From: msavasti@telesciences.com (Michael Savastio)
Subject: Libertarian Inconsistency (Was: Re: Please let Marrou debate! -- and CNN's Crossfire)
Summary: Libertarians fail to protect fundamental human right
Organization: TeleSciences CO Systems, Inc.
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 02:13:17 GMT


In article <1992Oct8.181029.12186@leland.Stanford.EDU>, adesai@leland.Stanford.EDU (Atit Dinkarrai Desai) writes:
>Hey, I like the right to life forever too, can you or the Dempublicans
>guarantee this right? 
>
>The libertarians say that anyone can give up their guardianship because
>NOBODY has a right to life, if you don't believe this talk to me at your
>funeral. Accept this fact, it will set you free. 
>
>If the right-to-lifers really cared about life, why don't they adopt
>some third world babies, there are millions dying which could be saved
>each year, including many in this country. Sometimes, I just don't 
>understand the right-to-lifeers' motivations, with so many millions
>that could be saved today, they are trying to savethe life of an unviable
>fetus that is only a few weeks old. I do like the commercials by some one
>who has a lot of money that is encouraging pregnant women to keep their
>babies, by showing lots of cute children. Its a powerful commercial and 
>followinf the libertarian tradition, rather than trying to pass a law
>taking away peoples rights.

You are attempting to avoid the real issue in the abortion debate by
throwing up smoke screens.  I venture to say that the real issue is
whether human beings have the right to live without having their lives
taken away by others for reasons of convenience.  The issue involves
government because governments are instituted among men to secure
certain unalienable rights.  Do you remember what they are?

The argument that "Nobody has a right to life, because everybody dies"
in totally invalid because it confuses particulars.  Certainly death
is a law of nature.  But the right of nature to take away life does
not guarantee people the right to take away the lives of others, nor
does it absolve a government that ignores this violation of our most
fundamental right.

Your last sentence even contradicts your argument that nobody has a
right to life.  Yes, I want to take away your right to choose to
kill babies.  If you believe that you have a right to do whatever
you want with your body, then tell me all about it as they slam the
lid down on *your* coffin.  My point is that you may as well not have
any rights unless you have the right to life, except maybe the right
to a decent burial.  Accept this fact; it will set you free, I think.

By the way, do L/libertarians really believe this, or are you just
speaking for yourself?

The "third world babies" argument is another smoke screen.  Aside from
avoiding the real issue, it is a false argument because the premise
that "pro-lifers are doing nothing for those who have already been
born" is wrong.  Many people, whether they call themselves "pro-lifers"
or not, are feeding the hungry here and elsewhere, are adopting babies
from here and elsewhere, are defending the rights of the voiceless here
and elsewhere, and are generally improving life on the planet Earth.
Some are fighting on a particular front called the anti-abortion
movement.  They see the termination of pre-born life as a human rights
issue.  They reason that any government that is permitted to define
"human life" as arbitrarily as our government does can just as easily
redefine "human life" to exclude you and me.  Therefore, they believe
it is important to overthrow this one violation of human rights, while
others concern themselves with the many other violations that exist.

Actually, none of the major parties is consistent on the issue of human
rights.  It is just ironic that the Libertarians would rate relatively
lower than the Republicans on this one.

--
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Newsgroups: alt.politics.libertarian,alt.society.anarchy