Before I continue the game topic, I have a few things to say. First, many things are considered moral or immoral entirely based upon where it happens. For example, there are still societies today where cannibalism is a fundamental part of life. Note that I'm not talking horror-movie style, murder someone and eat them cannibalism. I'm talking about the ritualized forms, which can be found in several societies in south America, usually involving the devouring of already dead family or friends in a sort of extended "they live on in my heart" metaphor.
As for abortion, one thing to note is that in parts of Asia (especially China and India), it is illegal for a doctor to tell parents the gender of their unborn child because, in the vast majority of cases, the child would be aborted if it was a girl. In a sense, most people in that area consider it morally acceptable to abort even a late stage fetus if it is a girl, because if the girl is born and grows up, she will become a monstrous drain on the family's resources due to their marriage practices. (Specifically, these cultures have a tradition that the bride's family pay for the wedding and give a substantial gift to the groom's family, to make up for the fact that their daughter will become part of the groom's household, thus taking more resources there. By the way, this practice may be illegal in India, but it's still an expectation that many, many Indians have, and one of the more common news stories over there is that of a bride killed because her family couldn't provide a significant enough gift to the groom's family, even though the practice is illegal)
Anyway, now for my question.
If a sentient computer program is developed, do we have the right to limit it, edit it, or turn it off? Specifically, I mean if someone manages to create a computer program that not only thinks and reasons, but also has emotions. And before you answer, let me mention something else. To this program, what it feels would be as real to it as what we feel would be to us.
