When does personhood begin?

Plaffelvohfen

Well there is no consensus on this, and certainly no definitive answer so your opinion is as valid as any other... 

AlofRI

There IS no consensus. For ME, when the breath of life is inhaled, and there is a parent of a child, that child becomes a person, with a name, an origin and a life. Before that "it" is an embryo or fetus, NOT a "life". It is a possession of the person carrying it, and what the person does with it is THEIR CHOICE, their responsibility. NO ONE ELSE's. For those with a god, if s/he/it doesn't like their decision, s/he/it will handle the judgement … or what good is s/he/it?? When it does become a person … with a name and birth date, it falls under the laws of society and is protected by them. That's good.

I know many will disagree, but, this IS a debate site, and that's my side.

Plaffelvohfen

@AlofRI

I agree with you, I hold the opinion that personhood comes with the first free breath out of the womb...

Dylan

@AlofRI

A few inches through the birth canal magically confers person hood? I would have to disagree with that notion.   

AlofRI

@Dylan : No. There are times when inches make a difference, but, here, it's the "breath of life" that makes something a life;)

ZeusAres42

When a life form becomes biologically viable.

Dylan

@AlofRI That "breath of life" occurs after traveling a few inches through the birth canal, there is no difference between a baby a few minutes before it's born and when it takes its first breath. 

AlofRI

For the first time the baby is a person breathing on its own. A "living, breathing person" with its OWN life. No longer dependent on the other body for life. 
I think that's a BIG difference.

Plaffelvohfen

Dylan said:

@AlofRI

A few inches through the birth canal magically confers person hood? I would have to disagree with that notion.   

Personhood, is indeed "magically" conferred (though I would use subjectively and arbitrarily conferred rather than "magically"...) regardless of when someone confers it... Personhood is a human concept that has no biological basis...

@AlofRI That "breath of life" occurs after traveling a few inches through the birth canal, there is no difference between a baby a few minutes before it's born and when it takes its first breath. 

Of course there is a difference, location is the difference between born and unborn... There might not be biological differences, but it's irrelevant here...