Reply #34: Disagree

[calm_blue_ocean]

First, let me say that I am not sure whether a fetus is a human being or is not a human being. I think that is a tough metaphysical issue.

I don't think that the mother should be allowed to decide for the same reason that children should not be allowed to decide whether their ailing, elderly, burdensome parents are still human beings, even if the parents have lost most of their abilities. If these elderly folks really are people, then the adult children (who are economically burdened) are not free to decide otherwise even if they are the caretakers.

I can't think of any other context where private individuals are allowed to decide whether somebody is a human being or not. We used to handle the question of black people's humanity that way, but the law changed in 1865.

It all keeps coming back to the question of why fetuses are not human beings.