The state of young women
(mobile.twitter.com)
You're viewing a single comment thread. View all comments, or full comment thread.
Comments (150)
sorted by:
Bacterium isn't plural.
Correct. The relevance of that is zero, because functionally, it is indistinguishable from a bacterium. It is not conscious and cannot see, think, hear, etc.
Sufficient levels of difference to dismiss the notion that these are in any way comparable and should be entitled to the same level of protection.
This, however, is a fairly good point. I'd argue for drawing the line safely, at a point where it is manifest that we are not talking about a creature of the same level as a human being. First trimester.
I agree. I think banning abortion would have desirable effects (or rather, never legalizing it would have prevented adverse effects, I am not sure you can put the genie back into the bottle). That said, the conception standard does not make logical sense to me.
Bacteria is plural. Bacterium is singular. A woman begetting even a single bacterium is still impossible.
If you can't distinguish a bacteria from a zygote you've got a really shitty microscope or you're blind. They are exceedingly different, and trivially distinguishable. I once worked in a micro lab, high school students can tell a eukaryotic cell from a prokaryotic. Easy peasy.
The more important thing to note is that a bacterium remains such. A human zygote unless killed will develop into a human embryo, than fetus, then infant, child, adult, and senescence and die unless it is killed prematurely.
How is drawing the line at first trimester, or 12/13 weeks not entirely arbitrary? Something physical/biological you want to tie it to? Because people will just say whatever age you draw the line to get what they want.
Your arbitrary pregnancy week line makes no logical sense to me, is not based in any biological or moral distinction of significance.
Yes, and then you would precede the word with an article.
Why would the human zygote be entitled to more protection based on potential?
You may as well ask at what point a single grain of wheat becomes a heap. Just like the age for driving, there has to be some cut-off point that is reasonable, and that may be considered arbitrary by some, but not unreasonable.
Potential really has little to do with it, and did I say that it was entitled to "more" protection?
A sperm and egg have potential....to become a human zygote...our first stage of development.
A zygote has realized its potential to become human. It will only continue to develop more completely over time.
I think a reasonable cut off point is conception...it's biologically distinct and knowable. It's stringent and so will prevent the problem with time based cutoffs (which are determined by last menstrual period, which isn't verifiable) being at best approximate. At least driving age is based on your birthdate, trivially verifiable.