Human Personhood Begins at Conception

Human Personhood Begins at Conception

Peter Kreeft, Ph. D, is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and at the

King's College, in New York City. He is a regular contributor to several Christian

publications; he speaks at conferences, and is the author of over 75 books. In this article,

Peter Kreeft explains one of the most important arguments in the pro-life debate, whether

or not human personhood begins at conception. This is a huge issue because some people

want to justify abortion. Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy,

otherwise known as murder. "Abortion is clear-cut evil," and he states that anyone who

seeks peace or goodness will see this. This is very clear for Christians as their faith

enforces that every human being is sacred because he or she is made in the image of God.

Peter Kreeft argues the personhood of the fetus, which is crucial for abortion; abortion is

crucial for medical ethics; and medical ethics is crucial for the future of our civilization.

Kreeft's first argument is whether the fetus is human. Obviously the fetus is human, a

distinct member of the species Homo sapiens. This statement follows the theory of

biogenesis. Biogenesis states that if a spider lays eggs, it will become baby spiders, not

baby ants. If both of the fetus' biological parents are human, then in turn, the fetus must

be human. In turn, if the fetus is not a human person, it is okay to kill it, but since we

believe that it is a human, we know that this is an act of sin. Secondly, he argues whether

the fetus is living or not. If the fetus is not living, then in turn it can have no rights. For

Dias �3

example, corpses have no rights,