Don Marquis

I do not disagree heavily with Don Marquis' view on abortion theoretically however realistically I have a difficult time getting behind any part of his argument.  Marquis argues that killing anyone is morally wrong because you would be depriving them of their future.  Abortion is killing a fetus, therefore abortion is morally wrong.  Speaking strictly morally I do not think most people would disagree with this.  But take this stance out into the real world and I see a much different picture.  I believe everyone is at liberty to make choices about what happens in one's own body.  It should make no difference if you are a high school senior who accidentally got pregnant or a career oriented middle aged woman, your right to get an abortion should be the same.  It is morally wrong to kill another person who's life has already started however to say that it is morally wrong to kill a fetus is like saying it is morally wrong to kill a vegetable.  When in this stage, a fetus cannot walk, talk, or have relationships with others.  Human beings are defined by the relationships we share with others; one day this could be a living, breathing thing however during the time abortion can occur, it is not.  This then leaves only the problem of depriving 'what could have been' for the future of the fetus.  If we walked around every day worrying about what could have been or should have been the world would be a very backwards place.  It is a very juvenile stance to take asking people to think of the possibilities that could happen in the next 5 years much less the next 75-80 years of a person's life.  I do think Marquis' argument has some validity but his supporting evidence is very lacking in today's society.