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#26 2007-08-22 2:00 am
- jkahless
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- From: Right in front of you.
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Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
matt wrote:
I weigh that against a lifetime of being raised either with parents who didn't want you, in foster homes, or in poverty, and it seems probable that abortion is frequently the option that inflicts less suffering.
And what weight does that carry? With that logic, there's quite a few million grown people walking around that you should probably kill as well. They'd probably have something to say about it.
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#28 2007-08-22 5:33 am
Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
jkahless wrote:
matt wrote:
I weigh that against a lifetime of being raised either with parents who didn't want you, in foster homes, or in poverty, and it seems probable that abortion is frequently the option that inflicts less suffering.
And what weight does that carry? With that logic, there's quite a few million grown people walking around that you should probably kill as well. They'd probably have something to say about it.
Yeah, well, I do believe you are kind of missing the point entirely.
Perhaps willingly.
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#29 2007-08-22 6:05 am
- jkahless
- Member

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- Posts: 10016
Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
Alien wrote:
jkahless wrote:
matt wrote:
I weigh that against a lifetime of being raised either with parents who didn't want you, in foster homes, or in poverty, and it seems probable that abortion is frequently the option that inflicts less suffering.
And what weight does that carry? With that logic, there's quite a few million grown people walking around that you should probably kill as well. They'd probably have something to say about it.
Yeah, well, I do believe you are kind of missing the point entirely.
Perhaps willingly.
,xtG
.tsooJ
Not too sure how I'm missing the point. Yeah, abortion might lead to less suffering, but that isn't how things work in life. People suffer, and that's part of life, part of humanity. There is no valid point to be made.
I suppose when it comes to moral issues, I've always played it safe. I've always believed that we have no right to take a human life against their will, except in the defense of those we love. Convenience, timing, want, none of those things play into the equation.
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#30 2007-08-22 8:18 am
- Zetetic Apparatchik
- Member

- Registered: 2001-01-07
- Posts: 8250
Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
That's not playing it self, that's believing in a non-obvious sanctity of human life. Playing it safe, is trying to never cause suffering. (Often deaths of humans will cause suffering, for the relatives and so forth left behind.)
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Protest ist, wenn ich sage, das und das paßt mir nicht. Widerstand ist, wenn ich dafür sorge, daß das, was mir nicht paßt, nicht länger geschieht.
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#31 2007-08-22 8:48 am
- NokX
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- From: Knoxville, TN
- Registered: 2000-07-17
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Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
robco wrote:
There are many who feel that reproductive freedom is in fact, a basic human right...
reproductive freedom is thinking about the consequences of unprotected sex before having sex - not deciding later on you don't want to be responsible for the consequences of your own actions.
one could argue that a basic human right is not being killed before having a chance to live.
funny how conservatives want to protect the innocent, and kill the guilty. while the liberals want to kill the innocent, and protect the guilty.
let me go on the record saying that i don't care if you get an abortion or not. that's your conscious. i definitely don't think it should receive a dime of tax payer money, however.
"This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it." Abraham Lincoln
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#32 2007-08-22 9:31 am
- ShnickyShnack
- ::: title edited due to Satanic influences :::

- From: Rockin' out
- Registered: 2001-05-25
- Posts: 22237
Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
I can see how this was a really tough call for Amnesty, for a bunch of reasons. It risks tossing them into a zero-sum political debate, which could risk their efforts in other areas.
Personally Im' not sure this is a wise move. Ethically they're on the right side, but it risks discrediting them among a great many people; anti- people for telling them what to think, pro- people for overlooking anti-abortion policies in certain countries (I mean is Amnesty going to start attacking states that restrict access to abortion??).
Note: please delete this post.
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#33 2007-08-22 9:46 am
- jerwin
- Sophist
- From: The Garden of Pure Ideology
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- Posts: 7055
Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
NokX wrote:
reproductive freedom is thinking about the consequences of unprotected sex before having sex - not deciding later on you don't want to be responsible for the consequences of your own actions.
And if unprotected sex is not a choice one can make?
Some subjects actually enjoy pain, and withhold information they might otherwise have divulged in order to be punished.
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#34 2007-08-22 9:48 am
- HeadonaStick
- Oh, how horrible our Christmas will be!

- From: Scotland, UK
- Registered: 2003-02-11
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Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
NokX wrote:
one could argue that a basic human right is not being killed before having a chance to live.
I've never understood this phrase... either argue the point or don't, stating that an argument could be made for something is pointless. It usually means something more along the lines of, "the unsubstantiated claim that x could be made."
What makes something a basic human right? Is it merely things which have been enshrined in law, or is there some moral fact in the world which we can find through reason? If it could be argued that it is a basic human right to not "be killed before having a chance to live" then please make that argument.
"Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings."
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#35 2007-08-22 10:52 am
- Pithecanthropus
- Roast Master

- From: St. Cloud, MN
- Registered: 2002-12-30
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Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
NokX wrote:
reproductive freedom is thinking about the consequences of unprotected sex before having sex - not deciding later on you don't want to be responsible for the consequences of your own actions.
Oh, how I wish I could live in the same black & white world that you live in!
Grandfatherly advice: You can drink 'em pretty, but you can't drink 'em smart.
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#36 2007-08-22 10:55 am
- ShnickyShnack
- ::: title edited due to Satanic influences :::

- From: Rockin' out
- Registered: 2001-05-25
- Posts: 22237
Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
Pithecanthropus wrote:
NokX wrote:
reproductive freedom is thinking about the consequences of unprotected sex before having sex - not deciding later on you don't want to be responsible for the consequences of your own actions.
Oh, how I wish I could live in the same black & white world that you live in!
Not just black and white, but simple. Simple simple simple.
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#37 2007-08-22 11:03 am
Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
NokX wrote:
reproductive freedom is thinking about the consequences of unprotected sex before having sex - not deciding later on you don't want to be responsible for the consequences of your own actions.
Note that they support abortion for things like oh, rape. But you're right, it's the woman's fault she allowed herself to get raped, especially if she lives in a country where legally, she's little more than property. 
one could argue that a basic human right is not being killed before having a chance to live.
Or that a basic human right is being able to make decisions regarding one's own health and well-being. We could go 'round and 'round on this one all day. In the end, you either decide that the rights of the fetus trump the rights of the woman, or that the right of the woman trumps the fetus.
funny how conservatives want to protect the innocent, and kill the guilty. while the liberals want to kill the innocent, and protect the guilty.
No, it's funny that liberals want to give people the personal freedom and liberty to make these difficult moral decisions on their own, something conservatives used to be for.
let me go on the record saying that i don't care if you get an abortion or not. that's your conscious. i definitely don't think it should receive a dime of tax payer money, however.
We're not talking about the US here.
Do I also get to withhold my taxpayer dollars if they fund things with which I don't agree? I'm against the death penalty, so I want a refund from the state of CA for the new death chamber they're building up in San Quentin. I'm against government funding of faith-based initiatives, so I want a refund for that too. Oh, and I don't want to pay medical costs for obese people. Or...
It is an odd thing, but every one who disappears is said to be seen at San Francisco. It must be a delightful city, and possess all the attractions of the next world.
- Oscar Wilde
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#38 2007-08-22 11:31 am
- Mustapha Mond
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Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
She was asking for it when she wore that short skirt! And since she knew she was asking for it, it was her responsibility to have her uterus removed!
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#39 2007-08-22 11:52 am
- JakeTheTall
- Cargo Cultist

- From: In Permanent Opposition
- Registered: 2003-03-13
- Posts: 9611
Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
NokX wrote:
robco wrote:
There are many who feel that reproductive freedom is in fact, a basic human right...
reproductive freedom is thinking about the consequences of unprotected sex before having sex - not deciding later on you don't want to be responsible for the consequences of your own actions.
Do you have any idea how much rape occurs in conflict zones in Africa ?
Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.
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#40 2007-08-22 12:27 pm
- bratboy
- laden with emotion
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- From: Austin, Texas
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Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
NokX wrote:
funny how conservatives want to protect the innocent, and kill the guilty. while the liberals want to kill the innocent, and protect the guilty.
let me go on the record saying that i don't care if you get an abortion or not. that's your conscious. i definitely don't think it should receive a dime of tax payer money, however.

This really doesn't make a whole lot of sense, because you're not making a stand against the legality of abortion.
Liberals want to "kill the innocent?" What a silly and illogical accusation...suggesting that anyone who believes the procedure should be available thus believes that the practice is good and should be used because we're interested in "killing" babies.
Furthermore....many individuals are opposed to use of the death penalty because (among other reasons) of the risk of executing the innocent.
"One thing we've learned is there's a difference between being disappointed and having madmen in authority."
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#41 2007-08-22 12:31 pm
- jerwin
- Sophist
- From: The Garden of Pure Ideology
- Registered: 2003-01-01
- Posts: 7055
Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
robco wrote:
Note that they support abortion for things like oh, rape. But you're right, it's the woman's fault she allowed herself to get raped, especially if she lives in a country where legally, she's little more than property.
...starts thinking about asset forfeiture as an alternative to imprisonment....
Some subjects actually enjoy pain, and withhold information they might otherwise have divulged in order to be punished.
Central Intelligence Agency. (1983). Human Resource Exploitation Training Manual
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#42 2007-08-22 12:41 pm
- Zetetic Apparatchik
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Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
I don't see how rape should ever come into this. It's just as wrong or right to kill the foetus whatever. It's always a case of its rights versus the woman's. In my opinion, it's a long way into the pregnancy before the former comes close to latter. 
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#43 2007-08-22 12:44 pm
Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
Rape is an incredibly violent act. It's very traumatizing. Many feel that victims of rape should not be forced to carry the child of their rapist to full term and as such, rape is an acceptable circumstance under which abortion should be allowed. Otherwise, the mental health and well-being of the woman is at risk.
It is an odd thing, but every one who disappears is said to be seen at San Francisco. It must be a delightful city, and possess all the attractions of the next world.
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#44 2007-08-22 2:09 pm
- Zetetic Apparatchik
- Member

- Registered: 2001-01-07
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Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
It's still drawing a comparison between the rights of the two things involved. Just attempting to hand-wave and say that in one case the effects on the woman are quantitatively much more damaging than in the other. (I am not denying the increased trauma that a woman will go through carrying a rape-child as opposed to a simply unwanted child to birth, but I am saying that the Unwanted-Child > Woman > Rape-Child as regards rights isn't sensible.)
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Protest ist, wenn ich sage, das und das paßt mir nicht. Widerstand ist, wenn ich dafür sorge, daß das, was mir nicht paßt, nicht länger geschieht.
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#45 2007-08-22 2:12 pm
Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
NokX wrote:
let me go on the record saying that i don't care if you get an abortion or not. that's your conscious. i definitely don't think it should receive a dime of tax payer money, however.
...which goes back to my poverty argument.
If you don't fund abortions, and you don't fund welfare, one end result will be an increase in poverty.
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#46 2007-08-22 2:25 pm
Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
Becoming a "culture of life" only extends to fetuses. Once they're out of the womb, it's another crackwhore's baby and a drain on society. Or that seems to be the mindset. Wouldn't want the gubmint helping out. Let them find Jeebus and get help from faith-based organizations (who now suckle from the gubmint teat as well).
Compassionate conservatism and all that.
It is an odd thing, but every one who disappears is said to be seen at San Francisco. It must be a delightful city, and possess all the attractions of the next world.
- Oscar Wilde
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#47 2007-08-22 5:29 pm
Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
robco wrote:
Becoming a "culture of life" only extends to fetuses. Once they're out of the womb, it's another crackwhore's baby and a drain on society. Or that seems to be the mindset.
Nope - the right to life community is directly involved in far more social welfare programs than the pro choice community is.
Wouldn't want the gubmint helping out. Let them find Jeebus and get help from faith-based organizations (who now suckle from the gubmint teat as well).
Compassionate conservatism and all that.
I think you are being extremely dishonest with that characterization - and I think you know it too.
If you have spend any time at these faith based organizations - you'd know that participation in the religious aspects are not required to receive the services. Those who want to can - but they are not required to.
In her right hand Jenny held the Bible of her mother
Jenny had a pistol in the other
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#48 2007-08-22 5:32 pm
Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
resedit wrote:
Nope - the right to life community is directly involved in far more social welfare programs than the pro choice community is.
I'm not sure I'd go that far. I was speaking mostly of the attitude of the politicians who pander to the pro-life community.
I think you are being extremely dishonest with that characterization - and I think you know it too.
If you have spend any time at these faith based organizations - you'd know that participation in the religious aspects are not required to receive the services. Those who want to can - but they are not required to.
Not all require it, some do. In any case, given the separation between church and state, the government should not be funding religious initiatives. We also need to ensure that people have a secular alternative if they don't feel comfortable receiving assistance from faith-based organizations.
It is an odd thing, but every one who disappears is said to be seen at San Francisco. It must be a delightful city, and possess all the attractions of the next world.
- Oscar Wilde
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#49 2007-08-22 5:34 pm
Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
D'Eyncourt wrote:
But my previous post points out that there has been NO notable change in Amnesty International's position on abortion, only that a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church has called for his fellow Catholics to withhold their support for AI because of AI's stance on abortion. It's the NewsMax article which falsely states that there has been a change in AI's policy.
I did spend a little time at www.archive.org looking at an archived version of Amnesty's site from 2004, and I couldn't find any comment on abortion, whereas the current site does comment on abortion.
Last edited by mackerm (2007-08-22 5:35 pm)
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#50 2007-08-22 6:06 pm
Re: Amnesty International makes abortion statement
resedit wrote:
robco wrote:
Becoming a "culture of life" only extends to fetuses. Once they're out of the womb, it's another crackwhore's baby and a drain on society. Or that seems to be the mindset.
Nope - the right to life community is directly involved in far more social welfare programs than the pro choice community is.
I'm sure interested in hearing detailed statistics on that claim.
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