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Isn't it time to define life in terms of substantive viability?
I don't think we can go backwards now after Roe V. Wade and define life as starting at conception - even though technically it probably does. But we have to do something about partial birth abortion or anything close to inhumane treatment of innocent victims. I think it's time to introduce a serious idea like substantive viability - anything with a heartbeat. The heartbeat defines life more than anything and the lack thereof - death. That leaves room for prevention and termination up to a point that I think most people can agree is even humane or semi-acceptable. I'm pro life but I think we need to find common ground stop keep it from being such a politically hot issue. Even if new pro life supreme court justices are selected - I think they should bring this idea into the decision process. Any thoughts?
Substantive viability would be separate and distinct from "independent viability" - which is a different issue really, if you look at anyone on short term life support - they still have all rights afforded to a living human. I'm trying to get at a humane cut off that stops the termination of life with a beating heart, which to me is inhumane.
2 Answers
- GravyLv 61 decade agoFavorite Answer
Viability is considered the cut-off for an abortion.
There has already been a ban enacted on "partial birth" abortions in the US, which the Supreme Court upheld 5-4.
I'm pro-choice, but believe that life begins at conception. As long as there are cells dividing and differentiating, it's ludicrous to reason that it's anything else. I just don't think a blob without so much as a nervous system is quite comparable to a fully-formed human being.
- Michael CLv 71 decade ago
On one hand, I agree with you that the root cause of the abortion debate is a definitional disagreement. How do you define life and when life begins.
On the other hand, I don't agree with you that a heart beat means "substantive viability". A baby has a heart beat long before it is "viable" - that is to say can live relatively unassisted. So, now we have another definitional problem...
