Quote Originally Posted by Zoebird View Post
Midwest,

Great point.

For me, the question begs -- what is lost?

A cell may have life, but not consciousness. The cell may develop consciousness -- this is really about potential.

What is lost for the cell, if removed from the possibility of gestation, is the potential for consciousness.

What is lost for the carrier for gestation is the cells with a potential for consciousness -- and whatever emotional attachment she may have to that (if any).

Then the next question is what is the level of harm here, as this would define the moral import.
At the conception, I would agree there is no conciousness. To me that doesn't mean there is no value to the life, but I can conceed that a 2 cells probably don' thave conciousness. Somewhere between conception and birth conciousness develops.

I believe conciousness develops prior to birth and prior to viability outside the womb.

Given that framework, it seems to me that the needs of child with conciousness and its future outweigh the needs/wants of the host prior to the child being viable outside the womb. I would make an exception in my framework for that of a mother whose health is endangered by the pregnancy because I don't believe someone should be required to give up their life for another.

As far as level of harm, abortion ends of the life of the child with a future of possibilities.