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Originally Posted by Libertine
Consciousness, thought and intelligence are the defining qualities of human life. An embryo/fetus has none of these to begin with, and only attains them to a certain extent in the later parts of a pregnancy.
The embryo/fetus has no rights because it isn't a human being yet. It is a parasite with the potential to become a human being. More potential than a single sperm or egg cell, admittedly, but mere potential nonetheless.
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I understand your point. But this 'potential' as you call it is unique and is the beginning of human life. It is not a child or developed human being, but with time (all things being equal), it will develop the qualities you mentioned. It is not up to us to decide the worth of that potential - we were all potentials at one point in time. In fact every human in existence had to be a potential.
If there is a bird on the endangered species list and I find one and I destroy the eggs in its nest, I've committed a crime of killing an endangered species - not a potential endangered species. Human life is even more precious and should be protected throughout the entire course of its development.
Certainly by current law you're correct; the potential is not seen as human therefore abortion is legal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Libertine
Over 10% of pregnancies end in miscarriages. These occur especially often in the first six weeks of pregnancies. Now, if one couldn't make a distinction in "humanity" between a six week old embryo and a newborn baby, that would be pretty gruesome indeed. But somehow, people - and that most likely includes you - don't react in quite the same way to these miscarriages as they do to infant death. Sure, an early miscarriage is sad, or even tragic, but not nearly as bad as the death of an infant. Moreover, the reason that it is sad or tragic generally is its effect on the would-be parents, who most often were looking forward to having and raising a child, not because a human being died.
Your "cycle of life" postulation is nice and fluffy and spiritual, but it's a completely random and irrational theory, lacking any real arguments.
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A miscarriage is an unfortunate circumstance outside of the control of the people involved and is not analogous to abortion.
The cycle of life is a fact. It is the only natural means that humans come into existence.