Health Sciences 2610F/G Lecture 5: Moral Status of Fetus and Infant
27 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Moral Status of the Fetus and Infant
Personhood
being human
Looks like a human to me
human DNA
sentient: capable of reasoning, self awareness, knowing we exist
Feminist ethicists- who decides what “looks like us” means.
Chimps are similar so where do we draw the line between human and animal?
Conjoined twins- good bad or what?? 1 person or 2?
Teratology- what happens in fetaldevelopment
Example- penguin woman, bat man, elephant man.
How we talk about things changes how we may and sway things. -> social
constructions
Abnormal vsnormal became to arise.
Now we have medical advances where we could change things.
Is looks like a human sufficient or harmful?
When does life begin:
As seed? or is that just potential for life
has roots like a tree or looks like a tree
Egg/sperm - life in itself or the potential
Moral Personhood: looks like a human is a problem what point are you a legal/moral person
Theist views
life begins at conception
ensoulment - can we have a soul?
where do feelings and memories go?
morally wrong to kill any life or any potential life
Michael Tooley
Sentient - able to perceive or feel things
self aware conscious of one’s existence
Do we know if a seed is aware?
Coma, brain injury, accident left you unable to communicate. Are you still
sentient? On life support? How dead is dead when you cease to exist? When is
are self awareness in question?
Document Summary
Looks like a human to me human dna sentient: capable of reasoning, self awareness, knowing we exist. Feminist ethicists- who decides what looks like us means. How we talk about things changes how we may and sway things. Now we have medical advances where we could change things. As seed? or is that just potential for life has roots like a tree or looks like a tree. Egg/sperm - life in itself or the potential. Moral personhood: looks like a human is a problem what point are you a legal/moral person. Michael tooley life begins at conception ensoulment - can we have a soul? where do feelings and memories go? morally wrong to kill any life or any potential life. Sentient - able to perceive or feel things self aware conscious of one"s existence. Coma, brain injury, accident left you unable to communicate. Feminists ethicists would think it was important if they had a relationship.
