Abortion and Personhood. Explain how the concept of personhood applies to abortion.

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Ben O’Sullivan

Explain how the concept of personhood implies to abortion:

Personhood can be defined as the quality or condition of being an individual person. Personhood is a topic that debated intensely in  and , and is closely related to legal concepts of citizenship, liberty and equality. According to law, only a  or  has , protections, privileges, responsibilities, and . As well as this, the controversial topic of abortion is considered closely linked with personhood. Abortion is the termination of  by the removal or expulsion from the  of a  due to . An abortion can happen without an external cause, in which case it is usually called a , or it can be carried out with intention. The term abortion most commonly refers to the induced abortion of a human pregnancy.                                 When discussing this argument, it is crucial that when we think about abortion, we need to know what we mean when we discuss 'human life.' A human life may be seen as a member of the biological human species, containing a human genetic code. Or, it may be viewed, as a being that possesses certain human characteristics in addition to the human genetic code, or a being that is a 'moral person'. Therefore, it is one that has rights, and probably duties as well.

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        A number of people have attempted to clarify what actually constitutes a “person”. Firstly, it needs to be capable of rational thought. The ability to solve problems using the power of reason distinguishes humans from animals or from human tissue. Whilst a newborn baby is not a rational individual, it does have the potential to develop rational thought. This situation becomes unclear and difficulty arises with the status of a severely handicapped adult.

         Secondly, does the “person” have a form of consciousness that enables them to feel pain or pleasure? This principle is by all means wide enough to ...

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