Letters to the Editor
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It isn't a silly, contrived scenario
"silly, contrived scenario, of course I'd grab the 2-year old first. And how, exactly, does that prove that abortion is moral?"
Above, a response to: "You're in a burning building and there are 5 fertilized blastulas in a petri dish in one far corner of the room, and a 2 year old girl in the other far corner. You can only reach one and still escape. Which do you rescue?"
If you choose the 1 two year-old over the 5 embryos, it shows a belief that embryos are a lesser life form than toddlers. Otherwise, you'd have choosen saving five "babies" over one baby.
This is important. If the life of an embryo is less than the life of a living, breathing, thinking person, it is reasonable not to afford an embryo the same rights. It may even be justifiable to "kill" this lower life under certain circumstances. This goes to the very heart of abortion's morality.
Thus concludes my responses to Patrick Forman, who, despite what he may think of himself, is not truly interested in dialogue and declares anyone who disagrees with him to be confused or mistaken in their reasoning.
Patrick Forman, fare thee well.
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I'm with Kate on this one
Patrick Forman wrote:
"For those of you who answered my previous question in the affirmative (Do you think it would be morally acceptable for your mother to have aborted you?), I'm not going to pretend that I understand where you are coming from. "Moral" must have a different meaning to you and me. I can't imagine grinning with approval at my own murder - perhaps you are answering "yes" to stand by your argument, rather than with real sincerity?"
I don't get it Patrick. You asked a simple question & I gave an honest reply but you now say that I wasn't being truthful simply because my response doesn't fit with your sense of right & wrong. If you were merely asking a rhetorical question, you should have said so.
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Patrick...
Let me change the scenario a little:
Both the girl and the fertilized blastocysts are within easy reach, but you can only carry one. Which is it?
Which is the "moral" choice, and why?
And how exactly do you go about proving that abortion is immoral?
Please do tell.
As for my "anonymous" status, is it any more worthless than your Patrick Johnson, Patrick Kinsey, Patrick Idiot, or any other name you choose to publish? I happen to be publishing from my wife's account, and even if I chose to use my name, you could never prove it now could you?
So, if you'd like, I'll give you my email address street address, telephone number,etc. Would that then give me the groundwork from which to call you a pussy?
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Morals, Patrick?
Patrick claims he's not a Christian, yet he somehow seems to start from the point where everybody that doesn't share his "morals", is immoral.
That sounds pretty Christian to me.
Patrick, define "morals".
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My apologies
I hadn't seen mizbinkley's letter during the refresh cycle.
Completely agreed. While it must be fun to flout his morals, "Patrick's" choice of the toddler over the embryos is indicative of a person who doesn't realize that "morals" are subject to reality and logic, and that we don't make laws based on one person's interpretation of "morality".
So you failed the test, buddy. Will you please now define "morals" for me?
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Loads of fun
Well, isn't this something? I've got the intelligensia all riled up! Let's see what I can come up with here.
Let's start with the stupidest thread first. No, anonymous, I don't want any identifying information from you. I doubt you'd call me a pussy if we met face to face, but let's say for the sake of argument that you would. That proves... what, exactly?
Mizbinkely, thanks for the well wishes. Good luck with that silly scenario in your debating class. It will convince no one, but you seem pretty convinced it will, and I suppose that is harmless enough.
Mroom, if you think it would have been morally acceptable for your mother to abort you, so be it. It is repugnant enough of a thought that I figured I'd give folks the benefit of the doubt.
KC, nice try. Don't have the time or inclination to define morality to you. Read Kant to get a gist of my ideas.
Kate, you simply aren't following my argument. Not much I can do about that.
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Why focus on false choices?
Why focus on the false choice, a common technique of the Bush administration, but beyond what most intelligent people would do?
The false choice is- when given the choice of saving different aged people, who do you save? And somehow, whatever you choose somehow says something about - what?
How about staying focused on the REAL choice? The real choice is this- are you for killing (for convenience, revenge, money, punishment) or against it?
If you're FOR killing, for any of the reasons above, then abortion, war, capital punishment, infantcide, euthinasia, assisted suicide are your preferred set of ways to deal with life and death questions.
If you're AGAINST killing, then you're against war, abortion, all the above.
Seems to me, most people are INCONSISTENT. Let's put the whole moral question aside for a second. Let's focus on the LOGIC of the question.
If the LOGIC defending abortion is that the health/rights/life of the mother supercede the rights/health/life of the unborn child, then fine! That is your defence of the killing. Certainly no one, who has seen a 10-week old unborn child, would compare it to a piece of garbage or property. It's a child. If you defend killing that, then get on board with the Iraq war, capital punishment, all that.
But, if you're FOR abortion and AGAINST war, infancide and capital punishment, you're just a selfish hypocrite. YOU want the right to kill, but don't want anyone else to kill.
Me, I'm against all killing.
How about you?
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Burning Buildings
Here’s an answer to the Burning Building Scenario. A person should try to save all the human beings in the room.
Elie Weisel said about rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust--"In those dark days one rose to the very heights of humanity by simply remaining human."
A German officer said (on a PBS special) about seeing Jewish people lined up naked to be shot in a pit--he said, in German, that he should have, "taken off his clothes and gotten in line."
There is always a way to be human.