Answering agree on abortion but disagree on non-medical embryo selection doesn’t strike me as incoherent. First off, respondents were asked to choose one of four options regarding abortion, and I am not confident that we can necessarily infer their views on the specific case of an abortion decision made on the basis of non-medical fetal characteristics. Even if we could, there’s an obvious factor present in the abortion scenario (i.e., the strong autonomy interests of the pregnant person) that is absent from the embryo-selection scenario. Finally, I doubt that many respondents who approved of abortion were basing any opposition to non-medical selection is based on concerns about embryonic welfare.
First off, respondents were asked to choose one of four options regarding abortion, and I am not confident that we can necessarily infer their views on the specific case of an abortion decision made on the basis of non-medical fetal characteristics.
At the very least I think we can probably infer it for the 41% who said ‘always or almost always acceptable’.
Even if we could, there’s an obvious factor present in the abortion scenario (i.e., the strong autonomy interests of the pregnant person) that is absent from the embryo-selection scenario.
I don’t buy this. Surely there is just a strong autonomy interest in being able to decide which embryo, if any, you have implanted inside you—given that this will predictably lead to becoming pregnant?
Answering agree on abortion but disagree on non-medical embryo selection doesn’t strike me as incoherent. First off, respondents were asked to choose one of four options regarding abortion, and I am not confident that we can necessarily infer their views on the specific case of an abortion decision made on the basis of non-medical fetal characteristics. Even if we could, there’s an obvious factor present in the abortion scenario (i.e., the strong autonomy interests of the pregnant person) that is absent from the embryo-selection scenario. Finally, I doubt that many respondents who approved of abortion were basing any opposition to non-medical selection is based on concerns about embryonic welfare.
At the very least I think we can probably infer it for the 41% who said ‘always or almost always acceptable’.
I don’t buy this. Surely there is just a strong autonomy interest in being able to decide which embryo, if any, you have implanted inside you—given that this will predictably lead to becoming pregnant?