• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

Abortion debate (1 Viewer)

Abortion debate

  • Abortion illegalised

    Votes: 51 19.8%
  • Tougher laws

    Votes: 35 13.6%
  • Keep current laws

    Votes: 155 60.1%
  • don't care

    Votes: 17 6.6%

  • Total voters
    258
Status
Not open for further replies.

Xayma

Lacking creativity
Joined
Sep 6, 2003
Messages
5,953
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
musik_junky said:
erm...this has NOTHING to do with religion - it's just common sense that the foetus is a living thing. Look at the science - by 4 weeks after fertilisation the foetus has eyes, a beating heart, a central nervous system and infact the part of the brain that controls consciousness is identifiable by this stage. Keep religion out of this.
A central nervous system? That's a fair jump. Ok keeping religion out of this, why is it unethical to remove something from a system where it cannot survive on it's own but uses the resources of another? The mother can't surgically transfer the baby, if that could happen there would be greater reasoning but they can't.
 

davin

Active Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2003
Messages
1,567
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
erawamai said:
You continue to use it like you know what it actually means. Clearly you don't. Left wingism isn't exactly against killing adults who break the law. Communist China and other left wing dictatorships happen to quite like the death penality. I think you are getting left wing confused with libertarian views. I don't think anyone is surprised anyway.
a "communist" country is not left-wing. its a dictatorship, and dictatorships, in many regards, aren't left-wing when it comes to personal freedoms, as communism is just an economic form.
Most of Europe, though, would be considered more left-wing, which is why there's a continuing movement to get rid of the death penalty. In The U.S., is the political left wing that is trying to remove the death penalty.
 

HotShot

-_-
Joined
Feb 2, 2005
Messages
3,029
Location
afghan.....n
Gender
Male
HSC
2005
Xayma said:
A central nervous system? That's a fair jump. Ok keeping religion out of this, why is it unethical to remove something from a system where it cannot survive on it's own but uses the resources of another? The mother can't surgically transfer the baby, if that could happen there would be greater reasoning but they can't.
doesnt the heart, the brain - might as well remove those too. stupid statement.

the fact is the the mother owns the baby, but so does her relatives. thus the choice to have an abortion is only justified if, it approved by close relatives. Because trust me, having an abortion, doesnt only affect the women, but will have the same or greater affect on her relatives.

The abortion should not lie on ethics, if you feel its rite and you have ur family to support me, then by all mean u have every right to have an abortion.
 

Xayma

Lacking creativity
Joined
Sep 6, 2003
Messages
5,953
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
HotShot said:
doesnt the heart, the brain - might as well remove those too. stupid statement.

the fact is the the mother owns the baby, but so does her relatives. thus the choice to have an abortion is only justified if, it approved by close relatives. Because trust me, having an abortion, doesnt only affect the women, but will have the same or greater affect on her relatives.

The abortion should not lie on ethics, if you feel its rite and you have ur family to support me, then by all mean u have every right to have an abortion.
Umm why should relatives have a say? It isn't their body. Last time I checked my mother or father don't have control over what I do, nor would I wish them too no matter how much my decisions might affect them emotionally.
 

davin

Active Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2003
Messages
1,567
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
father of child is only one that has a strong claim to it.

anyway, i'd differentiate between a fetus, or the brain or heart is that the fetus is, effectivly, a parasite. its like a tapeworm a woman gives birth to
 

+Po1ntDeXt3r+

Active Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2003
Messages
3,527
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2003
Xayma said:
Umm why should relatives have a say? It isn't their body. Last time I checked my mother or father don't have control over what I do, nor would I wish them too no matter how much my decisions might affect them emotionally.
yeah unless u were a disabled kid.. or unable to fend for urself..
 

Xayma

Lacking creativity
Joined
Sep 6, 2003
Messages
5,953
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
+Po1ntDeXt3r+ said:
yeah unless u were a disabled kid.. or unable to fend for urself..
If I required parental care to such an extent that my parents become responsible for me I would hope that they stopped me getting pregnant. If I can not look after myself, then the whole issue changes.
 

musik_junky

Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2005
Messages
93
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2003
Xayma said:
why is it unethical to remove something from a system where it cannot survive on it's own but uses the resources of another?
Wait hang on - what you just said has other implications. Are you saying its not unethical to kill the foetus because it can't survive on its own? Well even after birth, the baby can't survive on its own - its still dependent on its mother to provide it with food etc. This includes nutrients from the mothers body (breast milk). So are you saying its ok to kill the baby after birth because its still reliant on the mother, so the mother has the right to kill it?

Also the fact that it uses nutrients while still in the womb shows that it is infact living.
 
Last edited:

ihavenothing

M.L.V.C.
Joined
Nov 22, 2004
Messages
919
Location
Darling It Hurts!
Gender
Male
HSC
2005
I think that women should be the ONLY people to make an ultimatum, male politicians such as Tony Abbott have hijacked this debate have no idea what it must feel like for the woman and use their religious values to further hinder the process.
 

erawamai

Retired. Gone fishing.
Joined
Sep 26, 2004
Messages
1,456
Location
-
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2002
davin said:
a "communist" country is not left-wing. its a dictatorship, and dictatorships, in many regards, aren't left-wing when it comes to personal freedoms, as communism is just an economic form.
Most of Europe, though, would be considered more left-wing, which is why there's a continuing movement to get rid of the death penalty. In The U.S., is the political left wing that is trying to remove the death penalty.
Economic left wing.
 

Xayma

Lacking creativity
Joined
Sep 6, 2003
Messages
5,953
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
musik_junky said:
Wait hang on - what you just said has other implications. Are you saying its not unethical to kill the foetus because it can't survive on its own? Well even after birth, the baby can't survive on its own - its still dependent on its mother to provide it with food etc. This includes nutrients from the mothers body (breast milk). So are you saying its ok to kill the baby after birth because its still reliant on the mother, so the mother has the right to kill it?

Also the fact that it uses nutrients while still in the womb shows that it is infact living.
A cancer tumor uses nutrients as well.

Society has accepted that the mother cannot in all cases provide for the baby, so things like adoption are available because society wants babies to live.
 

musik_junky

Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2005
Messages
93
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2003
Xayma said:
Society has accepted that the mother cannot in all cases provide for the baby, so things like adoption are available because society wants babies to live.
Then instead of having an abortion, she can have the baby and give it away for adoption.
 

+Po1ntDeXt3r+

Active Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2003
Messages
3,527
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2003
musik_junky said:
Then instead of having an abortion, she can have the baby and give it away for adoption.
live adopted babies and parents of adopted babies have psychological problems too.. there are hundreds of studies on it..

i agree its the lesser of 2 evils but its not always the solution..

musik_junky said:
Well even after birth, the baby can't survive on its own - its still dependent on its mother to provide it with food etc. This includes nutrients from the mothers body (breast milk)..
yes before birth its EXPLICITLY the mother that the foetus is dependent on... u cant bottle feed in the womb... or palm it off to dad.

Post partum its 'recommended' (yep ..NHMRC guidelines)
- to be breast fed for at least the 1st 6 months..

but we can say.. feed the child bottle milk and get nutured by another person(e.g. Dad).. if the mother had HIV and mabbe associated depression.. and the child would still live

2 very different scenerios

musik_junky said:
Also the fact that it uses nutrients while still in the womb shows that it is infact living.
living.. it maybe..
but so do plants.. it does not show a higher level of consciousness nor CNS development... unless u can prove otherwise
 

musik_junky

Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2005
Messages
93
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2003
+Po1ntDeXt3r+ said:
living.. it maybe.. but so do plants.. it does not show a higher level of consciousness nor CNS development... unless u can prove otherwise
hey, check out this book - Encyclopedia of Human Biology. Academic Press, 1997. Volume 3. It says that the portion of the brain associated with consciousness (the cerebrum) is identifiable by 4 weeks after fertilisation.
 

+Po1ntDeXt3r+

Active Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2003
Messages
3,527
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2003
does it say if it were working?
cos i can identify penis at about 6 weeks.. and it develops finish by 14 weeks but it doesnt do jack in the womb
 

musik_junky

Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2005
Messages
93
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2003
Volume 113 of the American Medical Association Journal states that brain wave activity (indicating that the brain is functioning) is identifiable only 40 days after fertilisation.
 

davin

Active Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2003
Messages
1,567
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
ihavenothing said:
I think that women should be the ONLY people to make an ultimatum, male politicians such as Tony Abbott have hijacked this debate have no idea what it must feel like for the woman and use their religious values to further hinder the process.
i agree fully. similarly, only men can talk about rape laws vs women, because they're effectivly the only ones capable of raping a woman under traditional definitions of it.


guys may not be in the position of aborting ever, but we ALL were in the position where we could've been aborted.
 

HotShot

-_-
Joined
Feb 2, 2005
Messages
3,029
Location
afghan.....n
Gender
Male
HSC
2005
Xayma said:
Umm why should relatives have a say? It isn't their body. Last time I checked my mother or father don't have control over what I do, nor would I wish them too no matter how much my decisions might affect them emotionally.
well maybe the baby should have his/her say? according to you. Just imagine, your mom "aborted" u for whatever reason, you wouldnt be here now....
 

+Po1ntDeXt3r+

Active Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2003
Messages
3,527
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2003
musik_junky said:
Volume 113 of the American Medical Association Journal states that brain wave activity (indicating that the brain is functioning) is identifiable only 40 days after fertilisation.
i am familiar with JAMA.

and that article from "Volume 113 "would have to be from mid-1950's..
how u got that is beyond me so if ud forward it to me

lolz even JAMA online don't have articles pre-dating 1966

see id love to believe u
but brain wave activity is a sign of functioning but not consciousness
.. some reflexes are not conscious..
but are result of nerve impluses and lower brain function..
they exist in brain dead ppl too...

which
incidently i am trying to think hard how 50 yrs ago they measured brain waves.. prolly EEG...somewhat a crude method compared to modern imaging and dyes..

srsly tho.. does the article specifically refer to consciousness or just the brain.. ?
 

musik_junky

Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2005
Messages
93
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2003
Look lets just put all the religion and emotional debate aside.

Look at the facts already discussed on here:

1. The portion of the brain associated with consciousness (the cerebrum) is identifiable by 4 weeks after fertilisation.

2. Brain wave activity (indicating that the brain is functioning) is identifiable only 40 days after fertilisation.

3. The heart is beating by 4 weeks.

The SCIENCE shows that the foetus is alive.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top