Atheism / Philosophy / Religion / Society

abortion

Joseph Lyttleton3 Comments

Facebook is hardly the place for nuanced debate, but I try from time to time.  Even in my attempt to avoid simplification, I inevitably simplify.  I realize that, but the idea is to get the conversation going in a less emotional direction.   In the spirit of The Rally to Restore Sanity, I guess.

Click the picture to see it all big-like:

Also, if you haven’t seen this amazing documentary, and you have strong feelings on this topic one way or the other, you should see it:

I think it will surprise you in how unbiased it is to both sides.

3 thoughts on “abortion”

  1. Hello Joseph! Long time no speak. In my opinion, sir, the argument above has nothing to do with a loving God or religion at all, as evidenced by Evan’s original post. The point in question comes down to this: at what point is a fetus considered a human life? If you believe life starts at conception, whether you are religious or not, then you view abortion as murder. I think this debate, in the end, comes down to that one point. So here’s my take on it. If a fetus cannot survive outside the mother’s body, then how is that fetus any more a human life than a sperm or an egg? No one cries when sperm are wasted (well, unless God gets quite irate). The law should allow abortion up until the third trimester. If the fetus is capable of surviving outside the womb, then it should be treated as a human life. Otherwise, if it is dependant on the mother to survive, then it is a part of the mother’s body and the mother should be able to abort away. Sure it’s crude that my definition of murder and allowable abortion could be separated by a matter of days, and it’s certainly not perfect, but I think it’s the best solution. Abortion should be legal up until the third trimester.

    • I am actually completely in agreement with you Jon as far as the legality of abortion. That’s precisely when I think the cutoff should be, too. And if we are talking about the legal debate, then that’s pretty much where the topic ends.
      Unfortunately, it’s never quite that simple. People bring in their experiences with abortion and childbirth, their emotions, their moral/ethical/religious views and suddenly the conversation is far more complex. I was attempting to address some of those more colorful shades in the discussion and also to bring up the point that a law one way or another doesn’t address the core issue. Abortion is the unfortunate conclusion to a whole series of issues that need to be dealt with, and making it illegal will do nothing to solve those issues.

      Hope you’re well, Jon.

Comments are closed.