Abortion

I found the image above online. I have no idea
who it is or whom to credit for the photo.

My Stance

Hypothetical Conversation with an Anti-Abortion Person



My Stance

I'm pro-choice. I dislike the label "pro-life" that abortion opponents have chosen for themselves because it implies that people like me are "pro-death". No, I am not pro-death, I'm pro-whatever the pregnant woman decides, and if she chooses life for her fetus, then that's perfectly fine. 

A more correct label for "pro-life" would be "anti-choice" or "pro-womb-parasite" because essentially, that's what a fetus is: A parasite on the woman's body. What is a parasite? It's an organism that takes nutrients from the host and contributes nothing in return. Women should have every right to remove a parasite from their bodies, regardless of its DNA signature.

At this point, most Christians will think I'm Satan himself because I referred to a helpless, defenseless little baby that's growing in her mommy's womb as a parasite. "What do you expect?" the Christian says, "He's an atheist! Of course he's going to advocate baby killing because there's a dark blob of evil goo where his soul should be."

I certainly agree that I don't have a soul because souls are supernatural and as I've explained here I don't believe in anything supernatural. So why exactly is it wrong to kill a fetus?  I don't know and I don't see a problem with it.  Upon hearing this, the average anti-choice person will say something irrational and predictable like "How would you like it if your mom aborted you?"   Do I really have to explain why that's an irrational question? I suppose I do.

If I were aborted, I wouldn't exist. If I don't exist, I can neither like nor dislike anything because... I don't exist. You have to be alive and conscious in order to like or dislike something.  So the question is essentially asking "How would you like it if you weren't alive to like or dislike anything?"  The answer to the question is in the question itself.  Let's say there was a fetus that was aborted in 2004.  Today it's 2014.  How does that non-existent person who was aborted ten years ago feel about being aborted?  Do they like or dislike not existing?  And what about all those millions of people who don't exist because of condoms and the pill? I bet they really hate the fact that they don't exist. They probably cry themselves to sleep every night because the pain of non-existence is so great.  Okay, enough silliness.

Below is a hypothetical conversation with an Anti-Abortion person:

Anti-Abortion guy: "I am pro-life. So you think it's okay to kill babies?"

Me: "We're talking about the abortion of fetuses. There's a difference between a fetus and a baby."

"What's the difference?"

"A baby can survive outside the womb."

"Why does that matter? Whether we're talking about a baby or a fetus, it's still a human life."

"Correct."

"Since there's not much physical difference between a 3rd-trimester fetus and a prematurely born baby, and since you think it's okay to kill a 3rd-trimester fetus, it logically follows that you think it's okay to kill babies."

"Well, sometimes."

"SOMETIMES? Are you saying there are conditions under which it is moral to kill a living, breathing baby?"

"Yes."

"Have you gone completely mad? Even most atheists agree that killing babies is immoral!"

"When it comes to euthanizing infants, I'm not most atheists. As I indicate here, my morals are based on the prevention of suffering, not on saving lives."

"So when is it moral to kill a baby?"

*** WARNING: The next three links point to disturbing images of deformed infants ***

"It is moral to kill a baby when it has an incurable disease such that it cannot have a satisfactory life.  I realize that "satisfactory life" is a matter of opinion, but in my opinion it is moral to end the life of a baby suffering from harlequin ichthyosis, anencephaly, radiation poisoning, or some other severe mental retardation or physical deformity."

"So in your perfect world, if both parents agree to kill their retarded three-year-old child, it will be legal?"

"As long as it's done humanely, yes."

"So you're advocating the murder of children now?"

"Murder is the unlawful killing of another.  In my perfect world it will be lawful so it won't be murder, it will be euthanasia.  Explain why it is okay to put down a dog at an animal shelter but not a child at a hospital."

"Because a child is not a dog!"

"Thanks for that predictable answer which also happens to work in reverse. I can claim that it's moral to put down a child but not a dog. Why? Because a child is not a dog!  Such an answer does nothing to answer my question of why one is moral while the other is not. I'm well aware that a child is not a dog but my question still stands: What rational, logical reason is there that gives moral permission to put down a sick dog but not a sick child?"

"I can't believe you're seriously asking this! I'm not going to stoop to your level of moronic morality to answer that."

"So you're evading the question. How typical of religious people: when faced with a difficult question, they simply run away."

"Okay I'll play your silly game. It's wrong to kill children because humans have rights, human life is precious, it's inherently valuable, it's sacred, it's a God-given gift which is not for YOU to take away!"

"I'm an atheist so life has no inherent value, it's not a God-given gift because there is no God, and it's not sacred because the word "sacred" loses all meaning once you get rid of God. As for natural rights or human rights, there's no such thing.  All rights are given to us by government or whoever happens to be in charge, which means rights can easily be taken away. In my perfect world, infants will not have the right to life so it will be legal to end their lives under certain circumstances."

"I think it should be legal to end YOUR life."

"Well, no I shouldn't be killed because that would cause my friends and relatives to suffer, which is bad."

"Who cares? As long as your atheistic baby-murdering ass is dead."

"Wait a minute, what ever happened to human life being precious and sacred? From your point of view, my life is valuable. Does that no longer apply merely because of the ideas I've expressed?  Does human life cease to be precious and sacred merely because the human in question has certain thoughts in his head?  I've never killed anything bigger than a spider nor have I ever encouraged anyone to have an abortion. I'm just expressing my thoughts and you're saying it's okay to kill me because of this? 

"Okay I get your point.  Still, you think it should be legal to murder innocent children!"

"Murder is, by definition, illegal. In my perfect world it will be legal, so it won't be murder. It'll just be the humane euthanization of a horribly crippled child per the wishes of the parents."

"Your perfect world is horrible."

"That's just your opinion. In my opinion, it's perfect."