Atheists can be Pro-Life... did you know that?

Question

I just want to vouch for JP, Jibby, and MeatBot. These are three very vocal atheists in terms of their religious convictions, but are very humane in understanding the value of a human life; and that is a 'human life' determined by medical standards to be 'living': a beating heart and functioning brain synapses. This develops usually before 10 weeks, after which the fetus feels pain and can distinguish that it is under attack from a foreign object.

I don't ever want to hear anyone categorizing atheists as "soulless monsters" or anything of the sort... they, even more than us believers sometimes, understand the importance of mortal life... especially since believers are prone to believe that it's ok for people to die, because the next life is more important anyway"

Say "I agree" if you agree.

I don't mean to say that Christians are more likely to condone murder... that's not at all what I mean and I'm sorry if you interpreted my statement that way.

What I meant to say is that a common consolation for someone who has lost a loved one is usually "Well, this life is just a passage into the next, and the next life is where we will spend eternity and is the one that really counts". This just tends to shift some of the importance of this life onto a second one. Not necessarily good or bad, just a statement. It's like in basketball or football when you say "although they lost the last few games of the regular season, the regular season is just a passage to the playoffs, and that's where the champion is crowned." It isn't necessarily good or bad, but it does remove a slight amount of importance from the regular season.

Answer 1

Thanks for the vote of confidence. If 10 weeks is the pain threshhold, then just to be safe I'd reluctantly say maybe you can do it up until 6 weeks but never for any reason after that. Even for rape and incest. It's unfortunate but those don't override the killing. I'd prefer that people don't do it at all though because it's a shame to eliminate a potential lifetime of experience for that person.

By the way, I'm also economically conservative being a libertarian when most atheists are liberal.

Answer 2

Procreation is an ongoing process which can be interrupted at any point, right from not having sex in the first place, through contraception, and drugs which prevent implantation, to abortion anywhere up to the moment of birth.

Somewhere along that process, most people would have a point where they consider it's OK to interfere to prevent the birth of a baby up to that point, but not afterwards - e.g. abstinence is OK, but contraception isn't.... or contraception is OK, but abortion isn't... or abortion is OK but only up to week 20... or whatever. It's simply a matter of conscience where you personally decide to draw the line, and on what basis.

For myself, I cannot accept that an undifferentiated bunch of cells has more rights than the fully grown adults who are responsible for its existence. I also cannot accept that it's right to kill a foetus when it's fully developed and due to be born. Logically then, there has to be a point somewhere in between that I decide, on the basis of conscience, is the point at which abortion becomes unacceptable. I don't know enough about it to have a definite view where that point lies, but it must lie somewhere in the 9 months of pregnancy. It's in the nature of life that there are no easy answers to this kind of question, as it's a matter of subjective opinion rather than objective fact - and my opinion is that abortion cannot be wrong, per se. If you say that 10 weeks is the logical point at which abortion becomes unacceptable then I think that is worthy of serious consideration.

Answer 3

I agree that atheists can be pro-life, and also that Christians can be pro-choice. But to say that believers are prone to believe that it's o.k. for people to die is not true; death is inevitable but murder is horrible and a sin in the eyes of God. The Bible does not say that the next life is more important, it just says that, if we believe, it will be better.

Answer 4

I agree that atheists can be pro-life or pro-choice, as their consciences dictate, just as religious people can (and there are lots of pro-choice religionists, too). But I'd like to point out that I don't know a single pro-choicer who doesn't value human life; it's just a matter of when life begins and whether a woman's right to control her body sometimes has precedence.

Answer 5

i not only agree i am one of those atheist's, only not to an extreme, i believe that laws should be put in place to protect other humans. and i do believe that once a fetus is at the point of growth when the nervous system is developed and the brain becomes active. then it is in a sense murder. and i'll go further and say a women's right to 'choose' is made when she 'chooses' to have intercourse, we should all take responsibilities for our actions, its part of being an adult. so though it may be an option, id like them to be encouraged to put the child up for adoption.

of course in cases of rape, incest or danger of complication to the mother, abortion should be a viable option.

Answer 6

I was pro-life before I became a believer so I know it's possible. It's kind of funny that you even have to post this. I've found myself defending atheists on here too. It's normal to be a good person, with or without faith.

May God Bless you.

Answer 7

I'm sure that some atheists are pro-life.. there are Muslims that are pro-life, there are even pro-life homosexual groups...

I'm very happy to stand by anyone who respects human life and I truly wish that there wouldn't be such a problem with pro-abortion Christians. I may agree with atheists, muslims, homosexuals on other issues but glad we can agree on something!!

Answer 8

Say WHAAH?!

Yes, of course atheists can be pro-life. They can believe in spirits; they can believe in an afterlife. They can work to help the poor and some of them might not even accept evolution. It's funny how the only unifying trait is that they lack a belief in god(s).

Answer 9

Oh my goodness... this is one of the most beautiful, well-thought questions I've read on here. I commend you wholeheartedly for this. At first, I was gearing up, to be honest. I was expecting the sam old, mindless dribble with Bible verses and the whole nine yards. But you surprised me. You reminded me that I don't hate ALL Christians, just the ones who never think. Adding you as a contact for this. Thank you.

Oh, and I agree.

*ADDED*
Agreeing with mushy on this one, too. One of the things I was geared up to say was, "Because each of us thinks for ourselves instead of letting Dr. James Dobson tell us who to vote for and which side of an issue to be on."

*ADDED AGAIN*
To everyone who is hammering this question. Lay off. This kind of thing is what we all ask for, isn't it? Actual thought on a subject, rather than "God said it, you're going to hell!" Chilax!

Answer 10

professional-determination. i do no longer think of that is extremely worth bringing a existence into this international if it ability destroying different lives, killing people, trashing concern-loose human rights, trampling concern-loose empathy, dehumanizing born people, orphaning born toddlers, making people loose jobs, making people loose residences, and demonizing people for determining what became ultimate for themselves and thier family participants. it incredibly is just some issues that ensue while abortion is stimatized and made unlawful. extremely litterally, making abortion saves no person. interior the history of human type, making abortion unlawful has never as quickly as stopped abortion. It only extra approximately the above, and keeps to realize this. you prefer to cut back abortion? wonderful, that is hassle-free. low-value and attainable birth control. appropriate intercourse ed. Make having and elevating a baby low-value. Make adoption a doable determination for all people. those are only starts off, yet they have all been shown to cut back abortion. They save lives.