atheism and children

[Catholic_Lady]

I don't think this is the same scenario as an embryo implanting on the Fallopian tube. The baby is not an instigator who is trying to kill you, while the person viciously attacking you is, regardless of whether they would be deemed innocent by reason of insanity or not.

I disagree with your assumption that a mentally impaired person inherently intends to kill someone if they, in fact, succeed in doing so.  Are you saying, then, that a mentally impaired adult with the cognitive and emotional maturity of a young child should be allowed to kill you if their actions toward you could not be categorized as "vicious" or if it cannot be demonstrated that they were intentionally trying to kill you?  It's not even clear to me that a person of such mental capacity would even really understand what they're doing, let alone that they would be trying to kill you.

I also have a problem with you categorizing all such actions as vicious attacks.  Categorizing them in such a manner implies that the person performing the action is doing so maliciously or that they are intending to be cruel when, in the case of an adult who is afflicted with a mental impairment, imparting that person with the intention or motive to maliciously attack another person could very well be overstating that person's cognitive abilities.

I'm not saying they realize they're doing it, or that they understand what they're doing. But nonetheless, a person running after you with a knife, trying to stab you to death, is still a person running after you with a knife trying to stab you to death. It's up to the jury to figure out if this person is innocent for reason of insanity or not, but you still have the right to defend yourself against someone who is trying to murder you, even if they're insane and don't even realize they're doing it.