Quote:
Originally Posted by Makarov
I can actually see the argument from a purely academic perspective (in the sense that it seems very doubtful that a newborn baby is self-aware in any meaningful way), but then it raises the very troublesome issue of where does one actually draw the line. Practically speaking, birth is just such a nice, clear line in the sand demarking "personhood" that I think it would be crazy to abandon it.
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This always has seemed like a thought process I've imagined working quite well. The legal system works pretty poorly with this region of thought and the science/practical applications don't line up well.
Academically speaking, he has said very little wrong...Newborns probably can't be classified as human persons, but potential human persons. Legally though, it becomes a massive mess as theory can't be applied well to real world cases and many borderline cases will be called into play.