Mary Anne Warren, “On The Moral and Legal Status of Abortion,” in Larry May and others, Applied Ethics: A Multicultural Approach,” Prentice Hall, 2011, 5^th ed., pp. 435-432.

CENTRAL THESIS: The fetus does not possess a right to life.

MAIN SUPPORTING POINTS:
The fetus is not a member of the moral community.

A woman’s right to an abortion is unequivocal.

SECONDARY SUPPORTING POINTS:
The fetus lacks all five criteria for qualifying as a person: 1) consciousness,
2) reasoning, 3) self-motivated activity, 4) capacity to communicate, and
5) self-awareness.

The liberty rights of the woman always outweigh the interests of the fetus.

PROBLEM WITH THE LIBERTARIAN POSITION:
A tyranny of the powerful–such as the owners of resouces or property.

RESPONSE TO PROBLEM WITH THE LIBERTARIAN POSITION:
A woman’s body is not her property.