3 9 9W e i g h i n g fa c t o r swomen are creating alternative forms of life which may better serve their
needs. But for most heterosexual women, the choice of permanent celibacy
is very difficult. In much of the world, it is very difficult for single women to
support themselves (let alone support a family); and sexual intercourse is
usually one of the ‘duties’ of married women.
In short, permanent celibacy is not a reasonable option to impose upon
most women. And since all women are potentially vulnerable to rape,
even those who are homosexual or celibate may face unwanted pregnan-
cies. Hence, until there is a fully reliable and safe form of contraception,
available to all women, the consequentialist arguments for abortion will
remain strong. But these arguments will not persuade those who reject
consequentialist moral theories. If abortion is inherently wrong, as many
believe, then it cannot be justified as a means of avoiding undesirable con-
sequences. Thus, we must also consider whether women have a moral
right to seek abortion.iii Abortion and Women’s Rights
Not all moral philosophers believe that there are such things as moral
rights. Thus, it is important to say a bit here about what moral rights are;
in section (viii) I will say more about why they are important.... Rights are
not mysterious entities that we discover in nature; they are not, in fact, enti-
ties at all. To say that people have a right to life is to say, roughly, that they
should never deliberately be killed or deprived of the necessities of life, un-
less the only alternative is some much greater evil. Rights are not absolute,
but neither are they to be overridden for just any apparently greater good.
For instance, one may kill in self-defence when there is no other way to pro-
tect oneself from death or serious harm unjustly inflicted; but one may not
kill another person merely because others may gain a great deal from the
victim’s death.
Basic moral rights are those which all persons have, in contrast to those
rights which depend upon particular circumstances, e.g. promises or legal
contracts. The basic moral rights of persons are usually held to include the
rights to life, liberty, self-determination, and freedom from the infliction of
bodily harm. The prohibition of abortion appears to infringe upon all of
these basic rights. Women’s lives are endangered in at least two ways. Where
abortion is illegal, women often seek unsafe illegal abortions; the World
Health Organization estimates that over 200,000 women die from this cause
each year. Many others die from involuntary childbirth, when abortion is
unavailable, or when they are pressured not to use it. Of course, voluntary
childbirth also involves some risk of death; but in the absence of coercion,
there is no violation of the woman’s right to life.
The denial of abortion also infringes upon women’s rights to liberty, self-
determination, and physical integrity. To be forced to bear a child is not just97364_ch19_ptg01_383-422.indd 399 11/15/13 5:45 PM
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