| Starboy, I think I understand what you are saying about no brain, no human. I don't really believe this is a valid argument in the case of a developing human. If you read my earlier posts I said I lost a son very early after birth due to complications. It was due to a malformed brain. He was very much human to me and does have a name and a death certificate and a birthday that I remember every year. I think what you mean is no self awareness = no human(ity). I could more understand this, as it was put forth in the Terri Schiavo case. I also posted before that life shouldn't be "inflicted" on people with no hope. Like Carriew my second pregnancy was a nightmare. Rh incompatibility threatened the life of my unborn child. Unlike her I would never undo a tubal ligation. Too much stress for me and I don't think my genes have to be duplicated over and over.
Northtexan, I am not religious and I am more pro choice than not for all the reasons you state, BUT, if an abortion is done it should be as early in the pregnancy as possible, definatly before eight weeks, and not used strictly for birth control. The parent should also be aware that though this being looks like a clump of cells it is alive and a growing "being that is human" and removing it from it's mother's body will kill it. If you abort a pregnancy then you should be prepared to live with this fact. This thread is about whether or not the zygote is alive, not self aware and it is alive from the moment of conception. In my son's case had he lived to 100 years he would probably not have developed self awareness but he was no less human than any of us on the board. |