Abortion and the Moral Significance of Merely Possible Persons

When, if ever, is it morally permissible for a woman to have an abortion? When, if ever, are agents morally obligated to bring new persons into existence whether by refraining from having an abortion or by conceiving a child? Questions of abortion and procreation provoke debates at the practical level that can seem endless and emotionally fraught. The same questions also raise surprisingly deep issues regarding the very nature and structure of moral law.