Abstract

We examine the view that all human life is of equal worth or sanctity. We find that this view is a legacy of the Judeo- Christian tradition, and cannot be justified in non - religious terms. We therefore argue that it should be rejected, and that we should openly acknowledge that some Jives are of less worth than others. We then consider a common objection: that this will lead us down a slippery slope to Nazi- style atrocities. We give our reasons for finding this objection unpersuasive. We explain why no-one has any grounds for feeling threatened by our proposal. Finally we discuss who should make the decision involved in selecting whether a person should come into existence, and how that decision should be carried out.