The Moral Status of the Fetus in Contemporary Biomedical ThoughtThe Dialectic of the Right to Existence and Individual Autonomy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65422/sajh.v4i2.317Keywords:
Fetal Moral Status, Reproductive Technologies, Biomedical Ethics, Abortion, Surplus Embryos, Fetal Malformations, Personal Autonomy, Human Personhood, Bioethics, Contemporary Jurisprudence, Critical Analytical ApproachAbstract
The rapid advancements in medical sciences and modern reproductive technologies have raised a host of ethical issues concerning the beginning of human life and the moral status of the fetus. These developments have generated considerable debate between perspectives that advocate for the fetus's right to existence and life, and those that emphasize the primacy of individual freedom and personal autonomy, particularly in matters related to abortion and medical interventions on embryos. This research aims to analyze the biomedical and ethical foundations upon which the determination of the fetus's moral status is based, and to discuss contemporary jurisprudential and philosophical positions on issues such as abortion, surplus embryos, and fetal malformations.
The research adopts the critical analytical approach, supplemented by the comparative approach, to uncover points of agreement and divergence among various frameworks.
The research concludes that the debate over the moral status of the fetus is not solely contingent upon biological data, but is also grounded in divergent philosophical and ethical conceptions of the concept of the human person and the right to life.
