Question

Week 7 DQ 6 The Nature of the Fetus

Background:

According to Vaughn (297), a standard argument opposed to abortion goes as follows:

1. It is wrong to kill an innocent person.

2. The unborn (i.e., the fetus) is an innocent person from the moment of conception.

3. Therefore, it is wrong to kill the unborn (abortion is immoral).

The abortion issue is as divisive as any studied in bioethics. So, as we begin to examine this issue it is helpful to bear in mind common moral ground shared by those who take opposing positions on this issue. As Vaughn points out, “Both sides agree on some basic moral principles—for example, that murder is wrong, that persons have a right to life, and that personal freedom should not be curtailed except for very important reasons” (258). So, we might say that abortion opponents and proponents agree on the moral premise:

1. It is wrong to kill an innocent person.

The primary source of disagreement between the two sides has to do with the nonmoral premise (2):

2. The unborn (i.e., the fetus) is an innocent person

This premise has to do with the nature of the fetus. Is the fetus a human being, a person, a potential person, a living being, a mass of tissues or something else?

One’s view about this nonmoral fact will probably affect one’s conclusion about the moral permissibility of abortion. If the fetus is a person, then the anti-abortion argument is sound and it is wrong to kill a fetus. If the fetus is not a person, the argument above is unsound (i.e., it is valid but one of the premises is false). In this case, one might offer a different argument with a different moral premise that leads to the conclusion that abortion is wrong or one might conclude that abortion is morally permissible.

DQ 1 Instructions:

Based upon your readings for this week, answer the following questions for your response in this order:

What is a person? Drawing from and citing ideas from your readings, offer a reasoned account of what it means to be a person. In order to clarify your position give an example of something (besides a fetus if this is your view) that does not count as a person and explain why it is not a person.

What about persons makes it wrong to kill them? What characteristics, qualities, relationships, etc. makes it wrong to kill a person? Draw from your readings and, if possible, an ethical theory we have discussed as you answer these questions.

Is the fetus a person according to your view? (Depending on your definition of personhood, it may be necessary for you to distinguish between the fetus at an early stage of a pregnancy as opposed to a late stage.) If so, give an explanation why a fetus satisfies the definition you have offered. If not, explain what you think a fetus is and why, and then, explain whether a fetus has a right to not be killed.

Works Cited:

Vaughn, Lewis. Bioethics: Principles, Issues, and Cases. 2^nd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.

Answer 1

Any human body is a person. The characteristics may be, ability to learn, grow, feel emotions, breathe, live,are empathetic towards others, willing to contribute to one's society are enough to be defined as a person.

As this is a completely opinion based question, there may not be right or wrong here.

The definition of a person is already given above. What is not a person, of course animals whose aim is just survival of the strongest. Apart from animals, I feel the criminals, rapists who lack empathy aren't person.

The next question is what makes it wrong to kill a person. I feel, if the person hasn't harmed anyone, he doesn't deserve to die.

A fetus is a person as he's living,growi gr,breathing, feeling emotions too. He doesn't deserve to be dead as he haven't harmed anyone. Yes at an early stage of pregnancy, fetus isn't completely grown, that time maybe abortion is okay but at a later stage, it shouldn't happen.