Chickens Breathe

This is an example of the Equal Rights Argument. On all sides of the abortion debate, most people agree that those of us outside the womb have equal value. Ask what we have in common that makes us equal, and listen carefully to the answer.

In this example, the proposed answer is that breathing air is what makes us equal. Many non-human animals such as roosters breathe air too. This is important, because most people agree that humans and roosters are not equals. To be clear, we’re not saying that animals shouldn’t have any protections. Animal abuse is wrong. We’re just saying that humans and roosters don’t have the same exact status. So breathing can’t be what makes us equals.

We think a good explanation for our equality is simply that we’re all living human organisms. A fetus is also a living human organism, so if we’re correct, then the fetus is a person with the same value as you and us.

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