When does personhood begin?

[Oakvale]

But 3/5 personhood is still something, and through the magic of mathematics (the only truth that means anything) we can round up!

0.6 rounds up to 1 = 100%, ergo slaves were people.

[Joe Republic]

I'm more interested to know when society will finally begin to recognize "rubicks" cubes as people.

[RosettaStoned]

 Conception.

[Person Man]

Self-regarding clever-cleverness is extremely irritating and, moreover, is not actually very clever.

Sentient beings? Wanker.

Oh, I see. 

Your problem with my statement is stylistic rather than substantive.     

Well, that, and you explicitly said that recognition by the power elite defines who is and isn't a person.

My point is that personhood is a completely arbitrary distinction that has evolved throughout the course of human history, mostly conforming to the wishes of political and economic elites. 

Basically where to extend human rights serves mostly to maximize resources?

[Indy Texas]

Life and personhood are not the same thing.

[Napoleon]

Birth

[Oakvale]

A few months after birth, when consciousness develops.

^ The best non-'rubick's cube' answer in the thread.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

A few months after birth, when consciousness develops.

Oh now you've done it...

[Ban my account ffs!]

When does personhood begin? Around 2 or 3 years old.

When does life begin? I guess I would have to say at viability or at birth.

When does life begin? Myself, I think that life begins at conception.

Your thread title and poll question don't match up.

Life began billions of years ago when a collection of proteins cooked themselves into something that could replicate itself.

When you knock up your girlfriend and the sperm fertilizes the egg, it's the continuation of life.  Not the beginning of life.

Personhood, of course, and individuality, are different things completely.  And there is no clean definition of when personhood really begins... because all throughout our lives we are dependent upon others to survive.  We are never truly independent.  So all these definitions become completely arbitrary.

So, for the sake of a clean break:  Let's say personhood begins at the time of natural birth... roughly 9 months after conception.  Anything after viability but before natural birth could be "pre-personhood"... that is, personhood is imminent but not yet achieved.

Once the child is out of the womb and in the world, it is a person.

Now we get to individuality.  At what point does a person become an individual.  That's where you start to see the older ages.  Still, 2 or 3 kinda suggests you mean to imply that forming lasting memories is the kicker.  But really individuality is something that starts to form not long after birth and continues throughout our lives.  We're never done developing as individuals.  Unless you get Terry Schiavo'd, in which case you're a living, breathing complex meat blob that only survives as an individual in the mind of others.  But I digress.

[politicallefty]

If a zygote/embryo/fetus is a person prior to viability, how can possibly you justify an "absolute right" to destroy that person?

I never stated that personhood should be bestowed upon a fetus prior to viability. As I stated, it should solely be the woman's choice prior to viability. After that point, there is a a significant state interest to intervene. That is why I believe there should be limits upon abortion after the point of viability, particularly in the instances where the mother's health/life is at stake. The life of the mother should always trump that of the unborn fetus.

[I Will Not Be Wrong]

Like a huge majority of Americans, I support the partial birth abortion ban. I also support a ban on second and third trimester abortions.