Delaney James
Niagara University, New York, USA.
J Med Philos. 2023 May 16;48(3):252-264. doi: 10.1093/jmp/jhad010.
There is a significant debate over the moral status of human embryos. This debate has important implications for practices like abortion and IVF. Some argue that embryos have the same moral status as infants, children, and adults. However, critics claim that the frequency of pregnancy loss/miscarriage/spontaneous abortion shows a moral inconsistency in this view. One line of criticism is that those who know the facts about pregnancy loss and nevertheless attempt to conceive children are willing to sacrifice embryos lost for the healthy children they ultimately have. I respond to this criticism and argue that on the most plausible accounts of well-being, these embryos are not made worse off and thus not "sacrifices." I then make some more general remarks about what people's typical views about pregnancy loss show about their views toward the moral status of embryos.
关于人类胚胎的道德地位存在重大争议。这场辩论对堕胎和体外受精等行为有着重要影响。一些人认为胚胎与婴儿、儿童和成年人具有相同的道德地位。然而，批评者称，怀孕失败/流产/自然流产的频繁发生表明这种观点在道德上存在不一致。一种批评观点是，那些了解怀孕失败情况却仍试图生育孩子的人，愿意为了他们最终拥有的健康孩子而牺牲失去的胚胎。我对这一批评做出回应，并认为从关于幸福的最合理观点来看，这些胚胎并没有变得更糟，因此不是“牺牲品”。然后，我就人们对怀孕失败的典型看法所反映出的他们对胚胎道德地位的看法发表了一些更一般性的评论。
