Embryos and Rights
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Several philosophers have suggested that only conscious beings (and beings that have temporarily lost their consciousness) can have rights. A young embryo lacks consciousness. You must explain how it can have rights if it cannot experience anything.

Consider, for example, any other group of cells in the mother's body. Can it have rights? We would all agree that it cannot. Of course, the embryo has a potential that other groups of cells do not normally have. But just exactly how does potential relate to our question? How much does potential count? Does it count at all? Why or why not?

In many cases the potential to have a right later (e.g., to vote) does not give one that right, or part of that right, or anything like that right, in the present. Can you think of cases in which the potential to have a right (or some quality) does give us a right or some special status? Does your example tell us anything about the case of a potential person?

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