The Ongoing Attempt to Justify Murder
Cory at the Madville Times is excited because he thinks he's finally found a way to justify abortion: a "fetus" (a human fetus?) and an adult are "different," and that people disagree on criminal penalties.
How is a human "fetus" different than a human "adult?" Perhaps it's because they're different in things like size, development, their environment and their level of dependency.
The human fetus is a lot smaller than the human adult. Oh, but toddlers are smaller than human adults, too. Does that mean they aren't human? Should we allow toddlers to be killed for convenience?
Well, the human fetus isn't nearly as fully developed as the human adult. Oh, but 5-year-old girls aren't capable of reproduction as adult females. Five-year-old-boys also aren't capable of reproduction like adult males, either. They're also a lot smaller, don't have the same set of teeth that adults have, and so on. Does that mean these 5-year-olds aren't human? Do they lack value because of their lack of development? Should we allow 5-year-olds lacking in development to be killed?
Okay, but the human fetus is inside the womb, while human adults are outside the womb. What, you say location doesn't change the worth and dignity of a human being? You mean I'm worth just as much on this side of the street as that side of the street? I have the same human dignity in Asia as I do in South America? You mean I'm just as human in orbit or walking on the moon as I am here on earth? You mean a child has the same human value when they're being carried on daddy's back as they do when they're walking on their own, or the baby has just as much value being held in someone's arms as they do when they're an adult holding another baby?