Evening Sam,
Returned from vacation few hrs ago. Been reviewing todays posts. The discussion between you & Christine re when life begins is very interesting.
I've thought about this question often in the past. When does life begin? I agree with you that animal matter alone does not represent independent life. The anti-abortion people use the vision of a baby as an emotional weapon. It's a sneaky tactic IMO.
To my way of thinking the question should be when can the fetus survive without the mothers body. Until that moment occurs, I believe it is part of the moters body;therefore, she has total control to that point of fetus development. Some newborns can survive at 7 months of development, others not until 8 months.
In fact, the Supreme Court should have decided at what point independent life begins long ago. IMO, it does not begin as long as the fetus is totally dependent on the womans body and could not survive without it.
Those who consider the fetus another human being immediately after conception have little respect for the life that is already existing--that of the mother. She deserves respect as well.
I disagree with those who say a child deserves to be born no matter what. Do abused children, whose lives must be hell on earth, feel they are just happy to be alive--I doubt that very much. A certain measure of quality of life must be present for a child to be born, and I'm not referring to a luxurious lifestyle. Just a loving environment. If they do not have love, their lives will most likely not be worth living.
Hope you've been shaking up the establishment, as always.
best wishes, Ann |
