Thomson argues that it is possible to wrong someone without violating his or her rights. One way of wronging someone is to fail to do something for that person that you should do but the fact that you should do something for a person does not imply that you have violated some right of hers by not doing it. Thomson presents the following thought experiments to support her contention.
The One Hour Violinist: Suppose that the violinist only needed an hour of your life and staying connected to him had no health consequences to you. Thomson says it would then be indecent to disconnect rather than simply wait an hour.
The Two Brothers: An older brother is given a box of chocolates and refuses to give any to his little brother who sits pitifully watching his older sibling eat the entire box. Perhaps it is mean or crude or indecent for the older brother not to share but this does not imply that the younger brother has a right to any of the chocolates. He does not have a right to them since those chocolates were given to his older brother and not to him.
Henry Fonda Across the Hall: If all Fonda has to do to save your life is step across the hall into your hospital room, it would be wrong for him not to do so, but that does not mean that if he refuses to do so he is violating some right that you have.
Thomson concludes, "Except in such cases as the unborn person has a right to demand it nobody is morally required to make large sacrifices of health and of all other interests and concerns and of all other duties and commitments, for nine years or even for nine months in order to keep another person alive.
