A Kantian defense of abortion rights with respect for intrauterine life

2014
journal article
article
5
dc.abstract.enIn this paper, I appeal to two aspects of Immanuel Kant's philosophy - his metaphysics and ethics - in defense of abortion rights. Many Kantian pro-life philosophers argue that Kant's second principle formulation of the categorical imperative, which proscribes treating persons as mere means, applies to human embryos and fetuses. Kant is clear, however, that he means his imperatives to apply to persons, individuals of a rational nature. It is important to determine, therefore, whether there is anything in Kant's philosophy that permits regarding embryos and fetuses as persons, since they lack the capacity for sentience (at least until mid-gestation), let alone rational thought. In the first part of the paper, I will illustrate why there are difficulties maintaining, from a Kantian perspective, that conception marks the genesis of a new person. Even granting that embryos and fetuses are persons, however, this alone would not entail the moral impermissibility of abortion rights, mainly because prohibiting abortion, and compelling women to gestate, violates the formula of humanity against them. Developing this thesis encompasses the second part of my essay. Finally, although I argue that Kant's philosophy lends strong support to abortion rights, this does not thereby entail that it allows for the complete dehumanization of the human fetus. By appealing to the writings of Kantian scholar Allen Wood, I will argue that a fetus' status as a potential person does render it worthy of some degree of respect and moral value.
dc.contributor.authorManninen, Bertha Alvarez
dc.date.accession2026-07-31
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-31T12:31:02Z
dc.date.available2026-07-31T12:31:02Z
dc.date.createdat2026-07-31T12:31:02Zen
dc.date.issued2014
dc.date.openaccess0
dc.description.accesstimew momencie opublikowania
dc.description.number39
dc.description.physical70-92
dc.description.versionostateczna wersja wydawcy
dc.identifier.doi10.13153/diam.39.2014.565
dc.identifier.issn1733-5566
dc.identifier.projectDRC AI
dc.identifier.urihttps://ruj.uj.edu.pl/handle/item/580489
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://diametros.uj.edu.pl/diametros/pl/article/view/565
dc.languageeng
dc.language.containereng
dc.rightsUdzielam licencji. Uznanie autorstwa 4.0 Międzynarodowa
dc.rights.licenceCC-BY
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.pl
dc.share.typeotwarte czasopismo
dc.source.integratorfalse
dc.subject.enabortion
dc.subject.enpro-choice
dc.subject.enKant
dc.subject.ensecond categorical imperative
dc.subject.enformula of humanity
dc.subject.enrespect for fetal life
dc.subject.enpotential personhood
dc.subtypeArticle
dc.titleA Kantian defense of abortion rights with respect for intrauterine life
dc.title.journalDiametros
dc.title.volumeKant's moral philosophy and contemporary practical ethics
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typePublicationen
dc.abstract.en
In this paper, I appeal to two aspects of Immanuel Kant's philosophy - his metaphysics and ethics - in defense of abortion rights. Many Kantian pro-life philosophers argue that Kant's second principle formulation of the categorical imperative, which proscribes treating persons as mere means, applies to human embryos and fetuses. Kant is clear, however, that he means his imperatives to apply to persons, individuals of a rational nature. It is important to determine, therefore, whether there is anything in Kant's philosophy that permits regarding embryos and fetuses as persons, since they lack the capacity for sentience (at least until mid-gestation), let alone rational thought. In the first part of the paper, I will illustrate why there are difficulties maintaining, from a Kantian perspective, that conception marks the genesis of a new person. Even granting that embryos and fetuses are persons, however, this alone would not entail the moral impermissibility of abortion rights, mainly because prohibiting abortion, and compelling women to gestate, violates the formula of humanity against them. Developing this thesis encompasses the second part of my essay. Finally, although I argue that Kant's philosophy lends strong support to abortion rights, this does not thereby entail that it allows for the complete dehumanization of the human fetus. By appealing to the writings of Kantian scholar Allen Wood, I will argue that a fetus' status as a potential person does render it worthy of some degree of respect and moral value.
dc.contributor.author
Manninen, Bertha Alvarez
dc.date.accession
2026-07-31
dc.date.accessioned
2026-07-31T12:31:02Z
dc.date.available
2026-07-31T12:31:02Z
dc.date.createdaten
2026-07-31T12:31:02Z
dc.date.issued
2014
dc.date.openaccess
0
dc.description.accesstime
w momencie opublikowania
dc.description.number
39
dc.description.physical
70-92
dc.description.version
ostateczna wersja wydawcy
dc.identifier.doi
10.13153/diam.39.2014.565
dc.identifier.issn
1733-5566
dc.identifier.project
DRC AI
dc.identifier.uri
https://ruj.uj.edu.pl/handle/item/580489
dc.identifier.weblink
https://diametros.uj.edu.pl/diametros/pl/article/view/565
dc.language
eng
dc.language.container
eng
dc.rights
Udzielam licencji. Uznanie autorstwa 4.0 Międzynarodowa
dc.rights.licence
CC-BY
dc.rights.uri
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.pl
dc.share.type
otwarte czasopismo
dc.source.integrator
false
dc.subject.en
abortion
dc.subject.en
pro-choice
dc.subject.en
Kant
dc.subject.en
second categorical imperative
dc.subject.en
formula of humanity
dc.subject.en
respect for fetal life
dc.subject.en
potential personhood
dc.subtype
Article
dc.title
A Kantian defense of abortion rights with respect for intrauterine life
dc.title.journal
Diametros
dc.title.volume
Kant's moral philosophy and contemporary practical ethics
dc.type
JournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeen
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