After birth abortion?

[bennyboy]

The whole abortion debate to me is way too polarizied. What we need, IMHO and at least in America, is a consensus that avoids the extremes of "abortion is murder" and "abortion on demand". We need sound reasoning from relevant data with a clear focus on defining a proper balance between the value of human life and personal liberties to which most can agree. So if someone wants to have a civil conversation about abortion, I really and truly would be interested in a serious discussion that avoids the slogans and talking points.

Here's how I see it. Nobody, on any side of the fence, wants to murder a human being. Therefore, the point for discussion is what constitutes a human being.

The Catholic position is that God infuses a zygote with a soul upon conception, so humanity starts at that point. My position is this: I don't know from here about souls, but I do value my personality, my memories and predilections, and my capacity for sensation. Whether there is/isn't a soul, and what the consequences of such a hypothetical entity would be if aborted, are far beyond my ken, and anyone who pretends otherwise is, in my opinion, either making stuff up or choosing to believe someone who has made stuff up.

Therefore, I'd say that at a minimum, a fetus would need to have a sufficient nervous system to experience itself and its environment in order to even be considered for legal protection.

Let me reel it in and just say: I don't think a fertilized cell is a human being, any more than a seed is a 200-foot Redwood tree. If I decide to dispose of some seeds, will I be charged for cutting down a tree?