Are fetuses "human beings"? Biological versus psychological definitions

Are fetuses human beings?

Many people believe that if they are, then abortion is generally wrong. 

But what is a human being? What do you mean "human being"? 

There are two broad answers or definitions of "human being":

1. Human beings are biologically human organisms. 
2. Human beings are biologically human organisms who are conscious and feeling, with knowledge and emotions and other cognitive, emotional, and social characteristics. 

This distinction—understanding that "human being" has multiple meanings—is well known to anyone who has studied these issues and has read Mary Anne Warren's classic article, and its a distinction common to some types of "end of life" cases, for examples:

• "This human being—this person—we know is gone, yet this human being—this living biologically human body or organism—remains, at least for now.
• "Where do human beings—meaning human persons—"go" after the human being—namely the biologically human organism—dies?" (Note: I am only noting that this is a question that many people ask and think they understand: I am not affirming that people survive death).

About definition 2:

• people who deny that early fetuses are "human beings" generally have something like definition 2 in mind. (Ask them! See this 2024 survey.).
• biologically human organisms who have psychological characteristics such as being conscious and feeling, with knowledge and emotions and other cognitive, emotional, and social characteristics are usually wrong to kill;
• but, beginning fetuses are not "human beings" on this meaning of the term (which is better expressed as "human person"), and so the rule against killing human beings in this sense of the term does not apply to them. 

About definition 1:

• people who claim that fetuses are human beings generally have something like definition 1 in mind. And they are correct: (human) fetuses are, obviously, biologically human organisms;
• however, that would make abortion wrong only if a premise like this is true:

All biologically human organisms are typically wrong to kill. 

Is a premise or assumption like this true? Why would someone think it's true? 

Although many people assume that this is true, one can see why it's actually probably false by thinking about why human beings are wrong to kill. Human beings can't be wrong to kill just because they are human beings: there has to be more of an explanation: what are better explanations and maybe the best explanation? 

Thinking through these questions (and better answers arguably appeal to consciousness, sentient, feeling or awareness) contribute to reasons to think that this premise is not true: while many human organisms are wrong to kill, not all human organisms are like that, and early fetuses are among that "not all." 

This is just a start of this discussion and these issues are discussed here in this section of Thinking Critically About Abortion and these blog posts:

• On whether embryos and fetuses are "human," "humans, "human beings," "human organisms," whether each is "a human," a common anti-abortion concern:

  • Abortion and Ethics 101: An Introductory Overview
  • Robert George: "Fetuses are human beings; all human beings are equal in dignity & worth; so abortion is wrong." Good or bad argument?
  • "Fetuses are human, so abortion is wrong": what do you mean "human"?
  • I’m a philosophy professor. The argument for making abortion illegal is illogical (at Salon)
  • When does “life” begin? When it comes to abortion, it depends on what you mean by "life" (at Salon)
  • Are embryos and beginning fetuses "innocent"?

All other blog posts are available here.

@nathan.nobis What do some people have a hard time understanding that words sometimes have different meanings? Why are they unable to listen to people to understand what they are saying? #meaning #listening #ambiguity #communication #abortion #prochoice #prolife #philosophy #ethics #criticalthinking #polarization ♬ original sound - Philosophy 101 - Prof. Nobis

@nathan.nobis On the different meanings of the term "human being" #abortion #prochoice #prolife #ethics #philosophy #bioethics #meaning #definitions #persons #personhood #humanorganisms #humanbeings #human #extremists #extremist ♬ original sound - Philosophy 101 - Prof. Nobis

@nathan.nobis Replying to @capttim #abortion #prochoice #prolife #whenlifebegins #bioethics #ethics #philosophy #criticalthinking #logic #ethicsinscience #ethicsandscience ♬ original sound - Philosophy 101 - Prof. Nobis

@nathan.nobis if you don't Interact with people you disagree with, then you won't know what and how they think. #polarization #ignorance #bubbles #cults #groupthink #philosophy #ethics #criticalthinking ♬ original sound - Philosophy 101 - Prof. Nobis

Some quick notes on common arguments that result from what ordinary people say about these issues. 

1.      Fetuses are human.

2.      All humans are prima facie wrong to kill.

3.      So, abortion – killing fetuses – is prima facie wrong.

This argument disambiguates in at least two ways:

 

4.      Fetuses are biologically human organisms. (True).

5.      All biologically human organisms are prima facie wrong to kill. (Why think that?)

6.      So, abortion – killing fetuses – is prima facie wrong.

 

7.      Fetuses are human beings, i.e., feeling, perceiving, biologically human organisms. (False, if this means all fetuses, especially beginning ones).

8.      All human beings, i.e., feeling, perceiving, biologically human organisms are prima facie wrong to kill. (True)

9.      So, abortion – killing fetuses – is prima facie wrong.

 

 

Two logically invalid arguments: the premises do not lead to the conclusion due to using ‘human’ in two different meanings, or an “equivocation” on ‘human’:

 

10.  Fetuses are [merely] biologically human organisms. (True).

11.  All human beings, i.e., feeling, perceiving, biologically human organisms are prima facie wrong to kill. (True).

12.  So, abortion – killing fetuses – is prima facie wrong.

 

13.  Fetuses are human beings, i.e., feeling, perceiving, biologically human organisms. (False, if this means all fetuses, especially beginning ones).

14.  All [merely] biologically human organisms are prima facie wrong to kill. (Why think that?)

15.  So, abortion – killing fetuses – is prima facie wrong.