Friday, September 11, 2020

Will reversing Roe save fetuses? Maybe a couple.

Reversing Roe will NOT outlaw abortion, unless you use legal arguments that say that we can show that fetuses are persons in every relevant sense and that laws permitting abortion are in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. That is what the argument would be if you follow pro-life logic out to its logical conclusion, but that is not the argument that people like Scalia use against Roe. They claim, not that the fetus's right to life was denied by Roe, but rather that a woman's right to privacy is not as absolute as Roe implies that it is. Hence, Scalia says, abortion should be decided by democratic choice. He may be right, but democratic choice in most states is going to be on the side of the pro-choice position, except in some Bible Belt states, and even there I doubt that such strong abortion laws are going last very long.

 I've also found it somewhat puzzling that since 1980, most of the Supreme Court Justices have been nominated by Republican Presidents who have been pro-life, and yet Roe is still going strong, supported in many cases by the decisions of those justices put there by Reagan, the Bushes, and Trump. Even Brett Kavanaugh, who did vote with the dissenters in the Louisiana case, tried to send it back to the lower courts to avoid having to rule on it, which is not the actions of someone eager to overturn Roe. And Roberts, well, he didn't even want to overturn precedent on a ruling he opposed a few months earlier, because of stare decisis. What chance is there that he would overturn Roe? I conclude that maybe if Roe had not happened, fetuses might have been saved, but overturning it now would save two fetuses in the State of Mississippi. The horse is out of the barn and not coming back.

I would add that the abortion rate DROPPED during both the Clinton and the Obama administrations. In real practice, Republicans do worse than Democrats at keeping fetuses from being aborted. 

56 comments:

Kevin said...

to ensure the protection of reproductive rights

Every now and then I will go look at images of how developed a fetus is at various points of its life. For example at 13 weeks it is very clearly a small human, with functioning organs, growing bones, unique fingerprints on the way, and vocal cords coming along.

I then will read detailed descriptions of exactly what happens to it during an abortion. For the fetus, abortion is gruesome no matter which method is used.

I usually read these descriptions of fetal deaths whenever someone claims they are protecting reproductive rights, because the fetal death methods are what they are donating money to protect.

At that age they can suck their thumbs.

bmiller said...

How ridiculous conservatives are. They keep thinking outlawing things will somehow stop certain behaviors. Be a progressive. Legalize pedophilia.

Kevin said...

So then you would be ok with the morning after pill which prevents pregnancy?

Less than ideal but infinitely better than killing a 13 week old.

StardustyPsyche said...

OP
"Reversing Roe will NOT outlaw abortion,"
Yes it will, in many states that have anti abortion laws that are presently unenforceable due to Supreme Court rulings.

"woman's right to privacy is not as absolute as Roe implies that it is"
No such absolute right was established with Roe or subsequent rulings that replaced the trimester framework with the test of viability.

The right to life of the viable unborn supersedes the right to privacy of the mother. That is how the law stands in the USA today.

"In real practice, Republicans do worse than Democrats at keeping fetuses from being aborted. "
It's called birth control.

Kevin said...

It's called birth control

And this is why I'm so irritated by Republicans and pro-life groups. They should be passing out birth control like Skittles to stop abortions.

bmiller said...

Most Evangelicals I know are for chastity. That may have something to do with it.

bmiller said...

The intentional killing of innocent human beings was considered OK in pagan times.

Aristotle thought the population of Athens should remain remain around 5400 and so abortion should be used to maintain that number. Rome had the pater familias who being the head of the family could allow or disallow an abortion both Greeks and Romans and could decide to kill their children by abandonment.

It's not surprising then, that as people abandon Christianity that they return to the ancient irrational and evil of the old pagan days.

Where do you fit in? HERE.

bmiller said...

It's all a matter of who you serve.

You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes
Indeed you're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody

You might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage
You may be a business man or some high-degree thief
They may call you doctor or they may call you chief
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes you are
You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody

One Brow said...

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody


I prefer to serve the existent. My family, my students, researchers, humanity.

Victor Reppert said...

If the belief that abortion is morally unacceptable depends on the belief that Christianity is true, then you have a substantial argument AGAINST having laws against abortion. Church and state are separated in America, and laws that have a purely religious basis are considered problematic on that account. That is why Biden is pro-life on religious ground but pro-choice for the purposes of government.

bmiller said...

Victor,

If the belief that abortion is morally unacceptable depends on the belief that Christianity is true, then you have a substantial argument AGAINST having laws against abortion.

I suppose a relativist pagan might consider the argument substantial. Lots of people think they have substantial arguments for pedophilia also.

bmiller said...

Like the people advertising 'Sexy Casino'.

Kevin said...

That is why Biden is pro-life on religious ground but pro-choice for the purposes of government.

Which means he supports the killing of the unborn, because anyone who has put even a moment's worth of thought into the issue can argue the pro-life position without resorting to anything religious in nature. If a career politician like Biden can't do it, then he's not pro-life, or he cares so little about the issue that he may as well not be.

bmiller said...

Interesting that even a majority of Catholics support a woman's right to have an abortion.

Which is a good reason to stop citing opinions of Boomer Catholics regarding what the Church teaches. Just one more reason why their progeny hate the Boomers. It's plain who they serve.

bmiller said...

I just saw a poll that said 100% of Moloch worshippers thought child sacrifice was just fine.

bmiller said...

Here's why

Kevin said...

As do most Americans.

And 89 percent of Germans supported Hitler amassing greater power.

A majority can have twisted views while not recognizing that fact, or justifying it for some other reason.

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One Brow said...

Legion of Logic,
Which means he supports the killing of the unborn, because anyone who has put even a moment's worth of thought into the issue can argue the pro-life position without resorting to anything religious in nature.

I'm sure we agree a position can be rationally argued and rationally defended, yet be rationally disagreed with, especially when conflicting rights are at stake.

bmiller said...

Legion,

Which means he supports the killing of the unborn, because anyone who has put even a moment's worth of thought into the issue can argue the pro-life position without resorting to anything religious in nature.

Maybe there is always something religious in nature about everyone's beliefs whether they admit it (to themselves or you) or not. After all, "You're gonna have to serve somebody".

bmiller said...

People who support the killing of innocent human beings don't serve Christ.
They serve another entity.

StardustyPsyche said...

bmiller
"People who support the killing of innocent human beings don't serve Christ.
They serve another entity"
Indeed, themselves.

bmiller said...

Hal,

Thank you for your master's perspective. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.

bmiller said...

Like I said.

bmiller said...

Hal,

I'm not accusing these people you claim are 'servants of Christ', I'm accusing you.

bmiller said...

Hal,

You've already falsely accused me of practicing an atheistic apologetics on another thread, so I find it hard to take your accusations seriously.

Your choice to ignore my reasons for making an accusation does not make the accusation false...either there nor here.

I'm making my accusation in this instance because you've already acknowledged to Legion that you understand what you are presently here doing is wrong.

Just because someone claims to be a 'servant of Christ' does not mean that they are actually serving Christ any more than the 89 percent of the Christian German people were actually serving Christ by supporting Hitler.

bmiller said...

There is also a difference between having an opinion that killing the most vulnerable and innocent human beings and actually paying to have it done.

bmiller said...

S/b There is also a difference between having an opinion that killing the most vulnerable and innocent human beings is OK"

bmiller said...

Hal,

I don't understand why you think I am deliberately doing something wrong here.

It's not that difficult. 'Thou shalt not kill' has always been understood to apply to innocent human beings. Regardless of what a person indentifies as, it is wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human being (calling a human being something less has been a common way of justifying the mistreatment of humans).

There are levels of guilt people bear wrt to murdering the innocent. Passively allowing it to happen is one level, actively promoting it is another level, actually paying for it is the same level of guilt as the murderer. You pay to have it done.

Kevin said...

In fact I find it morally reprehensible to oppose the legalization of abortion.

Or, put another way:

"In fact I find it morally reprehensible to oppose the legalization of killing the unborn".

This is what you would believe is a moral failure for not financing. That is...rather sickening.

StardustyPsyche said...

Legion, Hal,
May I suggest that your discussion might benefit from a precise definition of the term "abortion"?

I find that from time to time folks talk past each other when the definition of a key word varies.

To equate "abortion" with "killing the unborn" implicitly assumes that the aborted fetus is an unborn human being with an intrinsic right to life.

I think that for most who favor legal abortions of some sort there is some kind of developmental dividing line in mind when the word "abortion" is used, the idea typically being that the sorts of fetuses that are morally acceptable to abort are not in fact unborn human beings with and intrinsic right to their human lives.

Now, there are those who believe that a fertilized human egg is such an unborn human being with an intrinsic right to human life, but it seems most people do not share that view.

At present the US supreme court uses viability as a proxy for having an intrinsic right to life, that aspect of Roe having been overturned or modified by subsequent rulings.

So, abortion prior to viability is a protected right of the mother under present US law, whereas the federal government does not explicitly protect the life of a post viability human being, rather, leaves it up to the states.

The states, in turn, have a variety of laws that protect post viability unborn human beings to various extents, although a few states have no such protections on the books, hence we have the reality of an American Holocaust against viable unborn human beings centered in Albuquerque NM, USA.

In particular, Legion, I think you will find that those who say they favor legal abortion really mean they favor the option to terminate pregnancies they do not consider to be unborn human beings, while opposing post viability abortions.

bmiller said...

That is...rather sickening.

Yes. This is what evil looks like.

bmiller said...

Hal,

Thanks for confirming my accusation that you serve the devil rather than the Lord.

bmiller said...

I understand. You're serving your master and doing what he wants.

bmiller said...

Hal,

Do you favor legalizing pedophilia also?

Edwardtbabinski said...

According to the Bible one must stone to death anyone who “entices you to follow after other gods,” with no exceptions for pregnant women mentioned.

It was more important to stone a woman to death the day after her wedding night “if she was discovered not to have been a virgin,” than it was to wait and see if she might have conceived new life that night (or already be carrying new life).

It was more important to stone a woman to death for “adultery,” than to wait and see if she might be pregnant.

It was more important to stone a woman to death for “failing to cry out while being raped within earshot of the city,” than it was to spare the life she might have conceived during that ordeal, during which the rapist may have held a knife to her throat, or strangled her into silence and submission.

And what about the test of “bitter water” mentioned in chapter five of the book of Numbers? The test consisted of mixing dust from the floor of the Hebrew tabernacle ("dust" filled with bacteria feasting on the blood and other drippings from animal sacrifices) with “holy water” to make a concoction that a woman drank to test whether or not she had committed adultery. If she had, it says, “her belly will swell and her thigh will rot.” Scholars have pointed out that “thigh” is a euphemism for sexual organs. So if the woman had committed adultery and had conceived as a result, then the “bitter water” would make her "thigh rot” which would probably be equivalent to inducing an abortion. 

What about children who “curse their parents?” The Bible says, “Kill them.” (Ex. ‪21:17‬; Lev. 20:9; Mat. 15:4; Mark 7:10) The Bible does not say how old the child has to be, but it does emphatically state they must “surely be put to death” should they “curse their parents.” 

Those were the good old days, when God fearers had higher priorities than “saving fetal lives.” They were too busy threatening with stoning whomever enticed them to worship other gods, stoning adulteresses, stoning women who were not virgins on their wedding night, stoning women who “failed to cry out” during rape, and stoning sassy children. In other words they were too busy with all of those higher priorities to worry about the fate of any fertilized eggs inside some of the above women.

bmiller said...

Edward,

Do you favor legalizing pedophilia?

One Brow said...

bmiller said...
Hal,

Do you favor legalizing pedophilia also?


Edward,

Do you favor legalizing pedophilia?


These are out-of-the-blue and unworthy of someone who claims to want serious discussion. Or, as Legion of Logic said, "That is...rather sickening."

I appreciate you don't support the right of a woman to defend her body from a zygote/embryo/fetus. There's no need to correlate that with people preying upon children.

StardustyPsyche said...

One Brow,
"the right of a woman to defend her body from a zygote/embryo/fetus."
So you think it is ok to kill a child if that child is attacking a woman.

Presumably you also think it is ok to kill a child who is attacking a man, oh no, you don't, because you are sexist. Women get protection from lethal children but men do not in your bizarre world view.

bmiller said...

How we treat the most innocent and vulnerable human beings is precisely what this discussion is about.

bmiller said...

Hal,

The problem is that he and Legion of Logic seem incapable of discussing anything about the legality of abortion without turning it into an argument against it.

We are discussing the legality of abortion. We are against it. And articulating why. It's because it's evil to intentionally kill innocent human beings.

You actually know that they are innocent human beings that you are paying to kill.

With that background in mind, I have to wonder if you have any boundaries. That's why I asked the pedophilia question (that I'm still waiting for an answer on).

As far as posing the same question to Edward, it's clear that he's an anti-semite, so again I'm wondering where his boundaries are.

Kevin said...

Would kidnapping increase if it was legalized? What would be the economic impact if rape was legalized? Is legalized murder a viable method of population control?

Sure those questions could be asked and debated. But who would enter into a discussion of the economic impact of legalized rape without pointing out the fact that rape is sick and twisted?

Abortion is the killing of the unborn in brutal ways. As far as I'm concerned the thread was derailed at the first post proudly paying for those killings.

bmiller said...

Hal,

The problem with your comparisons of abortion with kidnapping or rape is that they refer to legalizing immoral acts that are already illegal. Quite a different situation from what they OP is referring to: the effect that overturning a previous Supreme Court decision might have on what is already legal.

Quite a good observation. Kidnapping and rape are immoral and so obviously should be illegal...just as killing innocent human beings should be. No justice, no peace.

bmiller said...

Hal,

Also. Do you favor legalizing pedophilia?

One Brow said...

StardustyPsyche,
So you think it is ok to kill a child if that child is attacking a woman.

I'm also a believer in minimum necessary force. I have opined before that I would be in favor of a right to being removed alive for viable fetuses.

Presumably you also think it is ok to kill a child who is attacking a man,

If that is the only option using minimum necessary force. Do you disagree?

oh no, you don't,

As usual, you don't understand me nor what I think, and are much to interested in proving yourself instead of finding out.

One Brow said...

bmiller,
How we treat the most innocent and vulnerable human beings is precisely what this discussion is about.

Women are also human beings, and being innocent/vulnerable does not give you the right to endanger others, even if it is unintentional. Equating the position that women also desrve rights to the position that pedophilia is acceptable is low, vile, loathsome rhetoric designd to inflame rather than illuminate. Most of the time you try to be better than that.

bmiller said...

It's odd see an atheist complaining about the immorality of asking a simple topical question. Especially an atheist that equates vulnerable developing human beings to vile parasitic maggots.

There is no question that progressives are attempting to normalize/legalize pedophilia. I'll have to assume that those that won't answer favor it.

One Brow said...

bmiller,
It's odd see an atheist complaining about the immorality of asking a simple topical question.

There is nothing topical about the question. No important political group is looking to legalize pedophilia.

Especially an atheist that equates vulnerable developing human beings to vile parasitic maggots.

I have agreed at least twice in here the fetuses are persons, a distinction I do not apply to maggots, parasitic or otherwise.

There is no question that progressives are attempting to normalize/legalize pedophilia.

There is no question that you are deluded on this, assuming you are being serious.

I'll have to assume that those that won't answer favor it.

You choose the comfortable lie over the truth.

bmiller said...

No important political group is looking to legalize pedophilia.

Nice phrasing Wormwood.

One Brow said...

bmiller,

I don't deny NAMBLA and similar groups exist. They have no meaningful political power, and are not typically progressive. There are no meaningful progressive groups promoting pedophilia. They all emphasize the importance of consent, and that children are too young to meaningfully consent.

You're accusation is a vile smear.

bmiller said...

One Brow,

When you start complaining about crazy atheists claiming that theists are stoning people to death I'll be able to tell that you have some moral balance. You don't.

bmiller said...

And BTW. I didn't accuse anyone of anything. I asked a question.

You are the only one excited about it. I wonder why.

One Brow said...

bmiller,

When you start complaining about crazy atheists claiming that theists are stoning people to death I'll be able to tell that you have some moral balance. You don't.

Some theists have stoned people to death for religious reasons. People also get stoned to death for non-religious reasons. I don't see that as being a particular indictment against theists, because people (atheist, theist, or whatever) kill each other for all kinds of stupid reasons. Which "crazy atheists" are you talking about, and why does stoning (as opposed to bullets, burning, etc.) particularly stick in your craw?

You are the only one excited about it. I wonder why.

I'm too optimistic. I expected better from you. I still hope for better from you.

bmiller said...

One Brow,

Well this has turned out as I expected. You don't have a clue what I'm talking about. As usual. Have a nice day.

One Brow said...

bmiller,

I criticize atheists from time to time. Here, Edwardtbabinski was claiming that people under the Law didn't worry about whether a woman was pregnant when executing them. I don't know if that is true or not.

Pedophilia is a violation of a child for pleasure. Abortion is a discussion about competing rights (which you seldom take the time to acknowledge), even when you acknowledge the fetus as a person. They are not equivalent.

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