Which statement aligns with Warren's view on personhood?

• A. A fetus has all five traits of personhood.
• B. A fetus has none of the five traits.
• C. A fetus satisfies none of the five traits and is therefore not a person.
• D. A fetus is a person only if it can reason.

Answer: (C)

Warren’s view on personhood ties moral status to a specific set of cognitive traits rather than mere biological humanity. She identifies five capacities that collectively mark personhood: consciousness and the capacity to feel pain; reasoning abilities; self-motivated activity; capacity to communicate; and a sense of self or self-concept. A fetus, in typical development, does not exhibit these traits. It lacks conscious experience, cannot reason, cannot communicate, cannot engage in self-motivated goal-directed activity, and does not possess a developed sense of self. Because it does not satisfy these traits, a fetus is not a person under her criteria.

This is why the statement that a fetus satisfies none of the five traits and is therefore not a person aligns with Warren’s view. The other ideas—such as a fetus having all five traits, or being a person only if it can reason—misstate her plural criteria or rely on a single trait rather than the bundle of capacities she considers essential.