Deck 8: Abortion

Question 1

At about twenty-three or twenty-four weeks,the fetus may be able to live outside the uterus,a state referred to as:

A)variability.
B)sustainability.
C)viability.
D)quickening.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

An abortion specifically performed to protect the life or health of the mother is referred to as:

A)induced abortion.
B)spontaneous abortion.
C)maternal abortion.
D)therapeutic abortion.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The deliberate termination of a pregnancy by surgical or medical (with drugs)means is known generally as:

A)therapeutic abortion.
B)trimester abortion.
C)abortion,or induced abortion.
D)spontaneous abortion.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The beginning of fetal development when a sperm cell enters an ovum and the two merge into a single cell called a zygote is known as:

A)viability.
B)conception.
C)quickening.
D)blastocyst.

Question 5

The liberal argues that if the unborn is not a person until birth,and it is wrong to kill a person,then:

A)infanticide is permissible.
B)abortion before birth would be permissible.
C)abortion before birth would not be the killing of an innocent person.
D)abortion is permissible before and after birth.

Question 6

Mary Anne Warren suggests that being genetically human is:

A)not the same thing as being a person in the moral sense.
B)the same thing as being a person in the moral sense.
C)the prerequisite for having full moral rights.
D)not important in any sense.

Question 7

An act-utilitarian would say that an abortion is morally right if:

A)following a particular rule resulted in more happiness than following any other rule.
B)the fetus is a person.
C)others believe the abortion is justified.
D)a particular action results in the greatest overall happiness,everyone considered.

Question 8

Judith Jarvis Thomson's position is argued without:

A)reference to the rights of women.
B)relying on thought experiments.
C)admitting that the fetus has a right to life.
D)relying on the issue of personhood.

Question 9

Consider this argument: If the fetus is a person from the moment of conception,and abortion is the killing of a person,isn't abortion in all forms morally wrong? This is primarily a ________ question.

A)legal
B)scientific
C)moral
D)government policy

Question 10

The view that the fetus becomes a person at quickening is problematic because:

A)the phenomenon of quickening is an illusion.
B)quickening is largely a function of modern medical know-how.
C)quickening signals a quantum jump in the sentience of the fetus.
D)quickening signifies nothing that can be plausibly linked to personhood.

Question 11

The moderate rejects the claim(s)that:

A)abortions are never permissible.
B)abortions are almost never permissible as well as the notion that they almost always are.
C)both the conservative and the liberal make plausible points.
D)abortion may be justified in more cases than conservatives would allow and fewer than liberals would like.

Question 12

The conservative can argue that Mary Anne Warren's view of personhood leads to an absurdity: if a fetus is not a person,then neither is a newborn-thus killing a newborn would be:

A)immoral.
B)permissible.
C)not permissible.
D)no worse than killing a cat.

Question 13

John T.Noonan argues that the fetus is a person from the moment of conception because:

A)a potential person is a true person.
B)Thomson's argument fails.
C)at conception the fetus becomes sentient.
D)at conception the fetus receives the genetic code.

Question 14

According to Mary Anne Warren's criteria for personhood,a self-motivated space alien that was conscious,able to reason and communicate,and was self-aware would be:

A)a person.
B)not a person.
C)unclassifiable.
D)morally equivalent to an Earth primate.

Question 15

The liberal position is that:

A)both abortion and infanticide should be legal.
B)abortion is always (or almost always)permissible.
C)abortion is permissible anytime because it is not always wrong to kill a person.
D)abortion is permissible after the second trimester.

Question 16

In Roe v.Wade,the Court ruled that:

A)all abortions at any stage of pregnancy are permissible.
B)in the first three months of pregnancy,a state may regulate (but not ban)abortion;after viability,a state may forbid abortions,even those necessary to preserve the health or life of the woman.
C)in the first three months of pregnancy,the woman's right to an abortion is unrestricted;after this period,a state may regulate and even forbid abortions.
D)in the first three months of pregnancy,the woman's right to an abortion is unrestricted;after this period,a state may regulate (but not ban)abortion;after viability,a state may regulate and even forbid abortions,except when abortion is necessary to preserve the health or life of the woman.

Question 17

The risk of death for women who have an abortion at eight weeks or earlier is:

A)0.6 deaths per 100,000 abortions.
B)one death per one million abortions.
C)one death per 1,000 abortions.
D)one death per 10,000 abortions.

Question 18

Most abortions are performed in the:

A)first twelve weeks of gestation.
B)period just after viability.
C)first three weeks.
D)period just before viability.

Question 19

In arguments over abortion,both the conservative and the liberal agree on the following premise:

A)abortion is the killing of an innocent person.
B)abortion before birth would not be the killing of an innocent person.
C)it is wrong to kill an innocent person.
D)the unborn is not a person until birth (and thus does not have a right to life).

Question 20

Consider this argument: The unborn is an innocent person from conception;it is wrong to kill an innocent person;abortion is the killing of an innocent person;therefore,abortion is wrong.If the premises are true,then the argument is:

A)valid but not sound.
B)sound.
C)cogent.
D)invalid.

Question 21

Judith Jarvis Thomson argues that abortion may sometimes be permissible whether or not:

A)the pregnancy was unplanned.
B)a woman has a right to self-defense.
C)a fetus is a person.
D)a woman is a moral agent.

Question 22

Some who oppose allowing a girl under the age of eighteen to have an abortion without notifying a parent or guardian argue that:

A)some young women are abused by their parents.
B)a parent's guidance is helpful and needed,and some young women have regretted having abortions.
C)abortions should be allowed when the girl faces a health emergency.
D)no girl under the age of eighteen has regretted having an abortion.

Question 23

With the violinist scenario,Judith Jarvis Thomson tries to show that:

A)the fetus is not a person.
B)in pregnancy,the body of the mother can always be exploited.
C)the mother has a right to defend herself against the unborn's use of her body against her will (a right to have an abortion).
D)the mother has no right to defend herself against the unborn's use of her body against her will.

Question 24

Alicja Tysiac was not permitted by the Polish government to have an abortion even though her health (but not her life)was at risk.She claimed that the Polish government violated her right to:

A)a fair trial.
B)government financial support for pregnant women.
C)free speech.
D)respect for privacy and family life.

Question 25

To argue in favor of sex-selection abortions,Chinese parents could use a utilitarian argument that says:

A)aborting female fetuses prevents economic harm to the family.
B)a fetus is not a person.
C)aborting female fetuses would violate their right to life.
D)aborting female fetuses neither helps nor harms Chinese families.