The arguments they explore are, like gender-based abortion, largely eugenic in principle. Interestingly and rather honestly, they appear comfortable in affirming that "both a fetus and a newborn certainly are human beings", a status that many pro-abortion rights campaigners would deny the pre-natal infant. However, "merely being human is not in itself a reason for ascribing someone a right to life".

Their argument is that certain human beings are not "persons", and only persons have such a right. Swallow this and the rest is a cakewalk. All that's needed is an arbitrary definition of what constitutes personhood. Giubilini and Minerva "take ‘person' to mean an individual who is capable of attributing to her own existence some (at least) basic value such that being deprived of this existence represents a loss to her". (As an aside, isn't the use of "her" rather splendid?)

The authors offer no defence, and cite no published reference, in support of this crucial definition. And they seem unperturbed that "this means that many non-human animals...are persons", an interesting if not heroic proposition the authors present but then ignore (including the implication that certain beasts have the right to life that newborn infants lack). They further helpfully point out that, also by this definition, "mentally retarded human individuals are persons". 

So "all the individuals who are not in the condition of attributing any value to their own existence are not persons", and have no right to life. Both pre- and post-natal infants are potential persons — but this too is insufficient: "The alleged right of individuals (such as fetuses and newborns) to develop their potentiality...is over-ridden by the interests of actual people (parents, family, society) to pursue their own well-being."