abortion introduction

definitions The fetus is the unborn entity at any stage of development. An abortion is the intentional destruction of a fetus. Something is a human in the genetic sense if and only it is a homo sapien. Something is a human in the moral sense if and only if it is the sort of thing that has rights, like the right to life (i.e., iff it is a person).

definitions T hose who defend women's rights to abortion often refer to themselves as 'pro-choice' rather than as 'pro-abortion'. In this way they seek to bypass the issue of the moral status of the foetus, and instead make the right to abortion a question of individual liberty. But it cannot simply be assumed that a woman's right to have an abortion is a question of individual liberty, for it must first be established that the aborted foetus is not a being worthy of protection. If the foetus is worthy of protection, then laws against abortion do not create 'victimless crimes' as laws against homosexual relations between consenting adults do. So the question of the moral status of the foetus cannot be avoided. -Peter Singer

the central argument 1. The fetus is a person. 2. If (1), the fetus has a right to life. 3. If the fetus has a right to life, abortion is prima facie wrong. 4. [So] Abortion is prima facie wrong.

definitions To analyze a concept is to provide a list of necessary and sufficient conditions for that concept to apply. Something is a if and only if. Something is a square iff. Something is God iff. Something is a person iff.

the species criterion The Species Criterion: Something is a person iff it is a homo sapien.