You wake up in the morning and find yourself back to back in bed with an unconscious violinist. A famous unconscious violinist. He has been found to have a fatal kidney ailment, and the Society of Music Lovers has canvassed all the available medical records and found that you alone have the right blood type to help. They have therefore kidnapped you, and last night the violinist's circulatory system was plugged into yours, so that your kidneys can be used to extract poisons from his blood as well as your own. The director of the hospital now tells you, "Look, we're sorry the Society of Music Lovers did this to you--we would never have permitted it if we had known. But still, they did it, and the violinist is now plugged into you. To unplug you would be to kill him. But never mind, it's only for nine months. By then he will have recovered from his ailment, and can safely be unplugged from you." Is it morally incumbent on you to accede to this situation?
2006-07-01 01:37:51 · 10 answers · asked by skeptic 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
70's survivor - your's is more a question of when does a fetus become a human person. Your argument would also apply to every sperm and egg that we failed to unite.
Roy - sometimes people use anaogies to understand things.
2006-07-01 01:59:41 · update #1
opalhunter1: In this scenario, the violinist does not have the choice either.
2006-07-01 13:29:40 · update #2
Old one, but anyway here goes.
I personally would feel obligated to continue to help.
Also, this analogy states that you had no choice when you got pregnant. You had a choice with the obvious exception of rape. I don't have the statistics, but I do believe the vast majority of abortions are not from rapes. From your actions you have the choice of not engaging in activities that could get you pregnant, it is a risk you take.
For those who are raped, then I would go back to my original statement that I would feel obligated to help. Would I ever see the man (or baby) again? Probably not. Would I enjoy what was happening? Probably not. But would it be morally right to help, yes.
2006-07-01 01:49:45 · answer #1 · answered by bobm709 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Actually, this is a pretty ridiculous question. If your violinist is so famous and successful, he would have access to health care options most of us could only dream of. Dialysis would be one of those options. This smacks of the "urban myth" regarding the man who was packed in ice and awoke to discover a missing kidney.
I have a question for you....why is it that most people who are abortion friendly are against capital punishment because they "believe in the sanctity of all life"? It's okay to kill the innocent but not those who are guilty of heinous and terrible crimes?
How does anyone know that the fetus they are aborting wasn't going to be the next famous violinist, or the person who discovers the cure for cancer or AIDS? I am an adopted child who is very glad that abortions weren't easy to get in the 50's.
Abortion has robbed this society of countless millions of children, many of whom might be alive today, some of whom might have had the talents and skills necessary to save us from ourselves.
2006-07-01 01:52:28 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to come up with a situation that would more in line with what really is. The question is irrelevant because you have made up a scenario that does not exist in reality. If you can come up with a realistic scenario I would say it is incumbent upon us all to preserve life but the scene that you have painted does not represent the thoughts of someone who is in the real world.
2006-07-01 01:53:14 · answer #3 · answered by messenger 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a poor comparison to abortion. The baby in a pregnant woman is Innocent and pure. It doesn't have the option of making a life or death decision, thats up to its mother.
If you don't want to have to make a disission of life or death to a baby, then be responsible and avoid getting preagnant.
2006-07-01 02:19:42 · answer #4 · answered by opalhunter1 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you hadn't hung out at the orchestra, maybe they wouldn't have known your kidney's would have been perfect in the first place! Most women who get get pregnant, weren't canvassing medical records!!
2006-07-01 01:48:38 · answer #5 · answered by dph_40 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, I am not morally obligated to be forced under duress to use my body to save someone else. This is the same question in regards to rape that the pro-choice movement uses, just phrased differently.
2006-07-01 01:48:38 · answer #6 · answered by candrv 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
id unplug the bee otch
thats just me
2006-07-01 01:40:34 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm sorry but I think people like you are mentaly ill.
2006-07-01 01:45:03 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
you have way too much time on your hands!
2006-07-01 01:42:42 · answer #9 · answered by dlgrl=me 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Great analogy. Thanks!
2006-07-01 01:42:12 · answer #10 · answered by Hatikvah 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋