The lives of the young, the middle-aged and the old, on the other hand, are equally protected under law. It is no less wrong to take the life of a fourteen-year-old than it is to take the life of a forty-four-year-old. Or, for that matter, even though they may be just as vulnerable as an infant or an unborn child, a 104-year-old. Once we are out of the womb age is of far less consequence. Relatively speaking, we’re safe. There are no Eubulidean aspersions as to the metaphysical status of our being. No Sorites-style decisions based on our number of cells.
