Are fetuses rational?

Ethika Politika:

To understand this point better, let’s compare me with a rock. Right now, neither of us can run a marathon, so in that respect, we’re similar. But there’s a big difference between us. While I can train and build up my stamina to the point where I can run a marathon, a rock will never be able to do so; it’s simply not the right kind of being. I, on the other hand, am the kind of being that can do so, even if I can’t do it right now. I have within my nature the ability to run a marathon, even if I haven’t developed that ability. And it’s the same with people in reversible comas. They’re still the kind of being that can think rationally. They have within their nature the ability to do so, even if they’ve temporarily lost the capacity to exercise that ability right now.

And it’s the same with fetuses, too. They’re also the kind of being that can be rational; they just haven’t developed that capacity to the point of being able to exercise it yet. So persons are characterized by having within their nature the ability to think rationally, even if they can’t exercise that ability just yet. And since fetuses fit this criterion, they must be persons too.