Here are my comments on this article. 1. The difference between a zygote, and a viable foetus is that the latter can survive, and function outside the womb. The question remains however, just when does viability begin. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/child/alive_1.shtml I also happen to think that infants have at least some cognitive function. Therefore they have a personal psyche. Therefore I do not think that it would be an appropiate for any people to have the authority to diminish the inherent indivisual value of some persons simply because they have some charecteristics that might make them less worthwhile to some people. This was what happened in such times, and places, as ancient Rome, under the pater familis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pater_familias#Children, and also in Nazi Germany, with regard to Aktion T4. So none of this is new. 2. I want to address this quotation, from the OP article.
Quote:
While accepting that many people would disagree with their arguments, he wrote: “The goal of the Journal of Medical Ethics is not to present the Truth or promote some one moral view. It is to present well reasoned argument based on widely accepted premises.”
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, he added: “This “debate” has been an example of “witch ethics” - a group of people know who the witch is and seek to burn her. It is one of the most dangerous human tendencies we have. It leads to lynching and genocide. Rather than argue and engage, there is a drive is to silence and, in the extreme, kill, based on their own moral certainty. That is not the sort of society we should live in.”
As I mentioned, the Nazis had a similar policy, concerning infants, and young children, deemed to have birth defects. And many, if not most, other European countries has banned Holocaust denial.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_against_Holocaust_denial#European_Union So why should these people be permitted to advocate in favour of legalising infanticide, for any reason? 3. This is my definition as to what life is, by definition. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY0P008dZZM[/youtube]