When is embryo considered alive

Otherwise, the first premise is not convincing to be utilized in favour of abortion. Furthermore, in order to make the abovementioned argument more watertight, let us add two more points at this stage. Rather, the opponents are unable to give us a semantic story required in this respect as well. In fact, it seems that both the proponents and the opponents are incapable of presenting a metaphysical story, based upon which the distinction between fetus and human being is, semantically speaking, valid.

In other words, both the proponents and the opponents are on a par in this respect. For instance, we can regard the fetus which is 20 weeks or more as a person.

Alternatively, we can refer to a fetus of 12 weeks or more as human being. The crucial point to be considered here is that both the proponents and the opponents have an equal semantic position here. It follows from this that the proponent is not authorized to utilize this semantic position in order to formulate his argument in favour of the permissibility of committing abortion.

Second, the way in which I articulate the argument is, generally speaking, based upon the referential theory of meaning 6. Alternatively, the proponents might utilize other theories of meaning such as: usage theory of meaning, etc. On the face of it, it seems that usage theory of meaning cuts no ice in this respect. As we know, the slogan of this perspective is: meaning is use. The more the language-user is engaged in utilizing the word in different contexts, the more he arrives at its meaning.

However, as the plurality and diversity of using a word in different contexts is crucial in order to arrive at its meaning in this story, it seems that appealing to this semantic story cannot give us the cut-off point which we are in search of 9 — To the extent that they are utilized in several contexts by different language-users, they acquire their meaning.

According to them, the fetus which is 16 weeks can be regarded as human being because of ensoulment. It follows from this that one is authorized to refer to fetus which is 16 weeks or more as human being. It follows from this that usage theory of meaning cannot offer the semantic story we are in search of. Moreover, if the proponents believe that there is a theory of meaning which can be utilized in order to arriving at the cut-off point we are looking for, it is their task to offer the relevant theory to be applied.

Finally, having seen the dilemma with which the proponent is confronted, I am inclined to conclude that the proponent is not authorized to resort to the first premise in order to formulate an argument in favour of the permissibility of committing abortion. But, it does not follow from this that committing abortion is implausible, categorically speaking. Rather, it just shows that the first premise is wanting and imperfect to be utilized in this relation.

National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. J Med Ethics Hist Med. Soroush Dabbagh. Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Assistant Professor, Iranian Institute of Philosophy. Received Mar 3; Accepted Mar This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 3.

This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Abstract Abortion is one of the controversial issues discussed in medical ethics. Keywords: Abortion, Fetus, human. Introduction Abortion is one of the controversial issues discussed in medical ethics 1.

Conclusion Finally, having seen the dilemma with which the proponent is confronted, I am inclined to conclude that the proponent is not authorized to resort to the first premise in order to formulate an argument in favour of the permissibility of committing abortion. References 1. Anonymous, Martin P, Paulus MP. Neurobiology of decision-making: quo vadis? Cognitive Brain Research. The influence of positive affect on variety seeking among safe, enjoyable products.

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Beyond feeling: chronic pain hurts the brain, disrupting disrupting the default-mode network dynamics. J Neurosci. Search term:. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled.

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Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets CSS if you are able to do so. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. Ethics guide. When is the foetus 'alive'? On this page When does a foetus get the right to life? The stages of foetal development Vagueness is a virtue Page options Print this page.

When does a foetus get the right to life? Spelling out the problem Everyone agrees that adult human beings have the right to life. A strange idea Unfortunately there's no agreement in medicine, philosophy or theology as to what stage of foetal development should be associated with the right to life. Moral issues Because of the difficulty of deciding at what stage a foetus becomes a being with the right to life, some people argue that we should always err in favour of an earlier date.

Relevance Some people say that if the foetus is not a person, then abortion deserves no condemnation. The stages of foetal development The stages of foetal development Various points have been suggested as the point that the foetus gets the right to life. Here are some of those points and the arguments for and criticisms that have been made of choosing that point of development: Conception The 'Catechism of the Catholic Church ' states that the embryo must be treated as a person from conception and so do many others who oppose abortion Augustine made a distinction between embryo inanimatus , not yet endowed with a soul, and embryo animatus , endowed with a soul without "ensoulment", quickening does not seem to have any merit as the start time for human rights medically, the time of quickening is influenced by irrelevant factors, such as the number of previous pregnancies that the mother has had Aristotle's theory Aristotle suggested 40 days males , 90 days females was the time.

The vegetable stage was reached at conception, the animal at 'animation', and the rational soon after live birth. Tissue separation This is the time when tissues in the foetus separate into different types. Is it: when part of the baby is outside the mother's body? Some people say that it's odd that a being's right to life should depend on whether a being is located inside or outside the womb But they miss the essential point which is that at birth the baby begins to exist independently of the mother Top.

Vagueness is a virtue As we've seen, there are difficulties with choosing a precise point when the unborn gets the right to live. This view is sometimes called 'gradualism'. See also. Religion and Ethics home Religions. Settings Sign out.