At 03:29 PM 5/16/2005 -0500, Dan M. wrote: >> > The point is, most Americans believe that abortions should be illegal >> > some >> > of the time. Most Democrats support the legality of all abortions, >> > even >> > for development beyond viability. >> >> One quibble here. Even after being born, you can't really argue >> convincingly that a human infant is "viable". Without active, constant >> nurturing it's dead, and that need for nurture goes on for about two >> years, at minimum, after birth. > >OK, then you are arguing for a different dividing line. I was thinking of >viability as a biologically independent organism (no direct, continuous, >connection to the bloodstream of another), and you seem to be arguing for >being able to carry one's own weight. If one wishes to argue for the >rights of a mother to kill their one year old, then that would be >consistent with arguing for the right to kill a post-term undelivered >fetus.
Actually, Dan, Warren has a very valid point. Your definition would exclude several types of organisms from being "biologically independent". Moreover, what you really mean is "capable of being biologically separate". I don't think that the word "independent" really applies to newbies - even without considering the role of incubators, respirators, and IV's in the process. Moreover the <entity> is not actually separate until birth, what you really mean is being capable of separation. At 04:51 PM 5/16/2005 -0500, Warren wrote: >>To me abortion is a personal decision. I don't expect it to be an easy >>one when we're talking about a fairly anatomically developed fetus, and >>I am proximally sure that legislatures need to keep their mitts out of >>the oven entirely. But infanticide is also a deeply personal decision, and certainly not expected to be an easy one. Do you also believe that legislatures need to keep their mitts out of that oven entirely as well? Or do you believe that it is acceptable for legislatures to intervene in that decision? JDG _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
