical assessment of the evidence, the book offers an impartial view and draws on the importance of critical thinking and the logic of argumentation. Providing an overview of the legal history of abortion in the United States, it discusses five of the most influential Supreme Court cases on abortion law during the past fifty years and examines the current state of abortion law, politics and the main trends. Presenting a balance between ethical concepts, views and arguments, A Critical Introduction to the Ethics of Abortion is an up-to-date introduction to the choice of abortion illustrating the importance of evidence, clear thinking and good arguments for supporting ones ethical beliefs.

Reviews

One of the best books I have ever read on the issue of abortion. * Ethical Perspectives *
A timely, balanced, and comprehensive examination of the abortion controversy. As an introductory text, it does everything right: it presents the material in a clear and engaging manner, it makes explicit the premises underlying the various positions, and it models good philosophical practice by evaluating those positions in an even-handed and objective manner. * Theodore Schick, Professor of Philosophy, Muhlenberg College, USA *
This book is a refreshing teaching resource, bringing rigour and nuance to an often stale and gratuitously-polarised debate. Cantens is determined that readers should make up their own minds, and accordingly equips them in the basics of logic and normative ethics, empowering them to be active, critical participants in adjudicating the major arguments with an eye to their social context. * Arianne Shahvisi, Lecturer in Ethics, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, UK *

Author Bio

Bernie Cantens is Professor of Philosophy at Moravian College, USA.