Introduction This essay will examine an often discussed pro-choice analogy. We will evaluate the extent to which the issue of abortion is still controversial if we accept the terms of this analogy as true. This essay will first discuss the premises of the analogy in question. Then he will consider counterarguments to the analogy. The goal of this article is to determine whether the controversial nature of the abortion issue is still relevant in light of the acorn analogy. The argument of this article will be that this controversy is not alleviated by the acorn-fetus comparison. Acorn Analogy and Related Issues The acorn analogy means that oak trees grow from acorns just as humans grow from fetuses. Thus every acorn is a potential oak tree just as every fetus is a potential human being. However, the fetus is no more a human being from the point of conception than the acorn is an oak tree. Therefore, ending the existence of one or the other is not the same as killing a fully developed living being. This is the argument that Thomson (47-48) presents in his oft-cited work on the permissibility of abortion. The argument that an acorn is not an oak outlines the point at which the decision regarding a person's existence should be made. Indeed, one of the main controversies in the abortion rights debate hinges on whether a person exists at conception, during development in the womb, or after birth. Thomson (47-48) admits that the fetus clearly develops into a human being before birth. He points out that, by the tenth week of pregnancy, the fetus has rapidly evolved into a living being with recognizable human physical characteristics. That is... halfway through the paper... for the result. Pro-lifers argue that the pregnancy should be carried to term regardless. This is based on pro-life notions of natural duty and obligation to care for one's relatives (Hershenov 129-130). Therefore, part of the pro-life argument seems to involve the regulation of human sexual behavior. With these counterarguments in mind, the acorn analogy is not likely to make the abortion issue any less controversial. Works Cited Hershenov, D. B. Abortions and Distortions: An Analysis of Morally Irrelevant Factors in Thomson's Violinist Thought Experiment. Social Theory and Practice, 27.1 (2008): 129-148.Thomson, Judith Jarvis. A defense of abortion. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 1.1 (Fall 1971): 47-66.Pacholczyk, Tad. "Making sense of bioethics". Ncbcenter.org. Nd Web. http://www.ncbcenter.org/page.aspx?pid=295. December 3, 2013.