on abortion, i suppose

so i copied the important chunks of this post to start a new topic, "intellectual laziness," on a discussion group.

a participant responded with this:

I can appreciate your short essay on intellectual laziness and it makes perfect sense, no one should make a choice without doing their homework.

I will, however, take up the issue with you where you compared the death penalty to abortion. There is absolutely no comparison there whatsoever and whoever stuck that one in your head needs theirs examined. The death penalty is for one who made a conscious decision to take another's life, usually in an extremely violent way, one who has been deemed a menace to others in society and has lost their right to exist. Thereby comparing the two is basically comparing the child's life to that of a serial killer, rapist, or murderer; how can you really do that? I am not debating the abortion issue, because at first it sounded like you disagree with abortion, but I am debating the fact that it was compared to the death penalty or at least insinuated that it was wrong to be pro-death penalty but yet be anti-abortion.

GOD! i hate that debate. it is USELESS! an excerpt of my response:

my point though was not to inject my own views to the matter, but rather to provide an example. and i'd rather not debate social issues here. (at the end of the day, does it affect our country as a whole whether one can choose abortion, or whether gay people can marry each other? does it affect your quality of life? hmm... i'll have to think about my own question here, but i'm leaning towards "no"; at least i would answer no to that last question) let's talk about something more global!

so, since i requested we NOT debate social issues in the forum, i leave it to my blog to give me the space to talk about them! har har har, and i can delete comments if i get any wacko responses.

before thinking too hard about it though, i've come to the conclusion that the pro-life yet pro-death penalty dichotomy really does not merit real debate; as it is a social issue one has to ask, at then end of the day, does it really matter?

for the sake of thoroughness, i will think it through NOW and record my thoughts:

• abortion=death (if you're pro-life); death penalty=death


• algebraeically, abortion=death penalty


• aside: I INSINUATED NOTHING


• does it affect me? imagine it were illegal. people would still try to have abortions, leading to more health issues related to "coat hanger" abortions, leading to more (uninsured?) people in the hospitals, leading to a higher toll on the taxpayer when it comes to healthcare


• does it affect me on a personal level? not really. i'm quite certain i would not have an abortion, but it's reassuring to know the option is there. and since i've never been in a situation that would require me to go through with a pregnancy or and abortion, i can't say with 100% certainty what i would do


• a death is a death is a death, no?


• where is forgiveness? y'all who talk about JEEEE-sus are all about forgiveness; why should it matter what the sin is? sure, violent criminals should be kept off the streets, but should they not be allowed a chance to change their ways?


• i (most likely) wouldn't get an abortion myself, but that doesn't mean it should be illegal; some people could easily have an abortion with no moral dilemma


• and don't accuse me of "moral relativism"


• i believe in a universal morality


• ok so maybe it has affected me on a personal level: my sister (the one who just had a kid) made that decision once before. the second time she got pregnant, though, she had the child, and i'm happy about that


• not sure how i would have felt about her carrying the first child though; this was just before her super-always-drunk phase


• and honestly, thinking this through is quite tiresome because there aren't any right answers. killing someone is killing someone is killing someone, right? it makes no differenc whether they deserved it, because who are we to decide what "deserved" means?

argh. enough of that; it's giving me a headache.

oh, one thing i forgot to mention though. yesterday i drove past a church that had a banner on the outside that said, "pray for an end to abortion." that made me think. what are y'all planning on doing to help cover the burden of all those new mouths to feed? all those unwanted pregnancies that will leave many children abandoned on your very doorstep? yes, people should be responsible when it comes to sex (so why won't you approve handing out free condoms?) but condoms aren't 100% effective, and the pill is expensive and not everyone can (or wants to) take it.