CHAPTERONEThe Wrong of AbortionPatrick Lee and Robert P. GeorgeMuch of the public debate about abortion concerns the question whether deliberatefeticide ought to be unlawful, at least in most circumstances. We will lay that ques-tion aside here in order to focus fIrst on the question: is the choice to have, to perform,or to help procure an abortion morally wrong?We shall argue that the choice of abortion is objectively immoral. By "objectively"we indicate that we are discussing the choice itself, not the (subjective) guilt or inno-cence of someone who carries out the choice: someone may act from an erroneousconscience, and if he is not at fault for his error, then he remains subjectively inno-cent, even if his choice is objectively wrongful.The fIrst important question to consider is: what is killed in an abortion? It isobvious that some living entity is killed in an abortion. And no one doubts that themoral status of the entity killed is a central (though not the only) question in theabortion debate. We shall approach the issue step by step, fIrSt setting forth some(though not all) of the evidence that demonstrates that what is killed in abortion - ahuman embryo - is indeed a human being, then examining the ethical signifIcanceof that point.Human Embryos and Fetuses are Complete (thoughImmature) Human BeingsIt will be useful to begin by considering some of the facts of sexual reproduction. Thestandard embryology texts indicate that in the case of ordinary sexual reproductionthe life of an individual human being begins with complete fertilization, which yieldsa genetically and functionally distinct organism, possessing the resources and activedisposition for internally directed development toward human maturity.1 In normalconception, a sex cell of the father, a sperm, unites with a sex cell of the mother, anovum. Within the chromosomes of these sex cells are the DNA molecules which con-stitute the information that guides the development of the new individual broughtinto being when the sperm and ovum fuse. When fertilization occurs, the 23 chro-mosomes of the sperm unite with the 23 chromosomes of the ovum. At the end ofthis process there is produced an entirely new and distinct organism, originally asingle cell. This organism, the human embryo, begins to grow by the normal processof cell division - it divides into 2 cells, then 4, 8, 16, and so on (the divisions are notsimultaneous, so there is a 3-cell stage, and so on). This embryo gradually developsall of the organs and organ systems necessary for the full functioning of a maturehuman being. His or her development (sex is determined from the beginning) is veryrapid in the fIrSt few weeks. For example, as early as eight or ten weeks of gestation,the fetus has a fully formed, beating heart, a complete brain (although not all of itssynaptic connections are complete - nor will they be until sometimeafter the childis born), a recognizably human form, and the fetus feels pain, cries, and even suckshis or her thumb.There are three important points we wish to make about this human embryo. First,it is from the startdistinct from any cell of the mother or of the father. This is clearbecause it is growing in its own distinct direction. Its growth is internally directed toits own survival and maturation. Second, the embryo ishuman: it has the geneticmakeup characteristic of human beings. Third, and most importantly, the embryo isacomplete or whole organism, though immature. The human embryo, from concep-tion onward, is fully programmed actively to develop himself or herself to the maturestage of a human being, and,unless prevented by disease or violence, will actually doso, despite possibly significant variation in environment (in the mother's womb). Noneof the changes that occur to the embryo after fertilization, for as long as he or shesurvives, generates a new direction of growth. Rather,all of the changes (for example,those involvirtg nutrition and environment) either facilitate or retard the internallydirected growth of this persisting individual.Sometimes it is objected that if we say human embryos are human beings, on thegrounds that they have the potential to become mature humans, the same will haveto be said of sperm and ova. This objection is untenable. The human embryo is rad-ically unlike the sperm and ova, the sex cells. The sex cells are manifestly notwholeor complete organisms. They are not only genetically but also functionally identifi-able as parts of the male or female potential parents. They clearly are destined eitherto combine with an ovum or sperm or die. Even when they succeed in causing fer-tilization, they do not survive; rather, their genetic material enters into the composi-tion of a distinct, new organism.Nor are human embryos comparable to somatic cells (such as skin cells or musclecells), though some have tried to argue that they are. Like sex cells, a somatic cell isfunctionally only a part of a larger organism. The human embryo, by contrast, pos-sesses from the beginning the internal resources and active disposition to develophimself or herself to full maturity; all he or she needs is a suitable environment andnutrition. The direction of his or her growth isnot extrinsically determined, but theembryo is internally directing his or her growth toward full maturity.So, a human embryo (or fetus) is not something distinct from a human being; heor she is not an individual of any non-human or intermediate species. Rather, anG Patrick Lee and Robert P. Georgelembryo (and fetus) is a human being at a certain (early) stage of development - theembryonic (or fetal) stage. In abortion, what is killed is a human being, a whole livingmember of the species homo sapiens, the same kind of entity as you or I, only at anearlier stage of development.No-Person Arguments: The Dualist Version.Defenders of abortion may adopt different strategies to respond to these points. Mostwill grant that human embryos or fetuses are human beings. However, they then dis-tinguish "human being" from "person" and claim that embryonic human beings arenot (yet) persons. They hold that while it is wrong to kill persons, it is not alwayswrong to kill human beings who are not persons.Sometimes it is argued that human beings in the embryonic stage are not personsbecause embryonic human beings do not exercise higher mental capacities or func-tions. Certain defenders of abortion (and infanticide) have argued that in order to bea person, an entity must