The central argument against abortion, as presented by Don Marquis, rests on the premise that depriving a fetus of a future like ours constitutes a serious moral wrong. This “future like ours” (FLO) argument asserts that what makes killing an adult human wrong is the loss of all the experiences, activities, projects, and enjoyments that would have made up their future. Marquis extends this reasoning to abortion, contending that a fetus, by virtue of its potential for a similar future, possesses a right to life that is violated by the termination of its development.
The significance of this perspective lies in its attempt to move beyond the debate surrounding personhood. Instead of focusing on when a fetus acquires the characteristics that define a person (e.g., consciousness, self-awareness), the FLO argument concentrates on the inherent value of potentiality. Historically, discussions around abortion often revolved around religious or philosophical beliefs about the soul or the sanctity of life. Marquis’s approach provides a secular, consequentialist framework for evaluating the morality of abortion. It challenges the common pro-choice assertion that a fetus is merely a cluster of cells and highlights the potential for future experience and value.
