[Vision2020] Response to Abortion Post

[nickgier at adelphia.net]

Dear Melynda and Ted,

If you want to continue this discussion I suggest that you read my full article at http://users.adelphia.net/~nickgier/abortion.htm.  The distinction between beginning and actual persons should take care of most of the concerns about eugenics.  Melynda, you will have to admit that most of the mentally disabled (is this PC?), while having a serious moral right to life, do not have the duties and responsibilities as actual, adult persons.  Even though it is awkward (and perhaps too cute), "beginning person" is a better term that calling this people "children."  My point about those with Down Syndrome is that many of them are adults with both rights and duties.

Ted, the link that you sent us is just a summary not by a professional philosopher but by a "professional" humanist.  The "liblerals" the author refers to  fail because they do not make the obvious distinction between children with rights but not duties and adults that have both.  By the way, reviving the personhood argument is conservative not liberal, at least in the sense that it is the traditional view.

But Ted's point about second trimester fetuses that survive before explosive brain development is the best objection to my argument that I'v had in the 25 years I've worked on this.  Ted, you really should do that Ph.D.!  It will take me some time to work up a response.

By the way, Ted tangentially appeals to the "potentiality principle" in his thorough comments.  I've responded to this argument at the end of my article.

Thanks for the dialogue.  This is only way that humans will ever approximate the truth.

Nick Gier