[Vision2020] A Woman's Right to Choose (where she shops) Hangs
inthe Balance
joekc at adelphia.net
joekc at adelphia.net
Wed Jan 18 14:50:33 PST 2006
Today I asked this question in my undergraduate seminar on Action, Ethics, and Responsibility:
Is the disagreement about abortion primarily a disagreement about moral claims or a disagreement about metaphysical claims (one with ethical implications, no doubt)?
We all agree -- I think -- that innocent persons should not be needlessly put to death. Isn't one primary disagreement in the abortion debate about what it means to be a person, which is a metaphysical disagreement? (I'm not trying to diminish the claim but to locate it.)
Best, Joe
---- J Ford <privatejf32 at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Just for the sake of clarification ONLY, what does this mean:
>
>
> " I find it interesting that you believe so much in a woman's right to
> choose to abort a fetus, OR ANOTHER DEVELOPING HUMAN..."
>
>
> J :]
>
>
>
>
> >From: Donovan Arnold <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>
> >To: Nick Gier <ngier at uidaho.edu>, vision2020 at moscow.com
> >Subject: Re: [Vision2020] A Woman's Right to Choose (where she shops) Hangs
> >inthe Balance
> >Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 14:18:15 -0800 (PST)
> >
> >Nick,
> >
> > I find it interesting that you believe so much in a woman's right to
> >choose to abort a fetus, or another developing human, but yet at the same
> >time oppose her right to shop at a store of her choosing, like Wal-Mart.
> >
> > It just seems ironic, doesn't it?
> >
> > Mind you, I am opposed to legally preventing abortion. But if I had to
> >prioritize limiting a women's right to choice, it would be to limit her
> >options to a kill a developing human being over that of where she buys
> >hamburger buns.
> >
> > Thoughts?
> >
> > -DJA
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Nick Gier <ngier at uidaho.edu> wrote: Greetings:
> >
> > Before this goes out to the usual venues, I wanted Visionaries to have
> >a first read if they wish. If you find typos or more substantial points
> >to debate, let me know. I'm glad that I can spell that last phrase better
> >than Doug Farris.
> >
> > A WOMAN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE HANGS IN THE BALANCE
> >
> > By Nick Gier
> >
> >
> > During his confirmation hearings many Americans were relieved
> >to hear that John Roberts believes that the Constitution contains a right
> >to privacy. He also considers Roe vs. Wade to be “settled law.” In
> >recent hearings to replace Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court,
> >Samuel Alito agreed with Roberts on the first point but not on the second.
> >
> > O’Connor is the author of the significant proviso “no undue burden,”
> >which limits the state’s power to restrict a woman’s right to choose. In
> >one decision O’Connor ruled that it was indeed an “undue burden” that a
> >woman must get her husband’s permission to have an abortion. In a dissent
> >in the 3rd District Court of Appeals Judge Alito argued that any state has
> >a right to require a woman to do just that.
> >
> > A right of privacy is not specifically granted in the Constitution, but
> >it is strongly implied therein. Americans have an inalienable right to
> >hold their own beliefs, to act according to the dictates of their own
> >consciences, and the “right . . . to be secure in their persons, houses,
> >papers, and effects. . . ” (4th Amendment). The right of privacy follows
> >from the basic American belief that people are autonomous beings, which
> >means that they have a right to determine their own lives without
> >government interference.
> >
> > During the Alito hearings there was grandstanding from both sides of the
> >aisle, but the worst offender was Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. Coburn
> >repeatedly said that the science of fetal development should compel the
> >Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade. To bolster his argument Coburn
> >added he had delivered 4,000 babies in his career as an obstetrician.
> >
> > I’ve taught over 6,000 students and I hope that they have better
> >reasoning skills than the good senator. Coburn stated that the early
> >fetus has brain waves and a heart beat, but animal fetuses have these as
> >well. What makes humans morally and legally different from animals is
> >that they are persons, not just biological entities.
> >
> > Our moral, religious, and legal tradition has held that persons are
> >rational beings, who are able to determine their own lives significantly
> >different from the ways they guide their children or control their
> >animals. Several footnotes to Roe vs. Wade reference this long tradition,
> >and I believe that the justices had sufficient reason to rule that the
> >early fetus is not a person.
> >
> > At the beginning of the third trimester, the fetal brain undergoes
> >explosive brain development. At 25 weeks the brain cells are very poorly
> >connected and the neocortex, the center of higher brain function, is
> >undeveloped. At 33 weeks those same cells have thousands of connections
> >and the neocortex has the six layers of the mature brain.
> >
> > This brain is significantly different from most animal brains, which can
> >form the physical basis for protecting the legal rights of a “beginning
> >person,” a being with a serious moral right to life. This argument is far
> >superior to fetal viability, a criterion that, as Senator Coburn pointed
> >out, is vulnerable to technological advances in preserving the lives of
> >premature fetuses. Fetal brain development will not change except for
> >major and immoral genetic engineering.
> >
> > My argument gives expectant mothers the same six months’ freedom from
> >state interference but with a stronger legal foundation. The is also a
> >nice logical symmetry between starting a person's life at this point and
> >then legally ending it when the brain no longer functions. It’s also
> >imperative to note that 88 percent of all American abortions occur within
> >13 weeks of conception, long before any major elements of a person's life
> >develops.
> >
> > Anti-abortionists claim that abortion causes health problems for women
> >who submit to them. These same people, however, do very little to support
> >the social services and accurate information that would make abortions
> >safer, earlier, and rarer, as is the case in most other industrialized
> >countries. For example, in Belgium and the Netherlands there are 7
> >abortions per 1,000 women as opposed to 23 per 1,000 in the U.S.
> >
> > The most horrendous effects on female health are found in countries that
> >do not allow reproductive freedom, and the Bush administration’s
> >restrictions on family planning in foreign aid are making this problem
> >worse. With a little over half the population, Brazilian women have more
> >abortions than American women do. Eastern Europe has the highest rate in
> >the world: a staggering 90 unsafe abortions per 1,000 women. Generally
> >speaking, the rate of abortion appears to be directly proportional to the
> >restrictions placed on sex education and reproductive freedom.
> >
> > As we acknowledge the 33rd anniversary of Roe vs. Wade on January 22,
> >we should heed the heed the results of a recent Harris Poll: 70 percent
> >said that they would oppose Alito if he intends to overturn this landmark
> >decision. The choice for America is clear. We can continue to protect a
> >woman’s right to determine her own life, or we can deny her this right and
> >force her to face unhealthy and sometimes deadly alternatives to safe,
> >legal abortions.
> >
> > Nick Gier taught religion and philosophy at the University of Idaho for
> >31 years. For more on the topic see
> >www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/abortion.htm.
> >
> > _____________________________________________________
> > List services made available by First Step Internet,
> > serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> > http://www.fsr.net
> > mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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> http://www.fsr.net
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