Abortion Rights And Wrongs

Rights and Interests

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Others have argued that an embryo does have an interest in developing into a full grown child in spite of the fact that it is not conscious of its interests and has no desire to develop. Thus it can be the subject of rights.

But what about a sperm cell or an ovum? Does it have an interest in fertilization and development? If having such an interest makes an embryo the sort of being that can have rights, does that mean that every sperm cell can have rights too? If so, what rights does it have? The same rights as an adult? Would it be wrong to destroy it?

Can you think of a way to show that an unconscious embryo can have rights but not an ovum? If so, how do its rights compare to those of an adult person? How would you justify your comparison?


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