In the hypothesis discussed here, the objection could be to compare the value of two human beings. However, in Adams' hypothesis, these human beings do not yet exist. Therefore, what parents compare are not so much individuals as qualities – such as health and disability. Before an individual exists, it is permissible to compare the quality of different types of life, for example a healthy life versus an intellectually disabled life. Because the individual does not yet exist, a utilitarian approach is admissible, even if we reject this type of comparison when comparing real individuals.