Under Kantian ethics, if the fetus is considered a person, abortion is:

• A. It is allowed when the mother is in danger
• B. It is allowed regardless of personhood
• C. It is allowed if the fetus has a right to life
• D. It is not allowed because a fetus considered a person has inherent worth

Answer: (D)

In Kantian ethics, rational beings have inherent worth and must be treated as ends in themselves, never merely as means to someone else’s goals. If a fetus is regarded as a person, it possesses this dignity and the corresponding obligation not to kill it.

Aborting a person would violate the moral law, because it treats a rational being as a mere obstacle or tool rather than as an autonomous ends-in-itself. The Kantian move is to require actions to be compatible with universalizable maxims that respect the dignity of every person, and killing a person fails that standard. So, when the fetus is considered a person, abortion is not morally permissible.