Is killing newborns really 'no different' than abortion?
A paper in an ethics journal argues that neither fetuses nor newborns are "actual persons" yet, so the same rules should apply to both
Two ethicists from Australia's Melbourne University have inspired a fierce backlash by suggesting that killing newborn babies "should be permissible in all the cases where abortion is." The professors, Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva, argue in an article published in the British Journal of Medical Ethics that neither fetuses nor newborns have "the same moral status as actual persons" because they're not yet aware of their own existence — so "after-birth abortion" is "no different to abortion" during pregnancy. The authors have reportedly received a torrent of angry responses — even death threats — from appalled readers. Is there any legitimate reason to make such a shocking and provocative proposal?
This isn't so crazy: Biologically, at least, Giubilini and Minerva are "on firm ground," says Nelson Jones at New Statesman. Human babies are born prematurely by mammalian standards, so a newborn baby is "in many ways still a fetus" who is "wholly dependent" on adults to care for him for months, if not years. The ethicists simply raise "the valid question of when any abortion law should draw the line," since our opinions on when a person becomes a person are somewhat arbitrary.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Huh? This argument is "repellent": "Academics are and should be free to entertain monstrous ideas," says Andrew Brown at Britian's The Guardian. "But that does not trump the freedom of the rest of us to be repelled by their monstrosity." Serious philosophers have argued that there's "no huge moral difference" between a baby in the birth canal and one who has just "emerged into the world." But it's absurd and disgusting to leap from there to saying it's OK to kill newborns. Is this article "self parody"?
"Infanticide is repellent. Feeling that way doesn't make you Glenn Beck"
But the ethicists do fuel a strong argument against abortion: "The vast majority of the civilized — and, frankly, uncivilized — world" no doubt sees this argument as "beyond repugnant," says Jonah Goldberg at National Review. Nevertheless, these so-called ethicists "are providing a valuable service insofar as they are making plain the logic supporting abortion." Abortion opponents always said legalizing abortion put us on a "slippery slope" toward infanticide. They were right.
"The pro-life, pro-infanticide consensus"
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
AI is causing concern among the LGBTQ community
In the Spotlight One critic believes that AI will 'always fail LGBTQ people'
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'Modern presidents exercise power undreamed of by the Founding Fathers'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 15, 2024
Cartoons Monday's cartoons - flamingos in flight, taxes, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published