xBiophagex
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- Jan 14, 2013
- 15
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- #41
Where am I granted a 'right to my body'? But yes, your right to life supersedes every one of my rights. As an example, you cannot kill someone who breaks into your house unless they represent a threat to your life.Murder is a legal term and abortion is not murder, in a legal sense. I think the question really being argued here is whether she should have the choice at all. If you take the position that the right to life supercedes all other rights, then my right to life supercedes your right to your body. If it does not, then the right to life does not supercede all other rights and the right to life of the fetus does not supercede the right to personal sovereignty of the woman. Whether or not she wishes to allow the fetus to use her body is her choice. Her reasons for that decision are no one else's business.
Ignoring for a moment the fact that the mother's actions are directly responsible for the situation the unborn is in, you are not granted the right to murder simply because one of your rights is violated.If one is going to take a moral position, especially if one intends to impose that position upon others, then that position needs to be consistent. I firmly believe a fetus should have all of the rights of any other human being, but no other human being has the right to use the body of another without that person's consent. I do not believe a fetus holds rights beyond that of other human beings, or that a pregnant woman somehow loses rights others have.
As to choices. You can choose to offer me your kidney in order to save my life. However, you can - at the very last moment - change your mind and refuse to give it to me. Even if that last minute decision results in my death. Because I have no claim to your body without your consent regardless of any promise or prior decision. You can even change your mind on your death bed and I would have absolutely no claim to your corpse, even if that meant my death.
So this argument that the right to life is paramount does not stand up.
In the example you provided, your right to life would not have been violated, as in no one would be taking your life away from you. You are not legally compelled to save someone's life unless a crime is being committed. However if my kidney was forcibly taken from me, and I later killed you, I would go to jail, because having a right violated does not give you the right to murder someone else.
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