A Secular Defense of Pro-Life - 2727 Words

A Secular Defense of Pro-Life The pro-life stance on abortion is often associated with and defended by traditional Christian beliefs , ; however, this paper will argue that it can and should be defended with secular arguments that appeal to reason and our shared human condition. This paper will try and counter the notion that the argument is simply another battlefield where religion and secular thought meet. Rather, it is an important issue that carries with it heavy implications not only for the religious but also for the secular. The major arguments discussed include the emotional and physical toll on the mother, the societal toll of having abortion legalized, and the rights attributed to every human being; first, however, the stance†¦show more content†¦While parts of both may be true, both cannot stand side by side as completely true when discussing abortion. As they stand today, fetus rights and female rights are incompatible in arena of abortion. Even the â€Å"other side† agrees that the tw o cannot stand shoulder to shoulder. In a chapter entitled â€Å"Abortion Does Not Violate Human Rights†, Christian Beenfeldt quotes Brian McKinely when claiming that female rights have a higher precedence than fetus rights: â€Å"It’s actually quite simple. You cannot have two entities with equal rights occupying one body. One will automatically have veto power over the other.† So one question remains, which more important, fetus rights or female rights? The winner of this question can be decided by one simple factor: is the fetus to be considered a true, living human being at the point of conception, or does true human life not begin until after birth? A clarification should be made here, however. In this paper it will be assumed that everyone involved in this debate considers a newborn child to be a human being. That is, at the moment of birth, a child either becomes a human being or continues to be a human being; regardless of the fetus’s life state before birth, it will be assumed that all agree that birth â€Å"confirms†, so to speak, the life and human existence of the newborn. However, because the definition of life and where it starts can be considered unclear, twoShow MoreRelatedReligious Violence On The Mind Of God1240 Words   |  5 PagesBuddhism. The author’s interview brings to light the Tibetan Buddhism concept of phoa, that â€Å"consciousness can be transferred from the living to the dead to elevate their spiritual merit†. In result, this is received as permission to take someone s life. If someone is morally unsound, killing them would allow their souls opportunity to pertain better morality. These interviews allow Juergensmeyer to further concretes his argument of â€Å"mores and symbols† that justify acts of religious violence. 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