Update: Carter notes,
To clarify, what I would argue is that what begins at conception is a new human being and the inherent value of that being, its human dignity.Point taken, and the post is revised to reflect Carter's clarified thinking.
The first is a simple brute fact of biology while the second is the implication of being made in the image of God and being the property of our Creator. While I find the concept of "personhood" valuable and useful, I think it becomes problematic when used to determine bioethical questions of life and death. Personhood, like rights, has become something that must be given or at least recognized by society rather something that is inherent and inalienable. I find this to be one of the most dangerous ideas in history.
Being a Person: Why Personhood is Not Enough
Hype and Hypocrisy: Kinsley, IVF, and Embryo Destruction
The Embryo Eaters: Part I -- A Bioethical Thought Experiment
The Embryo Eaters: Part 2 -- PZ Myers and McEmbryos
Analogies and Artifacts: Can Embryonic Stem Cell Research be Morally Acceptable?
Analogies and Artifacts: Can Embryonic Stem Cell Research be Morally Acceptable? (Part II)
Fertilization or Implantation?: Reconsidering the “Morning-After Pill”
Fertilization or Implantation?: Pt. II -- The Case for Conception
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