Prenatal Development, Definitions, and Ethical Concepts in Biology

Prenatal

occurring or existing before birth

Nominal Definition

assigns a name to a thing.

Real Definition

tries to get to the essence of the thing being defined.

Subjective Definition

defining what a thing is by arbitrarily choosing to focus on irrelevant or non-essential features, attributes, or aspects of that thing.

Abortion

the removal or expulsion from the womb of a developing embryo or fetus in the period before it is capable of independent survival

Essence

the intrinsic nature of a thing; what a thing is at its very heart and core

Marginalized

to be pushed off to the side and not given the same rights and protections as the rest of society.

Arbitrary

based on individual or subjective feelings or judgments, rather than based on reason and objective principles.

Embryo

an unborn child younger than eight weeks.

Fetus

an unborn child eight weeks and older. All major body parts and organs are now in place.

Legitimize

to sanction or to give something the "green light" or a "thumbs up."

Inferior

to be lower in quality or value.

Transcendental

a reality that goes beyond physical reality.

Telos

"end," "final goal," or "full purpose"; the point at which a thing reaches its fullest stage of development. Similar to saying "what it was meant to be."

Ad Hominem Argument

a logical fallacy (literally meaning, "to the man") directed against a person rather than the position they are maintaining.

Euphemism

a polite word or expression that is used to refer to things that people may find upsetting, offensive, or embarrassing to talk about.

Bodily Autonomy

the right to governance over one's own body.

Abortifacient

any substance that is used to end the life of the prenatal child.