{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,14]],"date-time":"2026-06-14T23:09:39Z","timestamp":1781478579492,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,15]],"date-time":"2023-04-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1681516800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,16]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:p>Several recent papers have suggested that the pro-life view entails a radical, implausible thesis: that miscarriage is the biggest public health crisis in the history of our species and requires radical diversion of funds to combat. In this paper, I clarify the extent of the problem, showing that the number of miscarriages about which we can do anything morally significant is plausibly much lower than previously thought, then describing some of the work already being done on this topic. I then briefly survey a range of reasons why abortion might be thought more serious and more worthy of prevention than miscarriage. Finally, I lay out my central argument: that reflection on the wrongness of killing reveals that the norms for ending life and failing to save life are different, in such a way that could justify the prioritization of anti-abortion advocacy over anti-miscarriage efforts. Such an account can also respond to similar problems posed to the pro-lifer, such as the question of whom to save in a \u201cburning lab\u201d type scenario.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/jmp\/jhad014","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,16]],"date-time":"2023-04-16T06:34:53Z","timestamp":1681626893000},"page":"225-242","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["The Scourges: Why Abortion Is Even More Morally Serious than Miscarriage"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"48","author":[{"given":"Calum","family":"Miller","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Oxford , Oxford , UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"255","DOI":"10.1007\/978-94-007-1602-5_13","article-title":"Abortion, sexual markets and the law.","volume-title":"Persons, Moral Worth, and Embryos: A Critical Analysis of Pro-Choice Arguments","author":"Alvar\u00e9","year":"2011"},{"issue":"6","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"20","DOI":"10.2307\/3561982","article-title":"At law: A French homunculus in a Tennessee court","volume":"19","author":"Annas","year":"1989","journal-title":"Hastings Center Report"},{"issue":"5","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1217","DOI":"10.1007\/s11098-016-0750-z","article-title":"Abortion and miscarriage","volume":"174","author":"Berg","year":"2017","journal-title":"Philosophical Studies"},{"issue":"2","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103","DOI":"10.1080\/20502877.2019.1602376","article-title":"The problem of spontaneous abortion: Is the pro-life position morally monstrous?","volume":"25","author":"Blackshaw","year":"2019","journal-title":"The New Bioethics"},{"issue":"6","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"355","DOI":"10.1136\/jme.2005.013920","article-title":"The rhythm method and embryonic death","volume":"32","author":"Bovens","year":"2006","journal-title":"Journal of Medical Ethics"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0006","author":"British Pregnancy Advisory Service.","year":"2020"},{"issue":"1","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"22","DOI":"10.1136\/medethics-2018-105045","article-title":"Abortion and deprivation: A reply to Marquis","volume":"45","author":"Christensen","year":"2018","journal-title":"Journal of Medical Ethics"},{"issue":"4","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"394","DOI":"10.1093\/jmp\/jhab010","article-title":"Miscarriage is not a cause of death: A response to Berg\u2019s \u201cabortion and miscarriage\u201d","volume":"46","author":"Colgrove","year":"2021","journal-title":"Journal of Medicine and Philosophy"},{"issue":"4","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"452","DOI":"10.1093\/humupd\/dmz015","article-title":"Potential genetic causes of miscarriage in euploid pregnancies: A systematic review","volume":"25","author":"Colley","year":"2019","journal-title":"Human Reproduction Update"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"211","DOI":"10.1007\/978-94-007-1602-5_11","article-title":"A biological definition of the human embryo.","volume-title":"Persons, Moral Worth, and Embryos: A Critical Analysis of Pro-Choice Arguments","author":"Condic","year":"2011"},{"issue":"25","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2468","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMsr1804754","article-title":"The major causes of death in children and adolescents in the United States","volume":"379","author":"Cunningham","year":"2018","journal-title":"New England Journal of Medicine"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0012","author":"Department of Health and Social Care.","year":"2020"},{"issue":"1","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1136\/medethics-2019-105701","article-title":"Reconsidering fetal pain","volume":"46","author":"Derbyshire","year":"2020","journal-title":"Journal of Medical Ethics"},{"issue":"9","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"819","DOI":"10.1177\/0004867413484597","article-title":"Does abortion reduce the mental health risks of unwanted or unintended pregnancy? A re-appraisal of the evidence","volume":"47","author":"Fergusson","year":"2013","journal-title":"Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry"},{"issue":"6","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"417","DOI":"10.1136\/medethics-2019-105489","article-title":"Defending the two tragedies argument: A response to Simkulet","volume":"45","author":"Friberg-Fernros","year":"2019","journal-title":"Journal of Medical Ethics"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0016","author":"Gallup.","year":"2020"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1093\/acprof:oso\/9780198766780.001.0001","volume-title":"Arguments about Abortion: Personhood, Morality and Law","author":"Greasley","year":"2017"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0018","author":"Guttmacher Institute.","year":"2019"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0019","volume-title":"William Wilberforce: The Life of the Great Anti-Slave Trade Campaigner","author":"Hague","year":"2008"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0020","article-title":"Dilation and extraction for late second trimester abortion","author":"Haskell","year":"1992"},{"issue":"2","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"151","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1469-1809.1980.tb00955.x","article-title":"A cytogenetic study of 1000 spontaneous abortions","volume":"44","author":"Hassold","year":"1980","journal-title":"Annals of Human Genetics"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0022","volume-title":"Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind","author":"Holland","year":"2019"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0023","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2765","DOI":"10.12688\/f1000research.8937.2","article-title":"Early embryo mortality in natural human reproduction: What the data say [version 2]","volume":"5","author":"Jarvis","year":"2017","journal-title":"F1000Research"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0024","author":"Johnston","year":"2007"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0025","year":"2020"},{"issue":"7","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1115","DOI":"10.1111\/1471-0528.14484","article-title":"Decreasing mortality during pregnancy and for a year after while mortality after termination of pregnancy remains high: A population-based register study of pregnancy-associated deaths in Finland 2001-2012","volume":"124","author":"Karalis","year":"2017","journal-title":"British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology"},{"issue":"5","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0027","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e36613","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0036613","article-title":"Women\u2019s education level, maternal health facilities, abortion legislation and maternal deaths: A natural experiment in Chile from 1957 to 2007","volume":"7","author":"Koch","year":"2012","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"613","DOI":"10.2147\/IJWH.S38063","article-title":"Fundamental discrepancies in abortion estimates and abortion-related mortality: A reevaluation of recent studies in Mexico with special reference to the International Classification of Diseases","volume":"4","author":"Koch","year":"2012","journal-title":"International Journal of Women\u2019s Health"},{"issue":"5","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0029","first-page":"360","article-title":"Sobrestimaci\u00f3n del aborto inducido en Colombia y otros pa\u00edses latinoamericanos","volume":"80","author":"Koch","year":"2012","journal-title":"Ginecologia y Obstetricia de Mexico"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0051"},{"issue":"7","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0030","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"25","DOI":"10.1080\/15265160802248336","article-title":"Natural embryo loss\u2014A missed opportunity","volume":"8","author":"Marino","year":"2008","journal-title":"American Journal of Bioethics"},{"issue":"4","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0031","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"183","DOI":"10.2307\/2026961","article-title":"Why abortion is immoral","volume":"86","author":"Marquis","year":"1989","journal-title":"Journal of Philosophy"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0032","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1093\/0195079981.001.0001","volume-title":"The Ethics of Killing: Problems at the Margins of Life","author":"McMahan","year":"2002"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0033","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10506","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph181910506","article-title":"Maternal mortality from induced abortion in Malawi: What does the latest evidence suggest?","volume":"18","author":"Miller","year":"2021","journal-title":"International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0034","article-title":"Human equality arguments against abortion","year":"","journal-title":"Journal of Medical Ethics"},{"issue":"7","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0035","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"534","DOI":"10.1111\/bioe.12369","article-title":"Human organisms begin to exist at fertilization","volume":"31","author":"Miller","year":"2017","journal-title":"Bioethics"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0036","author":"NaPro Technology.","year":"2020"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0037","author":"New York Times.","year":"1997"},{"issue":"7","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0038","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"12","DOI":"10.1080\/15265160802248146","article-title":"The scourge: Moral implications of natural embryo loss","volume":"8","author":"Ord","year":"2008","journal-title":"American Journal of Bioethics"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0039","author":"Our World in Data.","year":"2020"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0040","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"472","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2164-9-472","article-title":"Genomics research: World survey of public funding","volume":"9","author":"Pohlhaus","year":"2008","journal-title":"BMC Genomics"},{"issue":"2","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0041","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"95","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjsrh-2018-200149","article-title":"Trends in the method and gestational age of abortion in high-income countries","volume":"45","author":"Popinchalk","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health"},{"issue":"2","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0042","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106","DOI":"10.1080\/20502877.2018.1438771","article-title":"Beyond infanticide: How psychological accounts of persons can justify harming infants","volume":"24","author":"Rodger","year":"2018","journal-title":"The New Bioethics"},{"issue":"10041","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0043","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"258","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(16)30380-4","article-title":"Abortion incidence between 1990 and 2014: Global, regional, and subregional levels and trends","volume":"388","author":"Sedgh","year":"2016","journal-title":"The Lancet"},{"issue":"11","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0044","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"784","DOI":"10.1136\/medethics-2016-104018","article-title":"Cursed lamp: The problem of spontaneous abortion","volume":"43","author":"Simkulet","year":"2017","journal-title":"Journal of Medical Ethics"},{"issue":"5","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0045","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"304","DOI":"10.1136\/medethics-2018-105145","article-title":"The two tragedies argument","volume":"45","year":"2019","journal-title":"Journal of Medical Ethics"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0046","volume-title":"The Evolution of the West: How Christianity Has Shaped Our Values","author":"Spencer","year":"2016"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0050"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0047","year":"2019"},{"key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0048","author":"Warren","year":"2019"},{"issue":"4","key":"2023051603471565600_CIT0049","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"201","DOI":"10.1111\/phc3.12317","article-title":"Human dignity","volume":"11","author":"Zylberman","year":"2016","journal-title":"Philosophy Compass"}],"container-title":["The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy: A Forum for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jmp\/article-pdf\/48\/3\/225\/50333957\/jhad014.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jmp\/article-pdf\/48\/3\/225\/50333957\/jhad014.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,16]],"date-time":"2023-05-16T03:48:22Z","timestamp":1684208902000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jmp\/article\/48\/3\/225\/7123521"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,15]]},"references-count":51,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,15]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,16]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/jmp\/jhad014","relation":{},"ISSN":["0360-5310","1744-5019"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0360-5310","type":"print"},{"value":"1744-5019","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published-other":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,1]]},"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,15]]}}}