Is a fetus human?

[Spiderman]

Hi all! I'm just wondering what the general consensus of this forum is about whether or not a fetus is a human being. If your answer is no, please leave a reason or two as to why you answered the way you did. I'm especially interested in the explanations for why a fetus isn't human.

If you believe a fetus isn't human because the brain and other organs aren't fully developed, do you at least believe it is human after birth? So the day prior to birth was it not human?

The word fetus (plural fetuses) is from the Latin fētus (“offspring”, “bringing forth”, “hatching of young”).

Please vote. Thanks!

 

[MD]

This forum is extremely pro choice and far Left. You won't find many pro lifers here.

 

[Kenny]

I believe a baby in the womb is a human being. The question, IMV, that people in disagreement would have to answer is when does the child become human?

 

[fantome profane]

Human, yes. A person, no.

A fetus is not an individual. It does not become an individual until the moment of birth. Until that point it does not have individual rights.

 

[Spiderman]

This forum is extremely pro choice and far Left. You won't find many pro lifers here.

Well, I should find some interesting explanations for why a fetus isn't human. Also, a person can believe a fetus is human and still be pro-choice.

I believe a fetus is human and still believe some people, myself included, should have been aborted.

Ted Bundy was an unwanted pregnancy born out of wedlock. His Mother lied to him and told him his grandparents were his parents to hide his illegitimacy.

His Mother should have just aborted him and it would have been a blessing, saved himself, and more importantly, a lot of other people an enormous amount of heartache and grief.

I'm not going to give you any studies, but I know being an unwanted pregnancy and not having both parents or having dysfunctional parents can contribute to sociopathic behavior.

So I believe a fetus is human but also don't believe abortion should be illegal.

 

[Kenny]

Human, yes. A person, no.

A fetus is not an individual. It does not become an individual until the moment of birth. Until that point it does not have individual rights.

So, you are saying that the exiting through the vagina makes it human?

 

[fantome profane]

So, you are saying that the exiting through the vagina makes it human?

No, I am saying that exiting through the vagina (or C-section) makes it an individual.

 

[Sunstone]

A fetus is human. Whether it has rights or not, and what those rights are, is quite another question.

 

[Kenny]

No, I am saying that exiting through the vagina (or C-section) makes it an individual.

What's the difference about being an individual vs human?

 

[sun rise]

To me the fetus becomes human when the soul enters it. Since we as humans can't know when that is, I would put it as when the fetus becomes viable outside the womb, somewhere around 22-24 weeks. Before then I have no problem with abortion. After that, I do. This of course puts me strongly in the minority since I don't subscribe to either extreme.

 

[fantome profane]

What's the difference about being an individual vs human?

The hair on my head is human. My foot is human. My fingernails are human. Being human means very little.

But an individual has rights, an individual is a person.

A fetus is part of someone else.

I do believe a fetus does have certain rights, vague and undefined as they may be. But I believe it is the prerogative of the mother to exercise those rights, or not, on behalf of the fetus. Even if she chooses to abdicate those rights on behalf of the fetus. There is no one else, not the father, not the government, not the church, not any other family member who can exercise these rights on behalf of the fetus. The relationship between a mother and the unborn fetus is unique, no other relationship in human life compares.

(And before you say it, I realise that a fetus is not like hair. That was a crude analogy I admit. )

 

[Jeremiahcp]

What makes an organism human?

And when does a fetus have it?

 

[ADigitalArtist]

Yes, but I don't believe human status, or even personhood status, is relevant to the discussion of legal abortion and body autonomy. As far as I'm concerned, it could be a fully adult person crawled up in there and the mother would still have the legal and moral right to have them removed. The only difference is an adult would be viable outside the womb, so should be removed live. With a non-viable embryo, live extraction would be pointless (at our current technology level anyway.)

 

[Spiderman]

So, I don't know what rights a fetus has either and I'm not trying to argue that it has any, but if a fetus is human, or if a mother believes the fetus is human, that makes abortion a tragedy, because the Mother believes a human life was taken in the process, and that human would have been her son/daughter.

I'm not saying a fetus should have rights or that legal abortions shouldn't be available, but pointing out that if the fetus is human, that explains why some women regret their decision for a lifetime and it eats away at them like cancer.

They believe they killed a human being that was their son/daughter. That isn't an easy fact for some people to live with.

 

[Spiderman]

it could be a fully adult person crawled up in there and the mother would still have the legal and moral right to have them removed.

I'm a heretic and traitor for saying this, but I agree.

 

[Curious George]

Human, yes. A person, no.

A fetus is not an individual. It does not become an individual until the moment of birth. Until that point it does not have individual rights.

Yet many definitions would have a human being being defined with the words person or individual.

 

[Maponos]

Yes; it is human life.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

So, I don't know what rights a fetus has either and I'm not trying to argue that it has any, but if a fetus is human or if a mother believes the fetus is human, that makes abortion a tragedy because the Mother believes a human life was taken in the process and that human would have been her son/daughter.

I'm not saying a fetus should have rights or that legal abortions shouldn't be available, but pointing out that if the fetus is human, that explains why some women regret their decision for a lifetime and it eats away at them like cancer.

They believe they killed a human being that was their son/daughter. That isn't an easy fact for some people to live with.

Sometimes people have similar regrets about eating meat. Emotional judgements and values vary.

 

[Kenny]

To me the fetus becomes human when the soul enters it. Since we as humans can't know when that is, I would put it as when the fetus becomes viable outside the womb, somewhere around 22-24 weeks. Before then I have no problem with abortion. After that, I do. This of course puts me strongly in the minority since I don't subscribe to either extreme.

I wonder if modern technology will lower the 22 weeks.

 

[Curious George]

The word fetus (plural fetuses) is from the Latin fētus (“offspring”, “bringing forth”, “hatching of young”).

Please vote. Thanks!

Has a fetus sprung, been brought forth, or hatched?