Atheism and Abortion

Here are some fundamental differences then.

  1. One is sentient the other not.
  2. One can experience physical and emotional pain, the other not.
  3. One has started to form emotional bonds, the other not.
  4. one has started to store memories, the other not.
  5. One could survive without its biological mother, the other is entirely dependant on her body to sustain it.
  6. One has started to make autonomous choices, the other cannot.
  7. One would certainly suffer the termination of its Life, the other can’t.

I’m sure there are more, but that’s a fairly significant list to suggest to me your claim is incorrect.

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I agree, that strikes me as a moral imperative, and one that AlphaLogica157 has already said he agrees with.

Again the basis for my morality is to avoid or prevent unnecessary suffering. So binary choices often present difficult moral dichotomies. To be honest I’d be more worried by anyone who had no moral misgivings when faced with such choices.

Again putting this as simply as I am able, if we are faced with a binary choice, where both actions could be considered immoral, then weighing up which was the less moral choice seems to me the only option. I’d add the caveat that doing nothing is not an option, for a pregnant woman I mean obviously.

Now a pregnant woman wants to terminate the pregnancy. So given my morality is based on preventing unnecessary suffering, it seems clear to remove women’s bodily autonomy is the greater “evil”.

Since an insentient fertilised egg, zygote, blastocyst, or foetus is unable to experience suffering, or even the loss of the life it might develop into, the moral decision is that women make the choice.

And again this is something we now all seem to agree on as well.

The only argument left it seems, is to measure my own emotional angst against a woman seeking a termination, and that again indicates the greater suffering should and would be avoided if women decide, especially since I’m not the one who will have to carry the pregnancy through and give birth, and as impressive as that is, it’s hardly the end of the responsibility.

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I don’t wish to appear glib, and for me that’s an effort, as others will attest.

However, you seem to have answered your own question there.

Edit Ok I have to be a little bit glib, you missed a comma between the words heart and strip.

Arggghhhhhh, yessss, that’s better.

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For what it is worth, he said life begins at insemination, which happens BEFORE the egg is fertilized. Of course I’m guessing that isn’t what he meant.

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Which might have moral implications for things like stem cell research and embryo clinics that offer fertility treatment, just off the top of my head.

If we perfect human cloning it’s going to be a minefield.

Huxley’s Brave New World…

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Don’t forget in “A Brave New World” there were “reservations” for those that did not want to live (or were born into) the technological society -

One point of A Brave New World was the removal of “suffering” - emotional, physical and moral (ethics) - there was a place for everyone, and everyone in their place (here’s some soma)

I appreciated, Sheldon, your acknowledgment that a decision to terminate a pregnancy isn’t “easy” nor is war (yet it is done) nor is being a policeman or doctor/surgeon or a host of other real life situations where life/death decisions are made and there are varying degrees in all.

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In Huxley’s masterpiece fertilised embryos are reared in purpose built facilities rather than gestating in a live human, and subjected to chemical treatments to retard development (intelligence), in order to provide sufficient numbers of sub par intelligent humans to perform menial jobs.

This is augmented with a state sponsored and supplied drug, called soma if memory serves, which reduces anxiety and worry and cause a euphoric contentment.

Feeling depressed and you get extra soma. It’s use in the book by Huxley was most likely symbolic though.

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We had (through work) self-examination tests which revealed our personality. (Quite in depth- probably many are familiar with them)

I remember when reading mine thinking “hmmmm, now ‘they’ know where I fit in…”

But not as much as Huxley probably thought. Hasn’t weed been legalised in a bunch of countries?

Fuck yah
… but I’m not a partaker …fucks me up (not my type of soma)

Nothing wrong with a bit of “soma” in all forms - the point of the use was as an “insulation” against feelings or emotions that were deemed harmful

No emotion is “harmful” - they provide information. How one “handles” the emotion, well that’s its own story. And I am only addressing “emotions”, not mental illness.

Ohhh FUCK! My warped sense of humor kicked in… shit ugh, fighting urge- ugh!!!… have to POST this

@Whitefire13

very good, but grapes are not that funny, plumbs are way funnier.

For those of us old enough to remember Morecambe and Wise, there was a sketch set in a garden, the scene opens and they are both sipping a cool drink, sitting in deck chairs in a well kept garden. EM is wearing a ludicrous knotted hanky on his head and massively baggy shorts with hoops in the end of the legs. He tries to push them down a few times, there is canned laughter, then he finally squeezes them shut from the sides with a grin, louder canned laughter…

EM: “The garden’s looking good Ern”

EW “Thanks, I think I’ll show my plumbs this year”

EM gives a knowing look to camera as the canned laughter goes nuts.

EM “I think you should”

pause

EM “I’ve seen them, and they’re worth seeing”

Brilliant…

When I partake of my private bin of poppy seed feed, everything is fucking hilarious, just saying.

Oh hell! This is stillllll… going on?

As long as sex is going on…the debate continues :kissing_heart:

Sex is going on??? Where? What did I miss!!!

I probably should not say this cog, but: it has been agreed that you are banned from sex gatherings, not because you are a monkey, (hey we all are,) and we all believe in monkey equality, but because of your current fascination with poop flinging has made some of the other participants rather uncomfortable…

:wink:

What? A sex gathering without poo flinging… Damn, Count me out!

You can even do it without hitting the “Reply” button. Just select a piece of text and then click the "Quote popup button. A reply window will open with the quote already in place.

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