THE  DIS CONNECTION BETWEEN MOTHER AND FETUS IN DISCUSSIONS OF ABORTION

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RELATIONALITY, RESPONSIBILITY, AND THE MORAL COMMUNITY: THE (DIS)CONNECTION BETWEEN MOTHER AND FETUS IN DISCUSSIONS OF ABORTION

In discussions of abortion, the most prominent arguments, both secular and Christian,[1] are based on individual rights. However, a factor that is often overlooked in mainstream discussions is the role of community. As such, the aim of this paper is to explore issues of the community in discussions of abortion in both secular and Christian frameworks, specifically those of the relational feminists and the relational Christians. After discussing and analyzing each of these frameworks, I hope to demonstrate that the Christian position holds the human community to a higher standard than that of the relational feminists, making it the more desirable. However, I will qualify this argument, suggesting that there are concerns put forth by secular perspectives that should be factored in to the political context.

A commonality between the relational feminists and the relational Christians is the belief that community is a driving factor in the shaping of individuals. For relational feminists, “ ‘I’ am only the distinct person I am because of the relations I have with others that make me who I am.”[2] The shaping power of community is similarly reflected in the Bible in verses such as Proverbs 27:17[3] and in