Persons and Rights
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Many people who take a very strong pro-life position do so because they believe the embryo or the older fetus (or both) are either persons or at least a kind of being that can have a serious right to life. This is a common anti-abortion position. If you agree, you must be able to defend it by answering the following questions:

Why should we regard an embryo that exhibits almost none of the cognitive characteristics of fully developed people as a person? Why should we regard a two-week old embryo that has no sensitivity or consciousness as a being that can have rights? Your rationale for rights must be based on some other characteristics that it has? What are they?

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