Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

In reply to <a href=”https://prosociallibertarians.com/2022/07/18/libertarianism-and-abortion/comment-page-1/#comment-245″>Dale Miller</a>. I take it as obvious that if she is forced to be pregnant, there was a harm and that if termination of the pregnancy helps rectify the harm, it is permissible. I think cases of “being forced to remain pregnant” are significantly more difficult–and part of why I ultimately…

It is striking that harm to the mother doesn’t seem to enter into your harm-based analysis at all. What about cases in which it is only apparent after the 8-month mark that her life is in danger? It’s not implausible that being forced to remain pregnant against your will is in and of itself harmful.

In reply to <a href=”https://prosociallibertarians.com/2022/07/18/libertarianism-and-abortion/comment-page-1/#comment-244″>Andrew Jason Cohen</a>. Or what about cases in which it was only apparent late in the pregnancy that the mother’s life was at stake? It’s striking that your harm-based analysis seems to make no mention of harm to the mother at all. It doesn’t seem implausible that being forced to remain…

It is wrong to think that these three statements contradict each other. We need to see that they are all true to see that a better world is possible.

In reply to <a href=”https://prosociallibertarians.com/2022/07/18/libertarianism-and-abortion/comment-page-1/#comment-243″>JdL</a>. It is even more complicated than I was thinking. A friend wrote me indicating that “some severe, even fatal, fetal abnormalities are detected only in the 7th or 8th month.” I can’t imagine a good argument that in such cases abortions would be wrongful. Thanks for the comment!

“Perhaps making all abortions illegal after 8 months pregnant is reasonable.” Perhaps, but I would advocate making birth, when the fetus becomes a baby and begins to breathe, nurse, cry, and go through an amazing number of diapers, the moment at which protection from the law is applied. Consider the complications of an 8-month cutoff:…