女性主義心理學家卡羅爾·吉利根質疑以“為選擇”與“為生命”的權利或正義入手是一種倫理綁架,而且這並沒有從女性自身出發考慮問題。她在《不同的聲音》(In a Different Voice)一書中,報告及分析了29位15-33歲、不同種族及背景的女性分別兩次的訪談,她希望得知婦女如何去處理懷孕或墮胎時面臨的道德處境。吉利根認為女性的猶疑不是基於缺乏對權利及正義思考的能力,反而是基於現實的複雜性。
在一項瑞典女性討論墮胎的焦點小組研究中,有參與者認為墮胎的選擇是女性「在無助中的權利」(right in a situation of distress, Ekstran, Essen & Tyde'n, 2005),也許這形容正好說明了女性在墮胎的倫理抉擇中的矛盾處境,有助闡釋吉利根強調的「關懷」在考慮到「權利」時的不可或缺。
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