If blathering words to the effect that there is no such thing as a generic person, that there are only human persons, is what you mean by that, then perhaps I will agree with that quote. Are you ready to ban churches, therefore? On the other hand, if there is some vague chance that you might think that it is not impossible for non-human person-equivalent entities to exist, then you have
not answered the question, about how would you recognize a generic person.
HAW! HAW!! HAW!!! What a stupid lie! You obviously have the agenda of banning abortions, and you need any excuse you can concoct, to try to support that agenda. Like lying/denying the existing legal definition of "person", which excludes unborn humans. But, tsk, tsk, it won't work; your lies are exposed for all to see.
Actually, I have two beliefs, one for each of two scenarios, because it is not known which scenario is true. One scenario involves souls. If they exist, then
they are the persons; the human body is nothing more than an animal/vehicle for a soul/person. And so would any other body that housed a soul, regardless of its physical characteristics. The other scenario excludes souls, and in this one minds are the persons. And again the body is just an animal/vehicle for the person. Regardless of the characteristics of the body. The main difference between the scenarios is the notion that a soul might inhabit a body that we might ordinarily consider to be an animal (such as
Koko the gorilla). I don't know of any theoretical restriction barring a soul from inhabiting a bacterium, if it wanted. Which would require us to give that particular bacterium the respect due a person. Meanwhile, a person-class mind cannot exist without considerable behind-the-scenes brainpower-equivalent. (Whatever manner of brainpower-equivalent a soul possesses, I don't care; it must exist for the soul to be able to exhibit such person-class characteristics as Free Will, such that, in the soul-scenario, it can be held responsible for choices made.) For biology-based organisms, we have considerable evidence that the average animal lacks sufficient brainpower for it to exhibit person-class characteristics; only humans are known to routinely have that much brainpower. But there are few theoretical restrictions regarding the possibilities, and plenty of hear-say. You know, alien-abduction reports, for example, would indicate that non-human person-class minds exist. Heh, have you heard the notion that "leprachaun" legends are derived (the "kernel of truth" thing) from crashed space-alien survivors, "little green men", see? With technology
sufficiently advanced to be indistinguishable from magic, too.
TRUE. With respect to an Absolute Scale, that is.
I am interested in beating the ignorance out of the ignorant, and the lies out of the liars. After all, pro-life arguments against abortion are fundamentally based either on inadequate data (ignorance) or faulty data (lies). The arguments may continue with Bad Logic and Prejudice and Hypocrisy and Excess Selfishness and Arrogance and so on, but they all have to start with data. Since I'm aware that their arguments cannot survive in the presence of adequate/valid data, I don't mind at all zealously dishing it out. Ignorance deserves to be cured, and liars deserve exposure. Science uber stupidity!
And this does not matter, since I've explained above how similar are the ways of handling that.
Bodies cannot be persons, period.
That's "likely" only in your opinion, of course. Meanwhile, your own definition is
provably wrong, from both the Scientific and Legal perspectives, as I've explained.
"Innocent" in what way? We routinely and automatically kill parasites of all sorts, because they are guilty of parasitism. An unborn human is equally guilty of that, not innocent at all. In spite of this, the life of the unborn human is frequently desired to continue,
by the host.
And in general that's perfectly fine by me. It's when some non-host declares to have some right to claim what decision a host should make, about being a host, that I object! You don't have any such right. Else I should have the right to tell you that if you contract malaria, you should keep it.
{{to be concluded. last time I was out of space; now I'm out of time. Logical conclusion: I need more space/time!}}