Revisiting the argument from fetal potential
2007
Revisiting the Argument from Fetal Potential
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Bertha Manninen
Primary Institution: Arizona State University at the West Campus
Hypothesis
When does fetal potential become morally relevant in the context of abortion?
Conclusion
The fetus' potential to become a person grounds a current interest in continued existence, which is significant in the abortion debate.
Supporting Evidence
- The fetus' potential to become a person indicates what type of future life it will come to possess if allowed to grow up.
- Potentially possessing a property may be sufficient for entailing an interest in some moral right if possessing that moral right constitutes a benefit for the potential X.
Takeaway
This paper discusses how a fetus has the potential to become a person, which means it has an interest in living, and this is important when thinking about abortion.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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