[WikiEN-l] NPOV: Fetus personhood - thanks for all the fish

[Ryan Delaney]

Sam Korn wrote:

>
>Surely there has to be some difference between using human as a noun
>and as an adjective.  Using "human" as a noun to refer to a foetus
>(i.e. "a foetus in a womb is a human"), has a subtle but important
>difference to using it as an adjective (i.e. "a foetus in a womb is
>human").  The first implies personhood, the second does not.
>
>Is this a viable compromise?
>
>Sam
>_______________________________________________
>  
>
Let me put it this way: If you aren't trying to imply that the fetus is 
a person, then what is the point of saying "A fetus is human"? Everyone 
knows it is a human fetus. I seriously doubt that you could be taking
the time in an ethics article to explain that chimpanzees do not grow in 
the wombs of human females. If you consider it so trivial to say "A 
fetus is human", then you shouldn't have to say it at all. The only 
_possible_ meaningful reading of that sentence, therefore, is POV.

- Ryan