3. Abortion is murder.
4. Cloning will never erase the sin nature of man.
A definition: Murder is to kill a human being willfully and with malice.
That's a short form, of course, but we probably agree on it.
A definition (also short form): Abortion is to willfully terminate a
pregnancy by external means. That definition excludes miscarriages,
whether natural or accidental. In this connection, I note that a very
high percentage (30 to 40% ?) of all pregnancies are terminated
naturally; that is, miscarriages are not as uncommon as people once
thought.
That leaves the term "human being" as the key definitional obstacle.
To address this is more difficult, for there is not general agreement on
the subject. A few observations may help.
1. The reproductive process is a PROCESS. That is, it is not a series of
events.
At point A. There is a male sperm (living) and a female egg (also
living).
I assume that neither of these entities would be called a "human being"
and that killing any of them would not be murder.
At some point B, the PROCESS of fertilization begins, and at some point
C, it completes. The specific identification of both B and C in time is
problematic.
The time interval between B and C is, I believe, a matter of an hour or
so.
At point C, the entity of interest is called a zygote.
The next point of interest in when the zygote, having undergone some cell
divisions, is implanted in the womb. Call that point D.
If we call point E a point in time 8 weeks after point C (conception),
then we can call the entity as it exists from point D to point E an
embryo.
>From E to birth, point F, the entity is called a fetus.
OK? The above is consistent with my dictionary; there may be (probably
are) better definitions.
To recap:
A
two entities
B
fertilization process; two cells into one
C conception complete
zygote
D implantation
embryo
E 8 weeks after point C
fetus
F birth
child
A, B, C, D, E, and even F are not events in themselves, but also
processes. But addressing them in this argument does not seem fruitful.
To kill before A is not murder. Do we agree?
To kill between A and B is not murder. Do we agree?
To kill between B and C is one question.
To kill between C and D is another question.
To kill between D and E is another question.
To kill between E and F is another question.
To kill after F is another question.
I assert that to kill before A is not murder (contraception)
I assert that the entity between A and B is not human and that killing is
not murder.
I assert that the entity between B and C is not human and that killing is
not murder.
l assert that the entity between C and D is not human and that killing is
not murder.
I assert that the entity between D and E is in question.
I assert that the entity between E and F is human and that killing is
murder.
I assert that the entity after F is human and that killing is murder.
I'll stop here. Agreement?
Burgy
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