https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTntTkvIr3g

Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss the philosophical and legal implications of the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) should be considered children.

Among the topics covered:

The facts and reasoning behind the Alabama Supreme Court case;

How the court’s decision is a logical result of anti-abortion reasoning;

Why conception or human DNA is insufficient for individual rights;

Why it would be inconsistent to make a legal exception for embryos;

Whether this case is a violation of the separation of Church and State;

The negative consequences of this case on reproductive rights.

Mentioned in the episode are the Ayn Rand Lexicon entry on abortion, Ben Bayer’s book Why the Right to Abortion is Sacrosanct, and Ben Bayer’s essay “Science Without Philosophy Can’t Resolve Abortion Debate.”

This episode was broadcast live on February 28, 2024. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here.