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Journal of Medicine and Philosophy
A Forum for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine
Volume 28, 2003 - Issue 1
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Original Articles

Sixteen Days

Pages 45-78 | Published online: 09 Aug 2010
 

Abstract

When does a human being begin to exist? We argue that it is possible, through a combination of biological fact and philosophical analysis, to provide a definitive answer to this question. We lay down a set of conditions for being a human being, and we determine when, in the course of normal fetal development, these conditions are first satisfied. Issues dealt with along the way include: modes of substance-formation, twinning, the nature of the intra-uterine environment, and the nature of the relation between fetus and mother (connection, parthood, dependence).

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