[Peace-discuss] Theological?

[Bob Illyes]

I'm really enjoying reading the comments on abortion, and don't
agree with Al that the subject is inherently theological.

We all agree, I suspect, that killing in self-defense is acceptable
even though not always the right decision. So the decision to allow
abortion to protect the health of the mother needs to be an option,
even if the fetus is in fact considered a person.

Otherwise, the argument about abortion seems to be about whether a
fetus is a person or a potential person. It is not clear that a
person can be said to exist if there are not brain structures to
support human consciousness, as Paul argues effectively. It follows
that until late in pregnancy, abortion would terminate a life but
not an actual person.

If we are to argue that preventing a potential human life is murder,
then it would seem that both contraception and sexual abstinence are
forms of murder. No one seems to argue the later, though it seems
logically necessary once one starts protecting potential humans as
well as actual.

Is it possible to justify prohibiting early abortion without also
demanding that everyone have children who can? I don't think so.
We can of course go "theological" and start talking about immortal
souls. But these cannot, by definition, be killed by abortion or
by any other action.

Bob