Abortion

Why is it a scary thought that your mother might have chosen to abort you instead of give birth to you? If she had aborted you, you would have absolutely no opinion on the subject because you would not exist to have one. If my mother had contemplated on aborting me and even did it I would not care, why because as a fetus I could not think, feel or even have an opinion. If she had aborted me I would not exist to care. It's really not so scary once you think it all the way through.



Ah the good old argument from potential. Yes, well I may potentially become a fabulous billionaire, that certainly does not mean I should start charging up my credit cards and expect to pay them off when I finally do become that fabulous billionaire I potentially could be!

Obviously a fetus is human though. I mean I certainly hope these pregnant women aren't carrying puppies inside of them. But the fetus being human is not enough to strip a woman of her right to control her own body. As the host of the fetus and the one who has to give up her nutrients and 9 months of her own life to the fetus she still has the right to decide whether to allow it to stay or to 'evict' it from her 'premises' if you will. Ever heard of "A Defense of Abortion"? It's a thought experiment Judith Thomson wrote that would take into account if a fetus had the 'right to life'. It's very interesting. You should read up on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Defense_of_Abortion



Or he/she could have been the next Hitler, or Stalin, or Mao, or Pol Pot. But again, arguments from potential are just terrible really.



Life will go on. Almost half of adult women in the US will have had at least one abortion in their life. Often times though they go on to having multiple children afterwards.

When I say it's scary, it's the fact that you never would have existed. I obviously thought it all the way through. It's just that you have a different way of thinking on the very subject. I mean, think of all the experiences you've had, all the people you've met, and all that just never happens. It's like one of your closest friends never existed, then your whole life would have probably had a drastic turn.

Yet we don't know, cuz we obviously don't know how much of an effect a person has on your actions and Psyche.

Now for that potential argument, part of it doesn't have relevance. Like you said, yes, it'll obviously become a human, but that's for the people who say the fetus isn't alive, hence, is okay to kill. The whole millionaire thing doesn't really relate in any way, since quite a few factors will determine something such as that, where as for a fetus, as long as it is within a human being, will become a human being(unless birth complications or miss carriage).

And for the whole evil possibilities, yes, he very well could, but yet we don't know. I'm saying as possibilities that could be highly influential in the future events of human kind.

The thing is though that million, upon millions of people have not been born whether it was due to abortion or miscarriage and so on. Again, life goes on. Life would have gone on without you or me or anyone else who has already been born.

I don't see what's so frightening about non-existence. I didn't exist during the 4th century either (unless you believe in reincarnation.) and I don't find that frightening. Do you? I mean, there was always a point in time when some of us did not exist.



You are still going to meet many people regardless of whether or not you didn't meet someone who was not born. Does not meeting a non-existent human really bother you that much?



The potential argument is a slippery slope fallacy. I suppose the billionaire example didn't make much sense so let me give you a potential argument that is more related to the topic at hand.

Every sperm and every ovum has the POTENTIAL to become a human being. We should cherish every sperm and every ovum because of this. We must ensure that every sperm meets an ovum so as to ensure their potential to become human fetuses and then ensure those fetuses make it to birth so that they may become persons.

Do you see how potential is a slippery slope now? You can apply potential to many things, that does not mean we should base our moral beliefs or establish our laws because of the potential of something. Basing your moral beliefs on what is and what has already been established is a much better route to go.


Regardless of all that I can understand where you are coming from (although the fear of non-existence is a little quirky to me).

The main reason I am against anti-abortion laws or anti-abortion thought processes is because all it does or has ever done is lead to harming pregnant women, including those who wish to carry to term and those who do not. Here is an excellent video that explains and outlines why I feel so strongly about the way I do when it comes to this subject. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3X4_p3yAC8

To say a woman should be forced to give up her bodily autonomy and just bring a human life into this world because, God forbid we go on without them, is just so wrong imo.

Anyways, sorry to make such long posts. I just feel very strongly about this issue. Hehe...

First off, I understood what you meant with potential being a slippery slope. I was merely telling you that the millionaire scenario did not fit.

As for the whole nonexistence thing, I understand that you may not find it terrifying, but to some or most of us, it is. It's not the principle of never existing, it the fact that whatever life you live now, that itself never happened. At that point, you seem to be looking at it as if that scenario actually happened, and you were reviewing it from that position, which would be that you were never born. I am merely saying it from a position that we are at now, just never having, or meeting, or enjoying everything and everyone we have as of yet.

As for that second part you quoted, you seem to be missing the entire point of most of my posts. I'm not talking about a person who never existed to begin with. For example, lets say that your best friend, who influenced your life in many ways, was instead, never born. At that point, all the influence that person had on you never happened, thus, you would be a whole different person. OBVIOUSLY we would meet and befriend other people, but in some way, some of them will influence us. Without your friend, you may never have met some of the people you have today and such as that.

And lastly, I said I'm not telling people what they can't and can't do. I have no right to say that a person can't do this. I was stating really that with the way I look at it, merely seems wrong, but at the same time, people will still attempt it, and that could harm them in even worse ways, which is even worse.

Alright, I'm not a "fetuses are the same as people" kind of person but there really is a point where it's just kind-of gross. I really hate the idea of late-term abortions, there's a stage, very late in development of the fetus, where it actually starts having dreams. I'm not saying it should be illegal though.

As a Libertarian I believe people shouldn't be constrained by the law to do what they want or need, nor should the government encourage or pay for it either. But until the day comes when an unborn fetus is declared a citizen, it should remain legal.

To be honest, I have conflicted feelings about abortion. To begin, I believe abortion should be available as a legal and safe option for women. Yet, I also believe that every human being deserves the chance to live. So they can feel what it is like to love, be loved, to laugh, to be happy, to be alive. Sure they would suffer, we all do. But suffering is just as part of our lives as is happiness. So I ask myself, do we have the right to strip the opportunity of sentience and life from someone who hasn't even begun their journey? As I said above though, abortion should be legal as a safe procedure if the woman's baby has severe complications, (this was the best reason that I could think of, however, as other's have said, "It is her body, she can do whatever she pleases with it.)

I personally think abortion is first and foremost delicious, and any other aspects do not qualify for discussion.

http://thewondrous.com/ever-shocking-chinese-boiled-baby-soup/