Philosophical Paper on an essay about abortion

Philosophical Paper on an about abortion - Essay Example And being genetically human, a fetus has as much a right to life as a baby or an adult. Once conception is over, a woman does not have the right to eliminate the embryo, even if it is completely in her power, and its existence conditional on hers. Warren distinguishes between the moral and genetic states of being human, by stating five attributes of moral human existence. Using the above criteria, Warren comes to the conclusion that being human is not the preserve of homo-sapiens alone. It is quite possible that some other form of life could exist which has all the above characteristics without being a genetic human being. She gives the example of aliens from another planet, and also talks about highly developed robots/ humanoids of the future who could qualify as persons without being genetically human. On the other hand, a fetus, although genetically human, has no self-awareness or consciousness. A fetus is the extension of the body of its host (mother). Therefore, a fetus may be denied the right to life, and aborted. (Warren, 1996) By an extension of the same prem... She gives the example of aliens from another planet, and also talks about highly developed robots/ humanoids of the future who could qualify as persons without being genetically human. On the other hand, a fetus, although genetically human, has no self-awareness or consciousness. A fetus is the extension of the body of its host (mother). Therefore, a fetus may be denied the right to life, and aborted. (Warren, 1996) By an extension of the same premise, it could be argued that new born infants not being persons-not possessing the ability to reason or a self-concept-can be killed. This line of logical reasoning is dangerous as it gives the power of life and death over an infant to his/her mother/father/any other person with partially or fully developed ability to think, reason and emote. The danger arises from the fact that not all persons are altruistic or moral, and some may be ready to sacrifice the life of an infant for the sake of personal benefit. ("Why should I look after a baby, when it is so inconvenient It binds me down. I can't afford it.") There is also post-partum depression-a medical/emotional condition experienced by many new mothers-which makes it difficult for her to care for a child. It is to avoid the dangers of blurring the line between eliminating a fetus and eliminating a child that most pro-abortionists state that while it is okay to kill a fetus, it is definitely not okay to kill a child, even if the child is born monstrously malformed or grossly non-human-like. They would insist that all possible measures should be taken to keep such a baby alive. McKinley seeks to clear this impasse faced by pro-abortionists by differentiating between physical and social dependence. A fetus is completely physically dependant, sharing the very space occupied