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The common premise for uncommon conclusions.
1Department of Philosophy, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia. t.coady@unimelb.edu.au
Journal of Medical Ethics
|May 3, 2013
Summary
The moral status of early fetuses and newborns is often wrongly equated. This paper argues this shared premise is flawed, leading to implausible conclusions on abortion and infanticide ethics.
Area of Science:
- Bioethics
- Moral Philosophy
- Applied Ethics
Background:
- Controversy surrounds infanticide (postnatal abortion) and abortion debates.
- A common premise unites supporters and opponents: the moral status of early fetuses and newborns is identical.
- This shared belief leads to opposing conclusions regarding the right to life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To challenge the widely accepted premise equating the moral status of early fetuses and newborns.
- To demonstrate the implausibility of conclusions drawn from this common premise regarding abortion and infanticide.
- To analyze the philosophical underpinnings of speciesism and its influence on these ethical debates.
Main Methods:
- Philosophical argumentation and conceptual analysis.
- Examination of the ethical arguments for and against infanticide and abortion.
- Critique of the concept of speciesism and its role in moral status determination.
Main Results:
- The premise that early fetuses and newborns possess identical moral status is fundamentally flawed.
- Conclusions drawn by both infanticidists and anti-abortionists from this premise are deeply implausible.
- The philosophical arguments, including those related to speciesism, do not support this common premise.
Conclusions:
- The ethical debate on abortion and infanticide requires a re-evaluation of the moral status of fetuses and newborns.
- Rejecting the common premise is crucial for developing more coherent and plausible ethical positions.
- A nuanced understanding of moral status, distinct from species membership, is necessary.
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