Many arguments in the abortion debate presuppose that the morality of abortion depends on the moral status of the fetus. Although I consider the moral status of the fetus to be important, it is not the central issue that determines the moral justifiability of abortion. The fetus can be attributed a level of moral status, however this status does not imply the prescription of a specific moral judgment. As with many morally significant issues, there are competing interests and a variety of possible outcomes that must be considered when making a moral judgment about abortion. Although it is necessary to determine the moral status of the fetus to establish the type of entity we are dealing with, it does not exist in a moral vacuum. There are other key issues that require attention, such as the moral status and interests of the pregnant woman who may desire an abortion and, above all, the likely consequences of aborting or failing to abort a particular fetus. Furthermore, I argue that moral status should be assigned as a matter of degree, based on the capacities for sentience and self-awareness that an entity possesses. In attempting to reach a coherent conclusion on the matter, the moral status of both the fetus and the woman, along with the likely outcomes of aborting a particular fetus, must be considered together. Given the multiple facets that require consideration, I argue that utilitarianism (Mill 1863) offers a coherent framework for weighing and comparing inputs in a variety of situations, which can determine whether it is ever morally justifiable to have an abortion. Moral status ― whether an adult human being, an infant, a fetus, or a nonhuman animal ― consists in declaring that its treatment by other moral agents is more... middle of the paper. .. Ontario: Batoche Books Limited .Noggle, CA, Dean, RS and Horton, AM (eds.). (2012) The Encyclopedia of Neuropsychological Disorders. New York: Springer Publishing Company.Noonan, J.T. (2008) 'An Almost Absolute Value in History', in Intervention and Reflection: Basic Issues in Medical Ethics 8th ed., edited by Ronald Munson. Belmont: Thomson Higher Education.Michael, T. (1998) 'Personhood' in Kuhse & Singer (eds.) A Companion to Bioethics. New Jersey: Blackwell.Singer, P. (1993) Practical Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Warren, M.A. (1973) 'On the moral and legal status of abortion', Monist, vol. 57, no. 1.Warren, M.A. (1997) Moral status: obligations to people and other living things. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Wilson, K. (2012) Abortion bans premised on the capacity for fetal pain. Hastings Center Report, 42(5), 10-11.