W
Precisely. They’re not ants, or orangutans, or elephants, or eagles, or turtles, or fruit bats, or…If not, what are they?
Peace,
Ed
Of course-what else could they be?
very well put:thumbsup:I was pretty unimpressed with the video. It would not convince anyone who was pro choice to even reconsider their position. Making the debate about whether or not a fetus is a human does not address the arguments of pro choicers. No one is arguing that a fetus doesn’t have human DNA or won’t develop into a fully formed homosapien. The question is does the fetus have the same value and significance as the woman carrying it. That’s the question that needs to be addressed by pro lifers.
No-the question is does human life deserve the full protection of the law. Pregnancy is not a disease and the needs of the child and the needs of the mother are not in conflict.I was pretty unimpressed with the video. It would not convince anyone who was pro choice to even reconsider their position. Making the debate about whether or not a fetus is a human does not address the arguments of pro choicers. No one is arguing that a fetus doesn’t have human DNA or won’t develop into a fully formed homosapien. ** The question is does the fetus have the same value and significance as the woman carrying it**. That’s the question that needs to be addressed by pro lifers.
Yep, that is the issue. Does it deserve full protection of the law? But to convince pro-choicers you are going to have to point to more than human DNA, and I think that’s why the two sides lack any real meaningful communication.No-the question is does human life deserve the full protection of the law. Pregnancy is not a disease and the needs of the child and the needs of the mother are not in conflict.
You admit that the fetus is humanYep, that is the issue. Does it deserve full protection of the law? But to convince pro-choicers you are going to have to point to more than human DNA, and I think that’s why the two sides lack any real meaningful communication.
The pro-lifers like to point to the DNA and talk about how it will develop into a fully formed baby. At the same time the pro-choicers are saying that they are going to need some evidence that as a fetus it is significant enough to warrant the same legal protections that the mother has. No one is arguing that it doesn’t have human DNA or that it won’t eventually be a baby. What we want to know is why it deserves those protections now, especially when those protections can harm another person’s life.
Basically what it comes down to is that for me to ever get to the point where I would be able to tell a woman “No, you cannot have that abortion” I would need to see compelling evidence that the fetus is just as significant and valuable as she is.
IMO it isn’t right to tell a woman that although she is a thinking, feeling individual, who has made and impact on the world around her and has people that love her and count on her, that she has her own unique experience and outlooks, she is worth no more than an undeveloped organism that while it may have human DNA is not aware of its own existence, has no vested interest in living, and it doesn’t have any of the same characteristics that I listed about the woman above.You admit that the fetus is human
Yet simultaneously you admit that the pro-choice movement requires more evidence because just because that although human, the fetus does not deserve the most basic right, the right to life.
When is the arbitrary date/ time that the fetus deserves to have its right to life respected? And also, are there any other humans that can have their right to life, arbitrarily not respected?
What about preemies…what are they considered?
How does one determine the value of a human?Basically what it comes down to is that for me to ever get to the point where I would be able to tell a woman “No, you cannot have that abortion” I would need to see compelling evidence that the fetus is just as significant and valuable as she is.
What if one of your future children are born with a condition that prevents them from being aware of their own existence? Will you consider terminating their lives on that basis?That’s what terrifies me so much about the pro-life movement. That it reduces women to the level of an undeveloped fetus that isn’t even aware of its own existence. When I look at myself, my mom, my nieces, and think of my future daughters, I see so much more in them than that.
I’m also not trying to debate the morality of abortion, because I feel like its disrespectful on this forum. But what I’m doing on this thread is pointing out why these arguments that the pro-life side finds really compelling aren’t having the impact that they want on us.What if one of your future children are born with a condition that prevents them from being aware of their own existence? Will you consider terminating their lives on that basis?
I’m not trying to argumentative, I am sincerely interested in your answer.
Peace
Tim
We could get into the philosophy of when people become “full” humans, but I don’t see the point. You don’t have the right to kill your toddler because A. At this point he has a vested interest in living, and B. even more importantly, you aren’t giving up any of your physical autonomy because of his existence. If two beings share a body one will have to have veto power over the other, and it should be the one who has an interest in living.An embryo is human. It is smaller, less developed but still human.
I am more developed, more educated than my toddler. I have more rights than he does in the sense that I can vote, I can legally drink alcoholic beverages, I can marry, I can own property.
Am I worth more than my toddler? Is he worth less? If we are of equal worth, what has he done or what is capable of that makes him of equal worth?
If he is not of equal worth, do I have the right to kill him? When did he earn the right to be alive?
We know that the fetus exists in time and space (Being). We also know that it is human (genetically). We also know that it is alive and growing from the moment of conception. In other words, the fetus is a living human being. Peter Singer would not even dispute this basic scientific fact.