A woman’s physical and psychological

A statement of your topic and an adequate summary of the background information associated with it.
II. A statement of why your topic is morally controversial, the question it raises.
III. An argument in support of your answer to that question, built from one or more moral theories or
principles.
IV. The statement of an objection to your argument and a response to that objection.
You may choose your topic directly from one of the general issues we covered in class, or from one of the
more specific decision scenarios in the textbook. Just make sure your finished essay conforms to the
guidelines for the assignment. For example, suppose that you choose to write on the topic of abortion. You
would construct your essay along the following lines:
I. Begin with a general introductory paragraph providing a basic outline. Then, provide a definition of
abortion. Address the “ontological status” of the fetus, distinguishing the biological sense of “human being”
from the moral sense of “human being.” Explain the criteria for personhood.
II. State the basic moral question raised by the topic: “Is abortion ever morally permissible, and if so, under
what conditions?” Summarize the 3 positions on the issue – conservative, moderate, and liberal.
III. Provide your answer and an argument in support of your answer. For instance, if you adopt the
moderate position, you would defend the claim that abortion is permissible in some instances, but not in
others. One sort of argument in favor of this position is Judith Jarvis Thomson’s analogical arguments.
IV. An objection to this position would be that it is always better to kill than to let die, so even if a mother will
die while giving birth, it is better to let that happen and save the fetus. Moreover, in cases in which a woman
is raped, there are alternatives to abortion available, such as adoption. A reply to the first objection would
be that the mother’s interest should count more than the fetus, as she is a full-fledged person, whereas a
fetus merely has the potential for personhood. As to the second objection, even if a woman were to carry
the child to term and then relinquish it for adoption, doing so requires an enormous amount of physical and
psychological turmoil that she ought not to endure.