It's actually pretty hilarious, since I'm one of those "insane, filthy liberals" that sees no problem with abortion*. I cannot even take this seriously from a theoretical perspective. It's a ridiculous concept that is automatically proven to be silly in the light of any confrontation with practice (case studies, 'common sense', biological priming, whatever). I'm not offended by this, I just have to laugh -- and wonder why I'm not reading this on The Onion.
If it is serious, then it's probably a case of bad reporting -- reporters making mountains out of mole-hills. If I know ethicists, and I do, I know it's part of their jobs to question everything. This sounds like it's a thought experiment, taking the "right to life"-argument for a ride and basically showing that it's not enough to base your actions on a theoretical construct of that kind.
In the unlikely case that there's actually, really "a group" of scholars who seriously propose an actual practice of "babykilling," then apparently they allow utter morons to be "ethicists" in Oxford nowadays.
* which of course does not mean I see no problem in dumb teens sporking around with pregnancy like it's a hobby. Et cetera. Let's not do the straw-man-dance.
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