Abortion is a controversial issue, and at the center of the controversy is the question of whether the unborn are human beings. If they are, then abortion kills a human being.
Many people think that this is somehow a religious issue and involves religious questions like when the soul arrives.
Some people deliberately try to frame the issue this way in order to shut down rational discussion of the subject.
So let’s set the question of religious aside entirely.
Instead, let’s look at something we should all be able to agree upon: science.
What does science say about whether the unborn are human beings?
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In the meantime, what do you think?
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In my experience, almost all people would agree with this. It seems the question at the heart of the debate is what are the criteria for determining when human being is considered a person?
I’d also be interested in your thoughts on that question.
@Kiel Gillard Let me see what I can do by way of a response. I think I may be able to do a video on that, soon.
@Jimmy Akin @Kiel Gillard
And, of course, differentiating between human being and person is a weaselly way of rationalizing abortion.
The science issue is certainly as settled as anything in science can be: the offspring of human beings is a human being. The question of personhood, however, is philosophical. At this point, we need to discuss things like formal and final cause, which, although nothing coherent can be said without them, many people are in the habit of denying, wrongly believing that physics has somehow usurped metaphysics.
@dgddavidson Agreed.
While I probably wouldn’t bog an average Joe down with Aristotelian terminology, I’d certainly ask them questions which get them thinking along those lines (provided they are open to reason).
@dgddavidson Agreed.
While I probably wouldn’t bog an average Joe down with Aristotelian terminology, I’d certainly ask them questions which get them thinking along those lines (provided they are open to reason).
@Jimmy Akin @Kiel Gillard
Jimmy, if you happen to do a response on the twins question, could you also address the case (albeit rare) of fetus in fetu and what, if any, implications such a condition might have for what is to be considered human?
Thanks Shazam! One just can’t go wrong when united to the Rock of Eternity.
If you do a followup regarding the distinction between a human being and a human person, perhaps you can address the issue of identical twins as well?
I think the more we know through science, the harder it is to deny that abortion is murder. The good news as you said is that there are more who identify themselves as being pro-life. In fact, even some of those who promote contraception and abortion are making the ridiculous claim that their policies are pro-life — the hidden presupposition still being that the unborn are not human or at least not as worthy of being protected as those who are born.
I worry that for some the reply to the statement “Abortion is the killing of a defenseless human being” is changing from “No it isn’t” to “So what?”