Q&A: Abortions
Abortions
Question
Hello,
I saw your claim about abortions, and that in your view a fetus is at the very least possibly a human being.
I spoke with friends, and they argued that the definition on Wikipedia of a living creature is: “an organism capable of existing and reproducing on its own and carrying out metabolism.”
Organism – Wikipedia (wikipedia.org)
Which would mean, according to this, that a fetus is not a living creature, because it is not capable of existing on its own.
Do you agree with that definition? And if not, what is your answer?
Thank you
Answer
First, I don’t deal in definitions. That is simply not relevant and not interesting. Second, Wikipedia is not an authority on definitions. Third, even if it were an authority on definitions, you cannot derive a normative conclusion from a definition. Everyone has his own definitions, and everyone has his own conclusions from those definitions. Fourth, there are many living creatures that cannot survive or produce offspring on their own. Is it therefore permitted to kill them? My answer is that this is all just nonsense.