Abortion (The Fetal soul)

[Pimpmaster McSlap-Bitch]

Well, the time has come for another controversial and so popular thread. Today it is abortion. What are your views on it? Some call it murder. Some call it... not murder. What do you call it, do you agree with it and most importantly, why do you hold your beliefs?

I believe women should be allowed the right to abort the unborn fetus (Or zygote, whatever). I have always believed this since I came to find out about abortion and after the controversey behind the two major opposing views on it.

There is one major point that forces me to think the way I do; The woman is the one actually giving life to the baby and so, until the life is given completely, has the power to take it away. This is where I think it gets interesting (and controversial); when we enquire into if or when the fetus is actually alive inside the womb and/or if it can be called a human being. And I suppose it depends on what you call a human being and what you call life (if you`re not completely blinded by religious immorality or any kind of ethical disgust or prejudice). The fetus IS growing and it DOES have eyes, a head and body, internal organs and systems, including a growing skeleton. The fetus does require food and water. It's little heart may even be beating. You could say that it is a human being; most people, if not everybody would agree with you there (I`m sure there would be discrepencies about what makes a human being; I`m not going to get into all of that, so we`ll speak biologically). You could also say that it is alive; I prefer to say that it is recieving life. Now when this process of recieving life finishes, I have no idea. I'd like to think it is complete when the fetuses growth is enough for it to be able to live outside of the womb with assistance from MDs or what or whoever. In this way, we can be 100% certain that the baby is alive. I don`t know too much about babies, but something about late abortions, despite my trying to view the topic in an objective nature, seems unethical to me due to the destruction of the living human form. It may sound as if I`ve contradicted myself. Read on...

I don`t think that animal life is completely biological, and I think other pro choice people would agree with me. Life has a lot to do with the mind, more specifically experience. I believe that the unborn fetus simply doesn`t have the experience of life and living, thought, sensation, perception and all that other crap that is bundled with human life. And because it doesn`t, it isn`t human of mind, not completely anyway. Who knows if it even has the will to live.

This is all as far as the state of the fetus goes. The mothers situation is another story, that probably infact deserves it's own thread. If you don`t mind, I`d like to keep this thread with regards to the baby and its wellbeing and life or soul.

So anyway, there are my views, feel free to agree and build upon them, or poke holes in them and provide counter statements.

[Ancient Goddess]

Well, I do agree with you in the sense that it is the mother's choice when it comes down to it, but as far as I believe, the child is living the second the sperm hits the egg. As to your views, Kage, as a human being 'receiving' life, in my opinion it is already living. Not because it has a heart beat or a set of under-developed internal organs, but because it has living tissue. Cells are being made, replicated, and split. A plant does the same thing, so would you say a budding plant is receiving life but is not really living yet just because it isn't at it's expected size? Not likely.

The child's point of view would be something to take into consideration. While it may be considered killing life, the child did not ask to be born and the parents may not be ready. However, if I were talking to the unprepared parents, I would encourage them to adopt rather than abort. In my opinion, give the child a life, since there are a lot of adults who are waiting to adopt.

So there it is, my opinion. Take it or leave it.

[nori]

im blelieve the view of:
it totally the mothers choice until its practically got its legs out.
my views behind that are that the mother should have the option, as its her life that will have the most changes to it from the baby, you may think this is a bit harsh but i feel little compassion to humans, which i why i am never shocked at there demise and have never grieved over a death be it family or not. but thats a different subject.
she is the one that would have to take maturnity leave from work mess up her life, and if she decides to put it up for abortion straight after its born what is she gonna say when everyone she saw while pregnant says "hey hows teh sprog" and what about if you find out last minuete that it could greatly endanger your life to have that child?but i have a picture of a bin full of featuses somewhere on my old pc, so im just sick.
please ignore me

[darkoneofpower]

I aggree with Pimpmater... here's what I think... this is going to come out wrong... but...I don't think in the early stages that the this is human at all.... it's just a cell, like blood. I don't believe it's human until it's capable to comprehend, like in the near the very last stage of pregancy. Early shouldn't matter.

[KitsuneTsuki]

...I suppose this depends on your outlook on life entirely.

Coming from a sort of buddhist thinking, one could say that, while the fetus might not be a true human being yet, it doesn't have any less importance or reason for existing, and thusly we have no place to destroy it simply because we can. All pieces of life are equally important, regardless of how big a purpose they serve. Is an elephant greater than a worm? In size, yes. In purpose, no. Each has it's reason for existing and each contributes within it's means.

I think really, these sorts of debates come down to:

Is ok for humans to play god, to kill and destroy what they wish to further suit their own means?

Personally, I don't think it is.

[DigitalFire]

it may not be right for humans to play god yet we do on a regular basis.

As for my standpoint on this issue, I personally think it's choice made between the mother AND father (assuming one is present at the time of course). This being me and thinking that people in general are scum and the earth is overpopulated as it is then i'm all for abortion.

I have an overly negative view on life, but that's just from personal experiences that have soured my view.