A response to mulder

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mulder’s chapter, and found myself quite sympathetic to much of what he has to say, particularly in reference to his analysis of Thomson’s argument. I also think he brings up three peripheral, but nevertheless really important, issues: the prima facie moral impermissibility of late-term abortions, whether birth control measures such as the “morning-after pill” are actual abortifacients, and whether pro-life advocates are inconsistent in not really seeming to care about natural embryo loss. I will discuss these towards the end of the chapter. While I am not able to touch upon every single argument he proffers, I will address what appear to me to be his most formidable and relevant ones. First, I would like to address his arguments in favor of animalism and person essentialism. Second, I will address his arguments against Judith Jarvis Thomson’s pro-choice stance, which I heavily endorsed in my chapter and for which Mulder’s responses have served to give me great pause.