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In our abortion discussions, we're often told that abortion is wrong because it kills of a human. We often argue over whether a zygote, embryo, or fetus is really a human, at least in any meaningful sense, but we never really get down to why that matters.
There's no question that a zygote/embryo/fetus is not the same thing as a newborn infant for at least a considerable portion of a pregnancy. It has some things in common with one, but lacks many others.
So a fundamental question we should ask ourselves and discuss is why we think it is wrong to kill a human in the first place. What's so special about the humans who we all agree that it's wrong to kill and, whatever that is, why does it supposedly apply to a zygote, embryo, or fetus?
There's no question that a zygote/embryo/fetus is not the same thing as a newborn infant for at least a considerable portion of a pregnancy. It has some things in common with one, but lacks many others.
So a fundamental question we should ask ourselves and discuss is why we think it is wrong to kill a human in the first place. What's so special about the humans who we all agree that it's wrong to kill and, whatever that is, why does it supposedly apply to a zygote, embryo, or fetus?