Posted by Deneb on November 17, 2008, at 0:15:00
In reply to Re: Priest says no to communion for Obama voters, posted by seldomseen on November 16, 2008, at 22:04:43
I don't think human beings are special. In my bioethics class we discussed this and it seems like it is the fact that we are sentient that is special. We talked about human "vegetables" and such and removing life support from them. Is what makes them "human" there anymore if they cannot think?
Sentient aliens from another planet would be included as well.
I also remember a bunch of papers we read about having a living grown adult attached to another person for life support and we discussed whether the "host" had a right to disconnect.
I came to the conclusion that even the "host" does not have to keep the other person alive.
I think if a fetus has grown enough to survive outside the womb though, that it would be murder to abort the fetus to kill it.
poster:Deneb
thread:862990
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20081115/msgs/863531.html