An Argument against Abortion

[seveda]

Please consider the following argument. I would really want to know what are the possible objections or whether it leaks somewhere etc. I did not hear of a similar argument before.

What do a child and an adult differ in?

-in size
-in level of consciousness
-in the capability of making decisions
etc.

What do a fetus and an adult differ in?

-in size
-in level of consciousness
-in the capability in making decisions
etc.

If size, the level of consciousness, the capability in making decisions etc. were the criterion by which ones humanness were determined, it would follow that an adult is not only more human than a fetus, but also more human than a child.​

People of different ages differ only in the number of expressed genes. The number of expressed genes does not determine ones humanness (this would otherwise imply that an adult is more human than a child). Ones humanness is determined by the genes themselves. A fetus has a human gene material. The presence of human genes (and not the number of expressed genes) is the criterion of humanness.

So it does not really matter if the fetuses cells are differentiated or not, since differentiation is just another expression of genes. Size, level of consciousness etc. are as well dependant on the expression of genes.

The conclusion: the presence of human genes itself is what makes someone human and not a certain number of expressed human genes. This conclusion is reached with comparing people of different ages.

*Please consider. *

 

[Gia_B]

I think that it was interesting how you brought in mental capacity and the comparison to older children. It reminded me of The Pre-Persons, by Philip K. Dick. In the story Congress has declared that a person becomes a person when they at around age twelve when they can do algebra. Everyone who is younger than that could potentially be the subject of a post-partum abortion if he is deemed “unwanted.” This is done by asphyxiation in a facility that does pretty much the same thing to dogs and cats (which shows how little the people at the facility think of the children). The story focuses on several young boys who are afraid of being aborted and two of their fathers who are ridiculed for wanting to save them. The increase in the children’s ages (from first or second trimester to somewhere in their preteens) really helped show how frightening and horrible abortion is (even if the subject can’t do math) and, needless to say, I would recommend the story.

 

[Joe_5859]

This sounds similar to the old SLED test argument:

Size
Level of development
Environment
Degree of Dependency

The group Stand to Reason has been using that argument against abortion for a number of years. I have never heard a good counter-argument that would refute it.