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A Sensible Confucian Perspective on Abortion

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Abstract

Confucian resources for moral discourse and public policy concerning abortion have potential to broaden the prevailing forms of debate in Western societies. However, what form a Confucian contribution might take is itself debatable. This essay provides a critique of Philip J. Ivanhoe’s recent proposal for a Confucian account of abortion. I contend that Ivanhoe’s approach is neither particularly Confucian, nor viable as effective and humane public policy. Affirmatively, I argue that a Confucian approach to abortion will assiduously root moral consideration and public policy in evidence-based strategies that recognize the complexity of the phenomena of unplanned pregnancy and abortion. What most distinguishes a Confucian approach, I argue, is a refusal to treat abortion as a moral dilemma that stands free of the myriad social conditions and societal inequities in which empirical evidence shows it situates.

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  1. Department of Philosophy, University of Oklahoma, 455 W. Lindsey St., Norman, OK, 73019, USA

    Amy Olberding

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  1. Amy Olberding
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Correspondence to Amy Olberding.

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Olberding, A. A Sensible Confucian Perspective on Abortion. Dao 14, 235–253 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-015-9433-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-015-9433-2

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