Here's an example of why it's important to recognize abortion as killing: a UK professor of bioethics John Harris, a member of the Human Genetics Commission, told a meeting at Westminster he did not see any distinction between aborting a fully grown unborn baby at 40 weeks and killing a child after it had been born.
Harris, who is a professor of bioethics at Manchester University, would not be drawn on which defects or problems might be used as grounds for ending a baby’s life, or how old a child might be while it could still be destroyed.
Harris was reported to have said that he did not believe that killing a child was always inexcusable.
In addition, it was claimed that he did not believe that there was any ‘moral change’ that occurred between when the baby was in the womb and when it had been brought into the world.Well, we agree on that last point -- I just happen to think it's wrong to kill babies either before or after they're born, whereas he thinks it's ok to kill them any time.
Really though, why not kill defective adults as well? The only difficulty is defining "defective".
(As a side note, this is remarkably similar to the question of deciding who gets to vote.)
I've never heard a pro-abortion opinion holder actually SAY this! I can't imagine holding such an opinion. I hadn't fully accepted the slippery slope argument that people would start thinking killing babies was OK if abortion went on long enough. Maybe my doubts were unfounded.
I wonder who gets to decide which "defective" children are killed - the professor? During my first pregnancy, I ate well, thought positively, had a sit-down job - except for gaining weight (I didn't exercise)- it was probably one of the healthiest times of my life. After a full-term pregnancy, I gave birth to a daughter who has been diagnosed as developmentally delayed and, at 5 years old, still doesn't walk and doesn't routinely communicate through words. I would not trade her for anything in the world. Do I wish she'd walk? Yes. Would I have aborted her or let anyone hurt her before or after I had her? Never in a million years! Meanwhile, I've worked with people who don't understand why my daughter is the way she is because (as one girl put it), "I did coke on and off through my pregnancy and my daughter's fine!" I wanted to slap the woman but fifteen or twenty years from now, let's see if her daughter is still fine.
Also, at what age does the doctor feel killing becomes wrong? Are you allowed to kill someone regardless of the quality of their life as long as you deem them "defective?" I think the professor's thinking is defective. Maybe someone should do him a favor...
Sorry - I don't advocate violence but this guy is absurd!