ABSTRACT
Having seen that there is no inconsistency in asserting that it is wrong to destroy a potential person whilst denying that it is wrong to fail to actualise a possible person, we should now look to the practical consequences of such an assertion. In general it follows from this position that one can claim that contraception is not morally problematic, but that abortion, if it involves the death of a foetus with an active potential to become a person is morally wrong. As we have seen though, the human foetus does not have an active potential throughout the totality of its foetal stage. Consequently, the arguments developed in this paper do not justify the claim that abortion is always wrong. What exactly is justified by the arguments presented here? What can we say of the IVF and embryo experimentation debate? What can we say of early and mid term abortions? What can we conclude in regards to our treatment of non-human animals? And, how should conflicts between a mother’s and a foetus’s rights and interests be resolved? These questions form the basis of this chapter. But, before addressing these issues, a short review of the case put forward in the preceding pages will be useful.
