Review article

PUBLIC MIND AND THE RIGHT TO ABORTION

Nebojša Zelić ; Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia

Abstract

The author looks into the questions of the right to abortion and John Rawls’ political concept of justice. The political concept of justice was envisioned for modern democratic liberal societies whose main feature is a pluralism of various comprehensive doctrines. That is why its content ought to encompass solely those political values that are common to all citizens, regardless of which doctrines they espouse. The question of the right to abortion is also topical and interesting because its justification has been a bone of contention between various religious doctrines opposing it and the public legislation. The justification of this right in a pluralist society must stem from the public mind’s limitations i.e. must be based on the political values that all citizens share. The author builds upon Rawls’ opinion on the right to abortion as stated in Political liberalism, and argues in favour of this right using this as his starting point. Finally, the article shows how the doctrines opposed to this right can nevertheless accept the political concept of justice and not be regarded as unreasonable or to feel excluded from public debate. In order for them to be reasonable it is essential for them to be accepting of the political values this right may be derived from without accepting the right itself.

Keywords

Rawls; right to abortion; political concept of justice; public mind; J. J. Thomson

Hrčak ID:

20642

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/20642

Publication date:

16.7.2007.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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