Pro-life or Pro-choice?

Question

about abortion?

Answer 1

I'd like to warn you that my opinion about abortion is based on reason, and very few people approach the abortion debate using reason. For most people, it's an emotional debate fueled by guilt. The emotions on the issue tend to run so deeply most people forget which is which. So I do apologize for any hurt feelings which result from my dealing with abortion reasonably.

I support a woman's right to have control over their reproductive capacity. Abortion does not affect citizens (a person is not a citizen until they are born) or the intrinsic assets of the nation, so there is no legislative basis for there to be any laws taking rights away from a citizen (the pregnant woman). Two beings cannot occupy the same body with equal rights. One has to have veto power over the other. It would be revolting to not respect the rights of Life Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness for all citizens.

Furthermore, abortion is not murder. Murder is the willful taking of one human's life by another human. I've seen pictures, and the fetus might look vaguely human, but physiologically a fetus is more like a salamander than a human. I know that sounds harsh, but there's also a degree to which deep down you know that it's true.

Neurologically, the child isn't complete until it's a year old, and continues developing for about 25 years. So while it's still in the womb, it's certainly not a developed human. It's a part of our natural development for the brain to be undeveloped at birth because otherwise the head could never have fit through the opening.

I asked the question "What makes humans distinct from other animals?" I received many interesting answers: The awareness that we are different from other animals, the ability to make rational decisions, the ability to suppress our animal nature, the ability to conceptualize good and evil, large brains, the ability to create art, the ability to question one's existence, speech, self improvement, and so on. At a glance, it's fairly obvious that a fetus does not have any of these qualities. In doing further research, I came across this website which I strongly recommend: http://7e.devbio.com/article.php?id=162

A fetus has the potential of becoming human, but being human is a very special thing and a fetus isn't there yet. Being human is more than just a matter of our genetic make-up. It's about the way we think. Without the way we think, we are like any other animal.

Given that most people believe in the existence of a soul, It becomes an issue to consider when a person gets a soul. If you believe that only humans have souls, then the fetus doesn't have one because it's not yet human. It has the potential to become human, but it's not there yet. If you believe that all creatures have souls, then it has a soul to the degree to which a salamandar has a soul.As for what happens to the soul after death, If you believe in the polarity of Heaven and Hell, then the answer varies from person to person. If you believe in Karma, then that life served a purpose which it was there to do and can karmically celebrate that it's life accomplished what it was destined to accomplish.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want anyone to think that I'm advocating killing babies. Babies are cute and respond well to people, kinda like puppies, and I am also opposed to killing puppies. In fact I have often been very supportive of all things child related and puppy related. But when it comes right down to it, and we consider the neural biology, certain facts become apparent. But I want to make it very clear that I am in no way advocating infanticide, which is much nicer than the bible which doesn't even mention infanticide despite the fact that it was commonly practiced at the time. In fact, until about a hundred years ago, I can't recall this ever having been much of an issue ever in the history of the world. But now, as infant mortality rates are at an all time low, and population is soaring out of control, now is the time in human evolution when people decide to stand up and say that abortion is wrong.

It's an issue today because we have all these images of fetuses, and we look at them lovingly because that little thing with fingers and toes is going to become our child. Our technology has strengthened our sentimental attachment to the fetuses, so we are beginning to consider the possibility that we ought not kill them. But rather than admit that that is what is going on, they make it a religious mission.

Christians claim to take truth from the bible, and the bible makes no reference to abortion (which according to Wikipedia did exist in ancient times http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion ) or even infanticide. In fact the closest thing to a reference is in Exodus 21:22 to the punishment if a man does violence to a pregnant woman causing her to lose the child, which is different from the punishment for murder as described in Exodus 21:12, which clearly indicates that the basis for popular religious thought for the Judeo-Christian-Muslim traditions did not intend for the killing of a fetus to be regarded as murder. But this is a religious view point, and not a secular viewpoint, so it out not have any influence over the law.

A lot of Christians look to the commandment, "Thou Shalt Not Murder," However, there is a great deal of subjectivity to how the bible deals with killing and the nature of murder. Given that it was practiced commonly by the ancient people for whom the ancient bible was new (the people who best know the original intent of the scriptures) coupled with abortion not being mentioned anywhere in the bible, I'm of the opinion that the bible did not intend for abortion to be viewed as murder.

I know there is a lot in here which some people will react against, because I'm dealing with the topic frankly, openly and head on. That's not the way people usually deal with the abortion debate. They hide behind images of something cute and say, "It's a defenseless innocent human, how could you kill it." I have learned that it's generally a good idea to to be wary of people who's only rationale is guilt. I'm not hiding behind any feeling based arguments but instead dealing with the actual issues. Feelings are too easily manipulated. Just ask anyone who works in marketing. But the facts are the facts and when people get over their feelings on the issue and stop listening to people trying to retain their positions and relevance by convincing people that this is actually a reasonable issue, then maybe we could move on and deal with all the real issues which we were distracted from because of this bogus abortion debate. Like for instance, why is it that there have been major advances in everything for the past 50 years, but we're still stuck with the same corrupt politicians?

Answer 2

Pro-life

Answer 3

Pro-life

Answer 4

Pro-Choice

Answer 5

Pro-Life

Answer 6

Pro life.

Answer 7

pro choice

Answer 8

It's deabatable. In some situations I am pro-choice. For instance, if the baby had some degenerative disease that would make its life miserable, I would agree to it then. Possibly even if the mother is raped, that is debateable also. But as for reckless people who want an abortion just because the condom broke or what not, I'm pro-life.

Answer 9

pro life

Answer 10

I am a Christian, but I am Pro-choice. It is not my place to judge what people do with their own bodies, as long as they are not trying to force me into having an abortion. It is for God to judge whether or not they did the right thing.

As for the unborn innocent...God already knows what your choice is going to be before you ever even get pregnant. So why would He, in His infinite wisdom, put a viable soul into a baby that He knows is going to be aborted?

Answer 11

Pro-Choice. Everyone should be because even if they wouldn't get an abortion, that is their choice.