Carefully Crafted Response to How to...

[Explicit]

Yeah, I doubt having an abortion is ever a selfish decision. It is going to hurt, so the decision has to be to avoid greater hurt.

And punishment for criminals is very much about bloodthirst and making the victims or survivors feel better. Arguing for the death penalty is often done by appealing to emotions, appealing to a desire for revenge.

I agree.  The death penalty serves only to, in my opinion, justify the losses of family and friends.  It's defended so strongly because of the fact that revenge is so wrongfully desired, and it's all governed by the appeal of emotion.

As far as abortion goes, I believe it depends on the circumstance.  The example that has been so often brought up would be whether the person is a victim of rape or not, and frankly, it's the victim's decision if it's of rape.  You would not want to bear the child of someone who raped you, and have the child be fatherless.

[hismajesty]

An eye for an eye. Sure, it may be an act of revenge on the personal level but it keeps people in order. The death penalty is only used for the worst of crimes, and there's only been a handful of people executed. I highly doubt the mans jury has it out for him (duh, thats the whole reason for jury selection.) and if they think he should be put to death then obviously the crime he committed was one that is sick. I have no objection to it, nor do I see why other people do. How does it actually affect you?

[Newby]

I support abortion (I see nothing wrong with it. Maybe I'm against abortion but for killing babies! ) and the death penalty. I'm Republican too. I don't get what is wrong with killing something that isn't alive. I also see nothing wrong with killing someone who has justified their death.

[Explicit]

An eye for an eye. Sure, it may be an act of revenge on the personal level but it keeps people in order. The death penalty is only used for the worst of crimes, and there's only been a handful of people executed. I highly doubt the mans jury has it out for him (duh, thats the whole reason for jury selection.) and if they think he should be put to death then obviously the crime he committed was one that is sick. I have no objection to it, nor do I see why other people do. How does it actually affect you?

The jury could be prone to emotional appeal also, couldn't they?

Although it may not affect me directly, the death penalty, though different in circumstance when compared to abortion, is against my beliefs.  I just don't think it is in our hands to say when the time of a conscious adult is up.

[CrAz3D]

Then how can you say someone's time is up before they have even been given a chance?

[hismajesty]

Although I'm for limited abortion:

If I had to pick yes or no, with no gray area, I'd be against abortion and pro-death penalty. At least with a fetus they have the potential of being the next Ghandi or something like that.

On the other hand, they also have a chance of being the next bin laden.

[Explicit]

Then how can you say someone's time is up before they have even been given a chance?

As stated in previous posts, it depends on the circumstance.  If it were an instance of rape, then it'd be up to the victim to decide whether or not they want to keep it.  How would you feel telling your son/daughter that they were conceived through rape?  I couldn't put myself, nor my baby, through that.  I guess what I'm saying is, if it's abortion because of rape, then I'm all for it.  Otherwise, I'm against it.

Although I'm for limited abortion:

If I had to pick yes or no, with no gray area, I'd be against abortion and pro-death penalty. At least with a fetus they have the potential of being the next Ghandi or something like that.

On the other hand, they also have a chance of being the next bin laden.

Wouldn't your upbringing be a contributing factor unto your character?  For example, Gandhi wouldn't have been Gandhi hadn't the British occupied India, and hadn't all the events prior to that having happened to him.

[MyndFyre]

It's not an infant.  It's a fetus.  Don't confuse the two.

Regardless, it's still a different stage in the development of a human.  A being with the capacity for choice, sentience, love, hate, fear, nobility.

[Adron]

Excution is punishment for an extreme crime, how can you not see it.  It makes people feel better about knowing that the person that killed their son had the same thing happen to him.
Is it just that the murderer lives on a comfortable life in prison while a man lies dead?
That is not just, how can you be so blind as to not see that?

Also, I see you haven't mentioned anything about abortion & the soon-to-be-child dying an undeserved death.

For number one, I know your arguments. I really do not agree though. Your argument is one of revenge, but I actually would not see my revenge lust satisfied by a mere death penalty. I would want to make the killer suffer. So even applying your reasons for the death penalty, I do not agree with it. The only way I support the death penalty is as a means of doing away with those who could not be rehabilitated.

The deserving of death or not... I do not view human lives the way you do, and particularly not foetuses. Ending a life is not in itself a huge thing. We end the lives of animals all the time. A human being may look special, but we are just a more advanced form of animals. Making anything suffer unreasonably is wrong. I do not see anyone trying to make a foetus suffer at all.

Things happen all the time, without anyone deserving them. Did your steak come from a cow guilty of crimes and deserving death? The "deserving" argument does not lead anywhere useful. Look at the possible outcomes as good as you can judge them, and pick the best possible choice - abortion or no abortion. I was for allowing Terry Schiavo to die as well.

[Warrior]

I think the death penalty is the wrong way to go about things. You call someone uncivilized for killing so you go back and do it to them? That makes absolutely no sense. Let them rot in a prison cell for the rest of thier lives.

Abortion is something I am VERY opposed to. Life shouldn't be taken away from anyone and no one should have the right to do that. I mean it's a human who doesn't know anything about the world hasn't done anything except exist BECAUSE of the stupid (or not so stupid) acts of thier parents. Do you really want to kill something which did nothing to deserve it and couldn't help the fact that it existed?

[Adron]

Do you really want to kill something which did nothing to deserve it and couldn't help the fact that it existed?

Do you pick flowers? Do you hit nails on their heads?

[WoOdTroll]

My opinion on abortion is simple.

If you cant support the child, or you dont want one yet, abortion. Not only that, but fuck its nothing yet, it cant even think. It doesn't even know it exists. We know it does, but who the hell remembers being the in tummy of your mom? No one, so whos gonna remember dying. But I am talking about the early point of it.

If the baby inside is more then 3months old. Shut up, and take care of it.

[Warrior]

Do you really want to kill something which did nothing to deserve it and couldn't help the fact that it existed?

Do you pick flowers? Do you hit nails on their heads?

Rephrasing that:

Do you really want to kill something (Human since we are talking about abortion) which did nothing to deserve it and couldn't help the fact that it existed?

[Adron]

Do you pick flowers? Do you hit nails on their heads?

Rephrasing that:

Do you really want to kill something (Human since we are talking about abortion) which did nothing to deserve it and couldn't help the fact that it existed?

If it is for the better - sure! Any time!

For once, I actually think woodtroll made a very good post. The 3 month limit is a bit arbitrary, but..

[hismajesty]

We know it does, but who the hell remembers being the in tummy of your mom?

What about circumcision? Who remembers being circumcised at birth? Probably nobody, but is that a reason to allow the killing of babies directly after birth? Nahh.