Okay. I see where you are coming from. As a biologist (so to speak) I was just mincing words. Yes, a fetus is (at least for a time) inseparable from its mother's body. This we can agree on.
"unless you want to defend the sacred rights of all the sperm that die in condoms or tissues or teenage boys' crusty socks because they're prevented from fulfilling their biologically intended destiny of fertilizing eggs."
A sperm by itself will not become a person. Terminating a living person is a totally different thing from preventing the creation of that person in the first place. The latter I am very much in favor of (though of course condoms are not foolproof, etc. etc.)
"As such, in the absence of such a consensus, I once again say that the only people who should be making this decision are the women whose bodies these fetuses are growing inside of."
I guess I think human life is too precious to gamble on. Is it a person or not? The idea that it might not be isn't enough to go by, if you ask me.
Of course, "personhood" is nothing more than a definition - nothing more than a word. What is important to me is the emphasis that ALL human life is precious and has intrinsic value.
Believe me, I am not (as some people would like to believe...) a raging woman-hating reactionary monster. I favor programs that connect women to other options and support over the immediate de-legalization of abortion. I'd rather see a cultural change than a political one, in this case. Because I believe that when two lives are in conflict, if there's a solution that has the best possible outcome for both parties involved, it should be taken. Yes, there are times when abortion is appropriate. I don't think "I don't feel like having a baby" is one of those times, but I do want to see resources in place for women who are pregnant but not yet ready to raise the child.
no subject
"unless you want to defend the sacred rights of all the sperm that die in condoms or tissues or teenage boys' crusty socks because they're prevented from fulfilling their biologically intended destiny of fertilizing eggs."
A sperm by itself will not become a person. Terminating a living person is a totally different thing from preventing the creation of that person in the first place. The latter I am very much in favor of (though of course condoms are not foolproof, etc. etc.)
"As such, in the absence of such a consensus, I once again say that the only people who should be making this decision are the women whose bodies these fetuses are growing inside of."
I guess I think human life is too precious to gamble on. Is it a person or not? The idea that it might not be isn't enough to go by, if you ask me.
Of course, "personhood" is nothing more than a definition - nothing more than a word. What is important to me is the emphasis that ALL human life is precious and has intrinsic value.
Believe me, I am not (as some people would like to believe...) a raging woman-hating reactionary monster. I favor programs that connect women to other options and support over the immediate de-legalization of abortion. I'd rather see a cultural change than a political one, in this case. Because I believe that when two lives are in conflict, if there's a solution that has the best possible outcome for both parties involved, it should be taken. Yes, there are times when abortion is appropriate. I don't think "I don't feel like having a baby" is one of those times, but I do want to see resources in place for women who are pregnant but not yet ready to raise the child.