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In: Psychology

Explain Thomas's famous "Unconscious violinist " thought experiment. what is this thought experiment supposed to show...

Explain Thomas's famous "Unconscious violinist " thought experiment. what is this thought experiment supposed to show about abortion?

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Thomas puts forth a thought experiment known as unconscious violinist as a defense of abortion. The thought experiment is as follows - Finding yourself kidnapped and your circulatory system been plugged to an unconscious violinist, who suffers from fatal kidney problem, leaves the person with two choices. Despite being well aware of the fact that disconnecting the plugs can make the violinist die and only you can save him by staying connected to him for 9 months, does not affect your right to choose from the two options. Its your right on your life and body to disconnect the plug. The violinist does not have any right on you. If you stay connected, it would only be out of kindness and his right to life is not linked to that of yours. Unplugging does not violate violinist's right to life, but it just deprives him of your body, on which he has no right.

Thomas uses this thought experiment and explains that the fetus's right to life is not violated by abortion, but abortion deprives the use of women's body by the fetus. So abortion can kill the fetus but it does not violate the fetus's right to life but the women just chose not to get her body used, based on her own right. The woman has right on her body and the fetus has no right on the woman's body.


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