0 Votes
RE: Tough Call
While I agree with you Scott, I think you are ignoring the main problem for the pro lifers. If they really believe that abortion is murder, then they have to support it being made unlawful.
Yes, and no. They live in a country in which religious freedom is a central value. In particular, that means we’re free not to believe what they believe, just as they’re free to believe what they do.
They need to learn to live in that sort of society. We’ve decided this question — the morality of abortion must be left to the conscience of the individual. Slightly more than half of Americans believe abortion is immoral — even though over two thirds believe that abortion should be legal. That’s not inconsistent: if you think abortion is immoral, don’t have one.
It’s no different from Muslims who believe that drawing pictures of Mohammed is a grievous sin. Too fucking bad — you have to learn to live with your neighbors who don’t hold those same convictions.
RE: Tough Call by Occams
Agree with all that, but I don’t expect anyone who believes that abortion is murder would change their mind on that basis. That is their conscience vote, and if there are enough who feel like that then it will be, and should be, the law. If it is not the law, they can be, and should be, ignored. What they say in a poll is irrelevant, unless it is an election.
Muslims do not have a right to not be offended by images of their prophet. If they break the law in protest at such an offense, then they should be charged and prosecuted in the normal way. On second thoughts, the justice system should pursue angry Muslim mobs more vigorously than other similar offenders to send a strong message that religious beliefs are not sacred under the law, and provide no exemptions.