Abortion

'One again Con uses sloppy definitions. And in this case the Overwhelming Exceptions fallacy.'Firstly I definitely don't commit the overwhelming exceptions fallacy, as there is only a single exception (clones). This can hardly considered to be an overwhelming exception.Pro does not seem to have understood the clear argument I put that asserts that a human foetus is a human being. I will reiterate:Human being: 'any individual of the genus Homo, esp. a member of the species Homo sapiens.' (1)Individual: 'A single organism as distinguished from a species, community, or group.' (2)So, is a human foetus an individual?Yes, because it is a single organism (to disagree would to either assert that it is not an organism or that it is multiple organisms, both of which are biologically false).Is a human foetus a member of the species Homo Sapiens?Yes, because a human foetus has human DNA.Ergo, a human foetus is a human being. I can't express the argument much more simply than this. Besides, the definitions are not 'sloppy' as they come from recognised and respected dictionaries.'By your definition, the fetus IS part of a woman. It is connected to the mother'If X is connected to Y, X is not necessarily a part of Y.For example, I can connect my phone to my computer, but that does not mean that my phone is part of my computer.'No it doesn't by any means. Someone can not lawfully live off of someone else body. I have stated this many times. Sure a fetus could have a right to live, but not at the extent of someone else.'False, the right to life is the most fundamental human right (3).Besides, whether it is lawful is irrelevant, as this debate is pertaining to the morality of abortion, not the legality.For reasons of simplification, deciding whether to have an abortion is basically two essential options:1. Kill a human being2. Not kill a human being, but maintain a mild temporary physical handicap on another human beingGiven that these are the options, it is clear to see that, whilst the latter is not a 'good' circumstance, it is far more preferable than the former.'If someone made another person in a state of dependence, why is it right to force him/her to cater to the latter?'Effectively they take responsibility for the welfare of the dependant by causing them to be in such a state. For example if I am a nurse and I knock a patient out of their bed due to being careless while moving them, I have a moral obligation to assist the patient because I am the reason why the patient is in a vulnerable position.Therefore, if I am a woman and I act in such a way (have sex) as to cause another human being (the foetus) to be in a vulnerable position, then she has a moral obligation to assist the foetus because she is the reason why the foetus is in a vulnerable position.'Once again Con is trying to give special rights to fetuses. A mother has the right to terminate a pregnancy.'Again, you're just blatantly saying that the mother has the right to terminate a pregnancy, this cannot be taken as fact unless sufficient justification is given for its veracity.Remember that a mother does not have a right to kill her child (I commend this to the readers of this debate), and this right is not superseded by the aforementioned 'right' to end a pregnancy. Hence the 'right' to end a pregnancy cannot be justifiably actualised because doing so entails an even greater infringement of rights.Besides, I'm not giving 'special' rights to the foetus. The right to life is anything but special, it is applied to all humans regardless of creed, colour, age, sexuality, gender etc...'You are asserting that a fetus is a human being (Ipse dixit fallacy) And a woman is not terminating the fetus she is terminating the pregnancy.'I would have committed the ipse dixit fallacy if I just asserted that a foetus is a human being without any justification. Yet in reality I have presented a sound argument that supports that very assertion. I have proved that a foetus is in fact a human being.It is tenuous to say that abortion is terminating the pregnancy, not terminating the foetus, as the two are inextricably linked. One cannot terminate the pregnancy without terminating the foetus and vice versa. Making a distinction is meaningless.Furthermore, this assertion is medically incorrect. The actual abortion procedure manually aims at the foetus and kills it (4); the termination of the pregnancy is just the consequence, not the actual act of abortion itself.'Because rape is a huge problem in the world.'Of course it is, but abortion does not solve it.'You can not force someone to stay pregnant.'You can force someone to not kill another human being, if this entails forcing someone to stay pregnant then so be it. This is because homicide is worse than indirectly causing someone to have a mild physical disability for a temporary period (i.e pregnancy).'Forcing a woman to stay pregnant is also a punishment for a crime she did not commit.'Yes, but it is less of a punishment than being killed.Abortion is a matter of weighing up the rights and seeing who's are being infringed more. Being killed is far more of an infringement than being kept in a state of pregnancy, so although the latter is an infringement of rights, it is necessary in order to prevent the greater infringement of rights that is the former.'No one can legally force you to donate an organ. You have to volunteer for someone else to use your own body.'Again, I'm not asserting that they have a legal obligation, but they have a moral obligation. Therefore a mother has a moral obligation to support her unborn child because she caused the child to be in a situation that requires support, even if this obligation is not legally binding.To conclude, I congratulate my opponent for a spirited attempt to defend abortion, but ultimately she has failed to refute my arguments against abortion, and her own arguments do not provide good reason to suppose that it is morally justified to have an abortion. (1) http://www.thefreedictionary.com... being(2) http://www.thefreedictionary.com...(3) https://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk...(4) http://www.abortionfacts.com...