My new essay just came out in Christian Research Journal (Dec 2021). Here is a synposis:
Critical theory (CT) has become a major influence in society. It maintains that oppressed groups should be liberated from their oppressors. CT manifests itself in many ways, including critical race theory and feminist theory. That is, CT provides justification for women to be liberated from their patriarchal domination, and a crucial way that can be achieved is through the permissibility of abortion. Yet, on the contrary, I argue that abortion should be construed as immoral based on CT’s own internal logic. By determining the value of their unborn by their conceptualizations, women arbitrarily exercise power over and oppress their unborn.
Some counter that actually the unborn is an oppressor, restricting the woman’s freedom to make her own choices, as well as to define her own sense of identity via her self-conception. Another objection is that while the unborn are humans, they are not persons, for in order to count as persons, humans also have to have certain functional qualities, such as a self-concept. However, for CT, there is no equality on the basis of self-concepts. According to CT, there are no essences, and thus the claim that we are valuable because we have self-concepts is nothing but an interpretation given from a particular standpoint, which results in an arbitrary imposition of power. It is a much greater oppression for the woman to have the unborn put to death than for her to remain pregnant. Thus, taking CT consistently, the unborn need to be liberated from their oppression by abortion….
See that issue, pages 16-21.
Nice argument Dr. Smith, it is so strange that the personhood is used as an argument. As you know there is little, if any consensus on the subject of personhood.
Hi Steve! Nice to hear from you! Yes, there is much dispute about it, but arguably, I think that the strength of the arguments do come down on the personhood of all humans, since all have an essential nature. So, personhood is not a degreed property.
Scott, you beat me to it! I was going to make the same argument a few months ago but never got around to writing the article. Well done, it is true that on CRT, abortion could be readily construed as an act of the oppressor oppressing the weaker of the two parties. In fact, it is obvious given CRT logic.
Again, well done in pointing this out.
Anthony
Thanks! Keep up your good work!