Week 7 DQ 6 The Natureof the Fetus
Background:
According to Vaughn(297), a standard argument opposed to abortion goes as follows:
1. It is wrong to killan innocent person.
2. The unborn (i.e.,the fetus) is an innocent person from the moment of conception.
3. Therefore, it iswrong to kill the unborn (abortion is immoral).
The abortion issue isas divisive as any studied in bioethics. So, as we begin to examinethis issue it is helpful to bear in mind common moral ground sharedby those who take opposing positions on this issue. As Vaughnpoints out, “Both sides agree on some basic moral principles—forexample, that murder is wrong, that persons have a right to life,and that personal freedom should not be curtailed except for veryimportant reasons†(258). So, we might say that abortion opponentsand proponents agree on the moral premise:
1. It is wrong to killan innocent person.
The primary source ofdisagreement between the two sides has to do with the nonmoralpremise (2):
2. The unborn (i.e.,the fetus) is an innocent person
This premise has to dowith the nature of the fetus. Is the fetus a human being, a person,a potential person, a living being, a mass of tissues or somethingelse?
One’s view about thisnonmoral fact will probably affect one’s conclusion about the moralpermissibility of abortion. If the fetus is a person, then theanti-abortion argument is sound and it is wrong to kill a fetus. Ifthe fetus is not a person, the argument above is unsound (i.e., itis valid but one of the premises is false). In this case, one mightoffer a different argument with a different moral premise thatleads to the conclusion that abortion is wrong or one mightconclude that abortion is morally permissible.
DQ 1 Instructions:
Based upon yourreadings for this week, answer the following questions for yourresponse in this order:
What is a person?Drawing from and citing ideas from your readings, offer a reasonedaccount of what it means to be a person. In order to clarify yourposition give an example of something (besides a fetus if this isyour view) that does not count as a person and explain why it isnot a person.
What about personsmakes it wrong to kill them? What characteristics, qualities,relationships, etc. makes it wrong to kill a person? Draw from yourreadings and, if possible, an ethical theory we have discussed asyou answer these questions.
Is the fetus a personaccording to your view? (Depending on your definition ofpersonhood, it may be necessary for you to distinguish between thefetus at an early stage of a pregnancy as opposed to a late stage.)If so, give an explanation why a fetus satisfies the definition youhave 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. 2ndedition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
