Life begins at conception.
The value placed on that life is subjective, meaning personal opinion, by you the individual placing the value you’ve decided. This upholds your freedom to value this life much more than say someone across the world, that doesn’t.
We take life every day for safety, sustenance, sport, disregard or comfort.
How we decide the taking of that life is predicated on your philosophy. To make the assumption that the value of life is endowed through spiritual philosophy is to negate those who utilize no such beliefs but still uphold the value and regard for life; value is not exclusive to a party or philosophy. If you want to utilize a spiritual philosophy no one would infringe on your rights of that choice, however, you don’t need spiritual beliefs to have regard for life.
Some people have a presumption of "existence", however, this again is personal and subjective. To impose such presumption onto others infringes on their personal freedom of thought. You don't want to be told what to believe and neither do others.
We decide as a society that we want to favor our own species and of course we would – it’s probably a good idea since we want to continue the human race.
Every species favors its own. Of course, we subjectively decide which of our species’ life we take in war, in abortion, in defense, in anger. However, the value we place on each life is purely subjective to the individual.
The statement that a “dog engages in rational thought more” than a baby, well, to some degree is true because a baby can’t live on its own or fend for itself, but we favor the baby and hold higher value to the baby, which again, to me and you makes perfect sense – we favor our own species, why wouldn’t we. As a society we understand the vulnerability of the baby who cannot take care of itself. Again, very logical.
This discussion is so important in the dialogue regarding the value of life and abortion. While we would like to see abortions reduced greatly in our society, unfortunately, reality tells us that some women have not developed personal responsibility to the extent that they aren’t using abortion as contraception.
One great step forward toward this reduction is to stop having pluralistic tax dollars funding abortions.
Let those who want to have this option or who agree with this choice, fund the clinics that would provide such a service. In this way nobody pays for something they don’t agree with until we move past this.
Another great step is to let the free markets create educational centers funded by individuals and corporations where women could go to get counseling, education, learn ALL the options available to them in order to support them moving to developing personal responsibility.
Yet one more option is to create a network of mom’s who can swap out babysitting time so that women who find themselves having an unexpected expectancy, can still work and trade some of their time-off babysitting with other moms and eliminate the need for welfare because these women will be working. They may struggle and have challenges, but society cannot absolve them of their choices or save them from the reality they created through their choices.
Free markets can support solutions.
When we educate people they move closer and closer to accurate choices.
How do we know these choices are accurate? The choices are upholding freedom, having regard for life, and accepting personal responsibility for each choice, having the ability to respond to each choice, all the while making their choice at no cost to others who didn’t consent.
One trap you don’t want to fall into is the trap of applying morality of your value to the greater society.
Morality is like value placed: personal opinion.
When you start arguing it, you’re really just arguing whose opinion is valued more. Well, obviously, each person thinks his opinion is more valuable. It’s circular and useless. You can't "prove" an opinion is fact, if you did, then it's a fact and not arguable.
It’s more powerful to debate freedom – there is no capitulating freedom, either someone is for freedom or they are not. Unmasking their need for control will dismantle the attempt to control and reveal who they are.
You’ll gain more solid footing by upholding freedom, and then look to how free society in a free market can come up with great answers regarding the personal issues that each of us places value and would like some resolution.
All done in the name of freedom – ICONIC FREEDOM!