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Author Topic:   When does human life begin?
nwr
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Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


(6)
Message 10 of 327 (649430)
01-23-2012 10:14 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by shadow71
01-23-2012 8:41 AM


If the question is about biologically human life, then biological life is continuous. There isn't a beginning point, though presumably there was long long ago.
If destroying biologically human life is murder, then I commit murder whenever I nick myself while shaving.
If, on the other hand, "human life" refers to being a moral agent, then that agency slowly develops over the first few years after birth. It does not suddenly jump into existence.
If "human life" is to be taken from the way some religious conservatives behave, then human life begins at conception, and ends at birth (at which time the newborn becomes an economic burden on the taxpayer, rather than a human).
Personally, I happen to believe that the pregnant woman is a moral agent, and deserves the right to make decisions for herself.
If male legislators believe they have the responsibility to control the use of sex organs, I suggest they work on controlling the use of the penis.

Jesus was a liberal hippie

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by shadow71, posted 01-23-2012 8:41 AM shadow71 has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 11 by Larni, posted 01-23-2012 10:20 AM nwr has seen this message but not replied
 Message 34 by shadow71, posted 01-23-2012 7:26 PM nwr has replied

  
nwr
Member
Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


Message 43 of 327 (649516)
01-23-2012 10:03 PM
Reply to: Message 34 by shadow71
01-23-2012 7:26 PM


nwr writes:
If, on the other hand, "human life" refers to being a moral agent, then that agency slowly develops over the first few years after birth. It does not suddenly jump into existence.
shadow71 writes:
Is it your moral viewpoint that until about a few years after birth it's ok for the "moral agent" the mother to terminate the "life" she gave birth to?
No. And I'll thank you not to make such insinuations.
The OP only asked about when life begins. It did not ask about terminating life. I responded only to what was asked. And you should have responded to only what I wrote.

Jesus was a liberal hippie

This message is a reply to:
 Message 34 by shadow71, posted 01-23-2012 7:26 PM shadow71 has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 106 by shadow71, posted 01-25-2012 3:22 PM nwr has replied

  
nwr
Member
Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


Message 123 of 327 (649823)
01-25-2012 5:16 PM
Reply to: Message 106 by shadow71
01-25-2012 3:22 PM


shadow71 writes:
Do I understand that your postion is that human life begins over the first few years after birth?
No, you evidently don't.
I think I was clear enough. Moral agency develops over the first few year. "Human life" is too broad a term to be definable or to be useful.

Jesus was a liberal hippie

This message is a reply to:
 Message 106 by shadow71, posted 01-25-2012 3:22 PM shadow71 has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 130 by shadow71, posted 01-25-2012 7:20 PM nwr has replied

  
nwr
Member
Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


(1)
Message 136 of 327 (649848)
01-25-2012 10:09 PM
Reply to: Message 130 by shadow71
01-25-2012 7:20 PM


shadow71 writes:
Could you possibly define "moral agency" for me.
I imagine that's probably a full semester class in philosophy or theology.
shadow71 writes:
I am of the opinion that human life at some point begins. Do you deny that propostion?
I agree with the proposition that you have opinions. But, not being a mind reader, I am not going to guess what those opinions are.
This is mostly a ridiculous discussion. We can get along quite well without having a precise determination of what it means to say that human life begins.

Jesus was a liberal hippie

This message is a reply to:
 Message 130 by shadow71, posted 01-25-2012 7:20 PM shadow71 has seen this message but not replied

  
nwr
Member
Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


(2)
Message 322 of 327 (651514)
02-07-2012 7:56 PM


Playing definition games
From Genesis 2:7 "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
We could define dust as the beginning of human life. But that would not stop people from using vacuum cleaners to dispose of dust. This thread was an attempt to play a definition game for rhetorical purposes. It was pointless.

Jesus was a liberal hippie

  
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