Finally, Thomson in her hypothetical case introduces a concept of physical restraint and immobility that is completely inappropriate. While carrying a baby for nine months is no small task, we can all agree that it is not the same thing as having a grown adult plugged into one's kidneys. In Thomson's example, we imagine a person who essentially has to lie in bed for nine months, unable to go anywhere or do anything while this violinist feeds off her organs. Is that really how Thomson sees pregnancy? Hopefully not, as this is a stark - and even hostile - view.

Perhaps we can all agree that no unborn baby ever reaches adult size and that, in many pregnancies, the baby's size does not become a significant obstruction until the very late stages of the pregnancy. In fact, at the six-month mark a typical fetus will only weigh about a pound...
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