Thanks for the link. It’s good to get a sense of the scale of things. I hadn’t realized that induced abortions were such a large number.
The reason I wanted to use the “human” bit was that I think the argument about “potential” is flawed. If we care about depriving the future potential of something, then we would oppose girls education on the basis that it reduces fertility (i.e. potential human beings). See https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/YSz8JsCi3u7fupWHX/is-ea-just-about-population-growth.
If we care only about human beings that are already in existence, (which I think is something that most people can agree on), what then matters is what counts as a human being.
In a more political vein, I personally am staunchly in the camp of increased birth control, though my views on abortion (as shown here) are tenuous at best. There are many birth control methods, such as IUDs, that dramatically decrease the chance of an unintended pregnancy (to near 0), yet the public decides to promote greater condom use for their ability to protect against STDs. Both are needed.
Hey, thanks for answering my post. Means a lot, especially since you seem to be more familiar with philosophy than me.
“Total utilitarians care about intrinsic value of outcomes.”
- But a) death is painful b) death is the loss of future life c) parents grieve over miscarriages just as people grieve over the loss of a friend.
“Embryos must have an interest in continued existence.”
- Hm, but I argue this is a temporary state. Say I give that mother nutrition and I wait 9 months. That embryo now has an interest in continued existence. In a similar vein, suicidal people have no interest in continued existence. But if I give that suicidal person therapy and wait some time, that person now has an interest in continued existence.