In the last post we discussed just who in the abortion argument is forcing odd views of human value on whom. Pro-life claims enjoy at least two obvious advantages over views supporting abortion which dehumanize the embryo and fetus; they are more simple claims and more inclusive claims. Neither of these advantages is dependent [...]
Does recognizing such an obligation in the context of pregnancy involve treating women as incubators or ‘fetal containers’? Surely not: If I am a pregnant woman, it is no more treating me as an incubator to expect me to respect my baby’s body and allow it to remain within my own than it is treating the baby’s father as a cradle to expect him to avoid violent, reckless or negligent treatment of the baby after birth. At least until such time as other carers can take over, it is reasonable to expect those supporting a child to continue to do so, and in any case, to avoid deliberate harm and/or harmful bodily incursions on the child.
TRANSCRIPT Occasionally someone confronts me after a talk with this comment, “The embryo and fetus are not human beings anymore than an acorn is an oak tree.” I even recently saw a form of this claim while studying academic pro-choice authors. The statement often accompanies a stunned disbelief that this basic fact eludes pro-life advocates. [...]
