Response to Sections 1, 2, and 3 of Nathan Nobis's blog Post "Are Embryos 'Babies' and 'Children'?"
The American Journal of Bioethics Blog recently published a post by Nathan Nobis entitled " Are Embryos 'Babies' and Children'? " The following responds to sections, 1, 2, and 3. Response to Section 1 In section 1, Nobis argues for two claims. First, he argues that people might use words like ‘baby’ and ‘child’ as non-literal terms of endearment for embryos and early fetuses. Second, he argues that pro-abortion activists don’t have to agree with anti-abortion activists who say that words like ‘baby’ and ‘child’ should be used literally for embryos and early fetuses. The argument for the first claim— people might use words like ‘baby’ and ‘child’ as non-literal terms of endearment for embryos and early fetuses—is that people use terms like ‘bean,’ ‘bun,’ and ‘bunny’ as non-literal terms of endearment for embryos and early fetuses. So, they might also use ‘baby’ and ‘child’ as non-literal terms of endearment for embryos and early fetuses. This is good as far as it g...