PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - T Kushner
TI  - Having a life versus being alive.
AID  - 10.1136/jme.10.1.5
DP  - 1984 Mar 01
TA  - Journal of Medical Ethics
PG  - 5--8
VI  - 10
IP  - 1
4099  - http://jme.bmj.com/content/10/1/5.short
4100  - http://jme.bmj.com/content/10/1/5.full
SO  - J Med Ethics1984 Mar 01; 10
AB  - In an attempt to provide some clarification in the abortion issue it has recently been proposed that since &#039;brain death&#039; is used to define the end of life, &#039;brain life&#039; would be a logical demarcation for life&#039;s beginning. This paper argues in support of this position, not on empirical grounds, but because of what it reflects of what is valuable about the term &#039;life&#039;. It is pointed out that &#039;life&#039; is an ambiguous concept as it is used in English, obscuring the differences between being alive and having a life, a crucial distinction for bioethical questions. The implications of this distinction for the moral debate about abortion are discussed.