Kyle Blanchette teaches Introduction to Philosophy and Introduction to Ethics at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, where he specifically covers the ethics of abortion. He has also written mainstream articles on the topic for publications such a…
Kyle Blanchette teaches Introduction to Philosophy and Introduction to Ethics at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, where he specifically covers the ethics of abortion. He has also written mainstream articles on the topic for publications such as the National Review and the Washington Examiner. He hosts the YouTube channel "Consistency, Please" and is finishing his PhD in philosophy (in abstentia) at the University of Rochester with concentrations in metaphysics and ethics.
DISCUSSION NOTES:
During the discussion, Kyle was speaking extemporaneously and followed-up via email to clarify the following point: "I may have mistakenly said that [Judith Jarvis] Thomson actually endorses the claim that the fetus is a person, or has full moral status (and then argues that abortion is nevertheless morally permissible, at least sometimes). That’s not quite right. She grants for the sake of argument that the fetus is a person (from conception, in fact), in order to show that this does not settle the question of whether abortion is ever morally permissible. In other words, she’s trying to show that the pro-life premise that the fetus is a person (or has special/high moral status) is compatible with abortion being morally permissible--at least in some cases. But anyone who holds that (a) the fetus has special moral status, but nevertheless, (b) abortion is (at least sometimes) morally permissible, will use her line of argument."
Links to articles mentioned during the discussion:
“A Defense of Abortion” by Judith Jarvis Thomson - https://www.jstor.org/stable/2265091?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
“Why Abortion Is Immoral” by Don Marquis - https://www.jstor.org/stable/2026961?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
MORE ABOUT KYLE BLANCHETTE:
You can follow Kyle on Twitter at @Kyle_plz
His YouTube channel can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/user/audiophilica
Examples of Kyle's writings can be found here:
'Abortion Restrictions Don't Work': A Dubious Claim - https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/04/abortion-restrictions-dont-work-dubious-claim/amp/
How to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Pro-Life Laws - http://blog.secularprolife.org/2019/03/how-to-evaluate-effectiveness-of-pro.html
No, pro-lifers are not merely pro-birth - https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/no-pro-lifers-are-not-merely-pro-birth
