PHL
205
CONTEMPORARY MORAL ISSUES
SPRING 2014
EXAM 3 STUDY GUIDE
ABORTION
On what question does Don Marquis say the question of the morality
of abortion stands or falls? What's wrong with killing a fully grown
human being according to Marquis? How does Marquis attempt to use
this same reason to explain the wrongness of abortion? How does
Marquis stake out his position so that abortion is immoral but
contraception is still permissible? Marquis says that "[the
pro-choicer] may attempt to find reasons why killing infants, young
children, and the severely retarded is wrong which are independent
of her major principle that is supposed to explain the wrongness of
taking human life, but which will not also make abortion immoral.
This is no easy task.." Why isn't it an easy task? Explain the
dilemma for the pro-choicer.
What is the famous violinist example put forward by Judith Jarvis
Thompson. What is it supposed to show? How is the argument weak?
What is the coma patient analogy?
What are some answers to the pro-choice arguments that we don't know
when life begins, that a woman has a right to control her own body?
What's an objection to the argument that Catholic teachings about
birth control in the U.S. exert influence on impressionable teens,
leading them to have unprotected sex? What are some objection to
"unwanted children" or "quality of life" arguments in favor of
abortion?
For what reasons to women typically get abortions in the U.S.? What
did Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton rulings have to say with regard to
abortion? Under these two laws, what restrictions, if any, are there
on abortion? What is partial-birth abortion and why was the
procedure banned by Federal law? What arguments are there to keep
abortion legal, even if immoral?
What were so-called "bubble" laws related to abortion and why were
they struck down by the supreme court? What sort of help, if any, do
pro-life organizations give pregnant mothers who decide not to have
an abortion?
FEMINISM
Are there any innate biological differences between men and women
which affects their behavior or abilities to perform certain jobs?
Why is it that patriarchy lasted so long? What pivotal social
changes or historical events laid the groundwork for women's rights,
apart from political activism on the part of suffragettes and
feminists? What are some positive impacts and criticisms of the
feminist movement in the U.S.? How are women's rights different in
the West than elsewhere?
It is often claimed that the fact that women on the average make 59
to 75 cents on the dollar compared to men is evidence of overt
sexism and institutional discrimination against women. What are some
other explanations for the "wage gap" and "glass ceiling" other than
overt sexism discussed in class and in the Warren Farrel reading?
How many people the U.S. consider themselves feminists? Who is
more likely to use the label to describe themselves? Are more men or
women currently enrolled in college? Who possesses more college
degrees, men or women? What's the trend? According to a study
published in Gender and Society, why do more men drop out of school
than women? According to a new book The Rise of Women, why do boys
like school less and get worse grades than girls? According to
Warren Farrell, why do men earn more than women? How does the
Swift economics blog argue that blaming wage differences in sexual
discrimination makes no economic sense?What reasons does the Switft
Economics blog give for gender-based pay disparity?
How are women's rights outside North America and Europe? How do
women fare in fundamentalist Muslim countries in the Middle East by
comparison?