Quote:
Originally Posted by MariconesUnited  I have to say however that I don't buy into Aelle's zygote argument
For the same reason DerekB pointed out. Just because we're uncertain how many people will come out of a single zygote doesn't mean there isn't at least one person in there. There may be more eventually, but we have to concede that there is one now. |
Sounds like a cop-out to me. Personhood refers to the status of a being with regards to their individual human rights - note the use of the term
individual. It's not just a matter of common definition, but of a legal one, and I think the term was used that way in Roe vs. Wade. Personhood legally implies that this entity with rights and duties is separate and distinct from other entities.
If it can become two persons, then by definition it is not an
individual. It has the potential to become an individual, and so does an unfertilized egg.