Pro-choicers, on the other hand, feel that a fetus does not get the title of a person because it does not exemplify the traits that are central to the concept of personhood (Pojman, p. 544). They say that a person is best considered as a "full-fledged member of the moral community."" (Pojman, p. 543).
The traits that are central to the concept of personhood (humanity in the moral sense) are:.
Consciousness and the ability to feel pain.
Reasoning.
Self-motivated activity.
Capacity to communicate.
Presence of self-concepts and self-awareness.
These traits are said to not be a necessity, but good candidates for necessary conditions. A being with none of these traits is essentially not a person, just that of genetic humanity. (Pojman, p. 544).
With that being said, genetic humanity neither necessary nor sufficient for establishing an entity as a person. "Some human beings are not people and there may well be people who are not human beings."" Someone's identity as a person can be nullified when the traits mentioned above never existed or ceased to exist. This allows us to say that "a fetus is a human being which is not yet a person, and which therefore cannot coherently be said to have full moral rights."" (Pojman, p. 545).
There is actually evidence about personhood found in the Bible. It says in Genesis 2:7.
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
This illustrates that God did not give man a soul until he bore him, which is contradictory to what most Catholics believe, that the soul enters the body before birth. The Bible can then be said to contradict itself in Psalm 139:13-16.
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works: and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Is Abortion Morally Permissible? ... Many people believe that in certain circumstances, abortion is morally permissible. ... If the woman gets pregnant after she is raped, abortion should be morally permissible. ... In this case, I believe it is morally permissible to have an abortion. ... This is the only case where I believe that abortion is not morally permissible. ...
The act of abortion is morally, scientifically, and legally wrong. ... So an abortion contradicts this belief. ... Abortion is also technically legally wrong. ... Abortion is a very drastic and unnecessary procedure. ... Abortions is morally, scientifically, and legally wrong and should never be the final answer....
Abortion should remain legalized for the fact that if it's not kept legal many women perform illegal abortions. ... Abortion is murder. ... Foster states that "There is no morally relevant difference between deliberately killing a human being who has been born and deliberately killing a human being who is still inside his mother" (32). Abortion has become morally acceptable to some simply because it is currently legal. ... The taking of an innocent, defenseless human life is unacceptable and morally wrong. ...
Abortion poses moral, social, and medical dilemmas. ... However, some conservatives argue that if one life must be sacrificed and one saved (the mother or the fetus), then the morally just sacrifice would be the mother because the mother has lived for years and the fetus has not had the chance to experience. Since the conservative position holds that fetuses are persons with the right to life, conservatives negate the views of their critics who support viability as the cutoff point for a morally-justified abortion. ... During a recent debate about abortion, a coworker of mine told me that it ...
Very little middle ground exists on the issue of abortion. ... The taking of innocent human life, is morally wrong under any circumstances. ... Abortion has become morally acceptable to some people because it is currently legal. ... The moral aspects of abortion are clear. ... In conclusion, abortion is murder! ...
Abortion A. (1) What is meant by the word abortion? ... What biblical and church teachings might be use in a discussion about abortion? How a Christian might put their beliefs into action depends on what their beliefs are but most Christians believe that abortion is morally wrong although there are extreme cases in which it is acceptable. ... Christian doctors can refuse to undertake abortions on the "grounds of conscience", this is understandable as it is against their beliefs and would be morally wrong. ... Another angle to look at would be aborti...
Abortion is seriously immoral. ... Weather abortion is morally right or wrong is very hard to prove. The question I pose to you is , is it morally acceptable to kill a human being. No, it is morally wrong to kill human beings. ... Now when we think of abortion do we still believe that it is morally justified to kill an unborn child. ...
(Edwards 41) Some philosophers however such as Judith Jarvis Thomson and Jane English--have argued that, even if the fetus is a person, abortion may be morally justified. ... It is morally wrong to end the life of an innocent person. Therefore, it is morally wrong to end the life of a fetus. ... In high abortion states, only arrests of those born after abortion legalization fall relative to low abortion states. ... Is abortion murder? ...
Abortion theoretically is murder. ... Foster states that "There is no morally relevant difference between deliberately killing a human being who has been born and deliberately killing a human being who is still inside his mother" (32). Abortion has become morally acceptable to some simply because it is currently legal. ... The taking of an innocent, defenseless human life is unacceptable and morally wrong. ... The moral aspects of abortion are clear. ...
