On Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:05:20 -0800 (PST) andie nachgeborenen
<andie_nachgeborenen at yahoo.com> writes:
>
>
> Btw, if you think fetuses are people or have the moral rights of
> people, it is very hard to see how you can defend the _legality_ of
> abortion. One possible way is to say that we shouldn't make laws
> based on highly debated deep philosophical views that are not widely
> shared.
>
>
Well if one does regard fetuses as persons, at least certain forms of abortion might still be defensible. Abortions for protecting the life or even the health of the mother could be defended on the grounds of self-defense. One has the right to use lethal force, if necessary, to protect one's own life. And the fact that a fetus might be considered to be "innocent" is irrelevant. If one is attacked by a mad person, one would still have the right to use lethal force, if required, despite the fact that the attacker cannot be considered to be morally responsible for his or her actions, and so would be innocent. The defense of abortion on the basis of a right to self-defense might be extended to ecompass the defense of abortions in the case of rape. If one has the right to use force, even lethal force to expel an unwanted intruder from one's home, then surely one would have at least the same right in the case of intruders into one's body. This might also extend to abortions in the case of incest, if one supposes that the sex in question is generally involuntary for at least of the partners. It might be possible to extend the principle that one has the right to defend one's body against unwanted intruders to make an even more general defense of abortion rights.
Jim F. ____________________________________________________________ Visa, MasterCard, AMEX & Discover. Compare Offers & Apply Online. Click here! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/PnY6rw2Oq38WAaDxFnZXSOkrov4HR7MZAXR3sciCl40MS4YTPbLoR/