Quote:
Originally Posted by Sean
....it's a cluster of cells that is relatively quickly forming into what will one day be a tiny person. I don't say that to detract from the incredible nature of the cluster of cells, I'm just referring to the issue of what constitutes an individual life
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This is ripe for a thread of its own.
I suppose life is probably too generic a word, too broad, and we need to break it down more than that. Perhaps it's better asking the question, what exactly are we taking away?
In my view, it's more a
potential than it is a self-conscious being with a view of itself continuing into the future. The capacity of the foetus to suffer is nothing like the capacity of the mother to suffer.
For that reason - for me - the mother and the mother alone gets the choice. Every time.
If she wishes to take whatever risks to go through the pregnancy, that's up to her and her alone.
I'm sure we've had a similar discussion to this on here in the past.
Stimpee: I actually kind of appreciated the point you were trying to make re. the fish. If we take sanctity out of the equation, awareness of self and awareness of suffering are very good barometers for what some of us view as morally right or wrong. (I fully recognize that means I'm probably living unethically if not hypocritically in some ways, but I accept that is an inconsistency on my part between my own ideals/ethics and how close I choose to stick to them).