PHIL 213 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Nippon Tv, Fetus
Document Summary
Most oppositions to abortion relies on the premise that the fetus is a human being, a person, from the moment of conception. Thomson believes this is not a well-argued point: Pro-life view: it is said that the development of a human being from conception through birth into childhood is continuous. This conclusion that a fetus is a person from the moment of conception does not hold. E. g. / the development of an acorn into an oak tree is similar. We do not say acorns are oak trees, or that we had better say that they are. Thompson is in agreement that drawing a line in the development of a fetus looks unrealistic. He is also in agreement that the fetus has become a human person well before birth e. g. / a fetus develops a face, arms and legs, fingers and toes; it also has internal organs, and brain activity is detectable.