Quote:
Originally Posted by peter12
Dude, your libertarian streak should be screaming bloody murder. Life is important, no matter who it is. People with Down Syndrome or Autism are just as much a part of the human experience as people without these disorders.
As for the SSM vs Abortion debate, I don't think they are part of the same suite of issues. I have no problem with homosexuality and I have no problem with homosexual couples who wish to have the same taxation and legal rights extended to them. That is a private and individual right.
Abortion to me is different. I really hesitate at calling it a private issue. While some women may say, "it's my body" and somehow insinuate that the fetus is an appendage or growth of their body, it's the same to me as the slaveowner saying "that man is my property." Some decisions aren't ours to make.
Now of course, abortion does boil down to a choice that women will make. We should be careful to present a full range of options to pregnant women that include a lot of other things besides an abortion. We have a choice to do everything, doesn't mean we should do them.
|
Part of being truly free is the freedom from other people's moralities and sentiments though, that in my mind is the true essence of Liberty. Who is truly to say that abortion of a mentally disabled fetus is wrong? We as society may not like it, but thats as far as our rights go. We might think havin' "got dang queeers" walking around is detrimental to society and will destroy the family unit. Others feel the same about divorce. But again, that is as far as their rights go. Once they try to interfere with those rights, we consider them wrong and often, criminally liable.
As for basic abortion, the big question for me is, is it yet an autonomous life-form. The medical answer is technically not until 24 weeks, when it becomes viable for it to survive away from its mother. So, from my POV, post 24 week abortions are wrong. I would never do it past 24 weeks... hell, if I ever had to get one, it would likely be in the first 15 weeks, because that means contraception failed. Ethically, doctors tend to refuse third trimester abortions, largely on these grounds.
People talk about damage to the fabric of society. I once again raise this point. During the 1970s and 1980s, abortion rates rose dramatically... as these rates increased, crime began to drop. Why? Because less children were being born into desolate and miserable existences and being forced into crime. Crime that has tangible victims. Again, simply giving a child up for adoption is not an option either. People for some reason think it is. If that was the case, there would be no orphans around. Fact is, there are millions of unwanted children with no waiting adopters.
Lastly, the "Human Experience" is largely in the eye of the beholder.
To some, living with severe autism or down syndrome isn't life at all. It destroys marriages, mentally damages parents who aren't capable of coping, and puts a huge strain on everyone around them. Sentencing them to a life of suffering.
To others, life is sacrosanct, whether or not they are capable of stringing more than a single thought together, or whether or not they have a basic comprehension of the world, or regardless if a machine is keeping them alive. That is their CHOICE. A free society allows these choices without judgment.