"fetuses are parasites"

[leonie]

how do you answer this?

and

 

[manualman]

Parasite is not a temporary condition, it is a description of the basic character of the organism. Parasites do not later develop into human beings, they remain parasites. The person making the statement is ignorant of the definition of the word.

A fetus is a developmental stage of human beings. If the person wants to make an argument that human beings are by nature parasites, smile and pat their head and move on.

 

[Dale_M]

Parasite is not a temporary condition, it is a description of the basic character of the organism.

hmmm…I don’t think so. There are many species which have multiple life phases, one or more of which may be parasitical but other phases which are not.

I think the problem with calling a fetus a parasite is that it introduces a morally repugnant viewpoint, one which even atheists are likely to be uncomfortable with.

There is no denying that a fetus is a human being (those in favor of abortion say a fetus is not a person.) So at what point does a human being become a parasite and undeserving of life? When they are in a persistent vegetative state? When they are terminally ill? When they are elderly and chronically ill? When they are permanently unable to work and can’t pay their bills, regardless of age? When they are of the wrong ethnicity or wrong politics or wrong religion etc?

Calling another human being a parasite is a big step down a horrible path. The world has already seen the horrible consequences of that path.

 

[manualman]

I freely admit to having stopped biology at Zoology 101, but can you name such a creature that outgrows its very nature as a parasite?

 

[revert_jen]

From Wikipedia, not a conservative bastion:

“Parasitism is a non-mutual relationship between organisms of different species…”

Different species.

–Jen

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Don’t argue on Youtube comments.

 

[Dale_M]

I freely admit to having stopped biology at Zoology 101, but can you name such a creature that outgrows its very nature as a parasite?

I am certainly not an expert on biology, but parasitical wasps spring to mind. They lay there eggs on the intended host and the larvae which hatch feed upon the prey.

“Parasitism is a non-mutual relationship between organisms of different species…”

Calling another human being a parasite is an attempt to dehumanize him.

 

[bitznbitez]

how do you answer this?

and

The last thing you should resort to is logic and reason. Never use reason to try and talk someone out of a position they didn’t use reason to get into in the first place. A picture of what the baby looks like in the womb may help or it may just incite even more irrational rage.

Prayer is perhaps the best.

 

[tuscany]

A fetus is a stage in human development. A fetus is not a parasite.
The stage in development that humans become parasites is from age 13 to 21.

 

[Crescentinus]

Ask them to prove it to you using science. They will fail this test.

 

[RPRPsych]

how do you answer this?

and

Walk up to them and greet them “Hail, fellow parasite”!

Or, more seriously, ask them what they mean by a parasite. Half of them won’t know the correct definition.

If they manage that, ask them at what point a developing infant stops becoming a parasite. Is a newborn baby a parasite because he depends on his mother for nutrition (at least under natural circumstances)?

My guess is they’ll start spluttering by the time you reach that last one.

 

[minkymurph]

I am certainly not an expert on biology, but parasitical wasps spring to mind. They lay there eggs on the intended host and the larvae which hatch feed upon the prey.



Calling another human being a parasite is an attempt to dehumanize him.

I agree in principle but if a fetus can be categorized as a parasite, a few adults out there warrant the same categorzation. Babies have no choice but to de dependent. The adults in question don’t have that excuse.

I wonder what we should do with ‘adult parasites?’
Mmmh!

 

[sedonaman]

No man is an island. Everyone is a parasite because we all depend on each other. Just look at the way God divided the labor by giving us a variety and quality of peoples’ abilities.

 

[fix]

how do you answer this?

and

It is impossible scientifically and morally for a human being to be a parasite.

 

[Crescentinus]

Here’s another suggestion.
Win the debate by crushing their arguments by using the weight of their absurd arguments against their arguments. Once they go into ad hominems, you had won.

 

[_Abyssinia]

catholicapologetics.info/morality/abortion/answers.htm

Let’s see about that. First, what makes a human being a human being? The unique genetic makeup, of course, which is present from conception, and the fact that the child is the offspring of two human beings. Secondly, what exactly does “parasite” means? It’s a word that is sure to get people’s attention and is used to sway opinion in the pro-abortion direction. But what about the reality behind the word? The American Heritage Dictionary defines “parasite” as: “An organism that grows, feeds, and is sheltered on or in a different organism while contributing nothing to the survival of its host.” That may perhaps apply to the human child, though even that is not always --if ever–so, as the following story shows (click): “Unborn Baby Helps Keep Mother Alive.” But let’s just say that the above-quoted definition of “parasite” applies to every human preborn child. So what? Calling a preborn human baby a “parasite” is simply using the weapon of rhetoric–the art of speaking. It doesn’t really tell us much. It tells us that the human child is totally dependent on the mother. Yes, we know that. So? The human child is completely dependent on others, especially the mother, even after birth. Children are always dependent on their parents. The elderly are often dependent on their children or on other adults. So what? Do we have the right to kill dependent people now? The word “parasite” does not only have a biological meaning, of course, but also a social meaning. The same dictionary defines the social meaning as: “One who habitually takes advantage of the generosity of others without making any useful return.” I suspect that the abortion advocate relies on the fact that many people will associate the word “parasite” with the social meaning (which really suggests that a parasite is a spoiled bum) before considering the actual biological definition, which is quite innocent. So there we have it again: rhetoric. That’s all they have, the pro-aborts. Reason goes out the window. Just use such loaded terms like “parasite” and hope that people will stop thinking and simply be swayed by the rhetoric. So, stripped of the rhetoric, the pro-abortion claim is that the preborn child is dependent on the mother and therefore has no right to live. Right? That’s what they’re saying. But why should anyone believe this? Why should the mother have the right to kill this child who is dependent on her? Why? Any reason they may give is either arbitrary or can equally be applied to BORN babies.

 

[leonie]

The fact a fellow parishioner who stated this on Facebook. Our senatorial candidate Richard Murdock is a big topic of discussion.
Great points.

I said people who depend on us for care and protection doesn’t make them less human, it makes us less human when we don’t do it.

My response seemed inadequate. definitely was dismissed.

 

[revert_jen]

No man is an island. Everyone is a parasite because we all depend on each other. Just look at the way God divided the labor by giving us a variety and quality of peoples’ abilities.

Actually, no. The key phrase from the definition I quoted earlier is “non-mutual relationship.”

Humans have with each other something more like a symbiotic relationship (although generally the popular definition rather than the scientific one). A mutual dependency, or more accurately a mutual benefit provided to each other, is more characteristic of human relationships.

A “parasite” takes from the host and harms the host without providing any benefit. It should not be used to describe human beings.

–Jen

 

[robwar]

The last thing you should resort to is logic and reason. Never use reason to try and talk someone out of a position they didn’t use reason to get into in the first place. A picture of what the baby looks like in the womb may help or it may just incite even more irrational rage.

Prayer is perhaps the best.

“Answer a fool in his folly and you will be like him” Proverbs 26:4,5

 

[fix]

The fact a fellow parishioner who stated this on Facebook. Our senatorial candidate Richard Murdock is a big topic of discussion.
Great points.

I said people who depend on us for care and protection doesn’t make them less human, it makes us less human when we don’t do it.

My response seemed inadequate. definitely was dismissed.

I think you resonded well. The problem is not always one’s response. The problem is people often refuse to be convinced.

A baby cannot be a parasite unless one redefines what a parasite actually is.