I'm not asking this to start an abortion debate (though I'm sure it will come out). I am just curious what the rational is that says its not alright to eat eggs, but its okay to have an abortion. Please be respectful and remember I am not attacking any group I am just generally curious. Thanks!
2007-01-20 15:02:36 · 23 answers · asked by john C 2 in Food & Drink ➔ Vegetarian & Vegan
Let's just start off by saying that eating chicken eggs is not the equivalent of an abortion and not all vegans are in agreement with the practice of abortion.
Those who are completely vegetarian do not eat eggs or any animal products. Veganism is a total philosophy and not merely a dietary choice. Ahimsa is the philosophy that most vegans would identify with. It basically means that you try to minimize amount of harm you do in the world.
The reason eggs are an issue in veganism is the treatment of the hens and chicks and not the eggs themselves, other than the fact that some people do not consume eggs due to health reasons/allergies. This is also the reasoning behind not drinking milk. It is the treatment of the cows and calves.
The conditions in a "factory farm" for any type of animal are appalling. Even free range animals are ultimately killed and done uneccessary harm. Eating eggs and other animal products, no matter what they are, contributes to animal and human suffering. This is the reason why vegans do not, for the most part, wear leather, fur, silk, wool or other fabrics made from animals or parts of animals. Many vegans also try to purchase organic products and items that are fair trade. This is done to try to minimize human and environmental harm.
Abortion is a sticky subject. I am a vegan who would not have an abortion. That being said, I still believe other women should have that right. It is not my place to judge others or increase their suffering by forcing my opinion on them. Some women are not mentally or financially capable of taking care of a(nother) child. This would cause suffering for that individual and possibly the rest of her family. While I am morally opposed to abortion as a vegan, I respect someone else's right to make their own decision.
Veganism teaches tolerance. This is tolerance of religious and political opinion. No vegan is the same as another vegan. They may subscribe to the same philosophy but their interpretations may vary widely. I actually credit my change in views on abortion with my becoming vegan about 4 years ago. Before this, I had never thought about it much. I probably would have had an abortion if I had an unwanted preganancy.
2007-01-20 15:27:11 · answer #1 · answered by Angela M 2 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Wow, you really opened a can of worms.
I have to agree with other posters that I'm not sure where you got your evidence that "a lot" of vegans aren't anti-abortion.
Being a vegan involves not eating eggs - no-one is denying that. I think what it boils down to, yet again, is the question of choice. Most vegans I know are vegan because they do not believe we have the right to exploit animals, either by killing them, taking their milk, honey, eggs etc, and that is specifically because the animal involved is not given the choice whether to have that happen to them or not.
With abortion, it becomes a little more complicated I would say. You have the mother who wishes to have the choice of what to do with her body. However, you then get into the realms of what would the baby want. If you were able to ask the baby if it wished to be aborted, what would it say? But of course you can't actually ask it. So you'll never know.
On the basis of both those paragraphs, I would always err on the side of caution. I would assume the animal does not wish to be killed, or have its eggs etc taken away, so I would not do that. I would also assume that the baby would like to live, so I would not abort.
I'm not sure you'll necessarily find any consistent abortion view amongst vegans, any more than with any other group of the population.
They are both very subjective things which people generally make their minds up on based on their own personal opinions.
PS - To the poster "Yes they are my real boobs" - your first sentence says that you think the asker is suggesting that a chicken has the same value as a human life. I think you've just hit the nail on the had as far as many vegans are concerned. I personally believe that every living thing is as important as the next one, so yes, a chicken is just as important as a human.
2007-01-21 05:36:46 · answer #2 · answered by emsr2d2 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
OK, first of all, good question but there are two flaws in it.
1. You assume a lot of vegans are pro-choice. How do you really know this?
2. I am NOT pro-choice. Does this mean I work actively towards stopping women from aborting their babies? No, while I think it is a wrong thing to do, I don't want to change people. Nor do I tell them to stop eating eggs.
If there's a vegan who a) goes around telling people to stop eating eggs *and* b) does not go around telling people to stop aborting their babies, then he/she might be a hypocrite. But how many of these have you met? Besides, even if such a vegan existed, s/he might not be pro choice. S/he might just decide that there are plenty of anti-abortion activists and that their time is better devoted to helping animals.
For an analogy, if everyone went around helping the poor in Africa, and I only helped the homeless on my street, does it mean I don't care about the people in Africa? No but I decide that the most neglected group gets my attention *first*.
2007-01-21 02:51:57 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some humans choose to have abortions, others don't. Legalising human abortion doesn't make it compulsory for everyone to have one. Hens in the egg industry don't have any choice in whether they produce eggs or not. The eggs produced by battery cage hens are not fertilized.
If you consider the matter logically, there is no real comparison between a human foetus and an un-fertilized hen's egg. Vegans don't eat eggs because whether battery-cage or free range, the hen that produces them is eventually slaughtered as are male chicks.
2007-01-21 01:53:22 · answer #4 · answered by Hercules' dirt box 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Vegan's dont eat eggs. Some vegetarians do but the eggs eaten are not fertilized. What a woman does to her body is none of my business and has nothing to do with my diet choices.
I can turn the question around and ask why pro-lifers think it's OK to slaughter animals and eat them. One has nothing to do with the other.
2007-01-21 08:34:30 · answer #5 · answered by KathyS 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
First of all, NO vegans eat eggs. Vegetarians may, but vegans never do. Secondly, a person can choose to be vegan for many different reasons--concern for animal welfare, concern for their own personal health, or other reasons that I won't delve into. As far as I can tell, none of these reasons conflict ideologically with the idea that a woman should have agency over her own body.
2007-01-21 03:55:21 · answer #6 · answered by Shellbell 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ok, first of all I'm offended by the question. What a person chooses to eat or not to eat does not determine their whole political stance. For instance, if a woman is raped or becomes pregnant with a baby with a severe birth defect, she very well may choose to abort the pregnancy, and what she eats is most likely not at all a factor in her decision.
2007-01-21 04:50:19 · answer #7 · answered by Happy go Lucky 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
two totally different agendas here.You are suggesting that a chicken has the same value as human life ! or at the least suggesting that all vegans are 'pro life', they are not, some are pro life vegans, some pro abortion vegans, some vegans because they dont like the taste of egg/meat, some because they its a health issue and certainly some are vegans because they dont like the fact an animal has died for their consumption.Are you also suggesting then that because I eat meat,and endorse the killing of animals for our food that I am pro abortion ? Not sure where you draw your comparisons from,and if you wanted a debate on abortion you should have just started one!
2007-01-20 23:12:02 · answer #8 · answered by jambutty 4 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Since no on here seems to understand the question being asked, let me clarify.
ALL types of people hold pro-lifers and pro-choices. SOME of those people HAPPEN to be vegan. So....why, if one is vegan, would they be against the eating (or killing) of a baby chicken egg and still be OK with an abortion (or killing) of a baby human egg.
Read the question before you answer. NO personal opinions were given in this question so no drama needed. JUST ANSWER the question, SOMEONE! I wanna know!
2007-01-21 01:50:52 · answer #9 · answered by nuttin honey 1 · 2⤊ 3⤋
How do you know a lot of vegans are not against abortions? Yeah I'm sure this will turn all political ::puts on armor gear:: good luck
2007-01-20 23:10:41 · answer #10 · answered by Deb 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋