tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003408206490292139.post868304494176836281..comments2023-07-08T07:08:22.697-07:00Comments on Destiny In Progress: I'm thinking about replacing this section on the site. Opinions?Destinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321266512192671566noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003408206490292139.post-82667593281459400052008-10-07T12:52:00.000-07:002008-10-07T12:52:00.000-07:00Could I ask, do I know you?Could I ask, do I know you?Destinyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15321266512192671566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003408206490292139.post-71381023298280043702008-10-07T12:43:00.000-07:002008-10-07T12:43:00.000-07:00Sorry if I was unclear. I don't feel like you wer...Sorry if I was unclear. I don't feel like you were overly religious here, but my point about speaking on each other's terms has to do with words like "murder." I'm not sure that any one on the pro-choice side of this debate would ever argue that abortion is a *good* thing. Rather, it is just seen for some to be a better choice in certain circumstances (and, given that it's legal, it therefore becomes ok in any circumstance, at least in terms of can/can't versus should/shouldn't). <BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, however, both sides of the debate end up speaking past each other rather than having a productive conversation about the issue, since one side is speaking in terms like life and murder, while the other frames the issue in terms of choice, legality and privacy. (i.e. if someone does not believe abortion is murder, then that term will not resonate. if, they do, then its difficult to understand arguments about personal choice). <BR/><BR/>Regardless of my views or my focus on the discourse rather than the right/wrong, I find it heartening to find individuals like yourself who believe in a cause and choose to be engaged and active. This country could benefit a lot from people who have your passion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003408206490292139.post-29883278647507167142008-10-07T12:21:00.000-07:002008-10-07T12:21:00.000-07:00Hmmm, interesting point. I will certainly conside...Hmmm, interesting point. I will certainly consider addressing this issue from more than just one angle.<BR/><BR/>I don't believe however I am simply answering this as an anti-abortion argument. I am stating how in these rare cases abortion may actually be taking the pain further and inflicting harm on an already assaulted individual. Thus making it very rape specific.<BR/><BR/>Furthermore, I do believe that I was looking at this issue in a clinical light as opposed to a spiritual one. If you disagree please show me where I ever mention God. The closest I came to even flirting with morality is in my labeling abortion as murder. Which perhaps I shouldn't have. After all, I refrain from calling clinics 'mills' for fear that I will come off as a fanatic, so maybe the word 'murderer' shows that same type of fanaticism.<BR/><BR/>Either way thank you very much for your feed back. It has given me a fresh new perspective to consider. ~D.Destinyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15321266512192671566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003408206490292139.post-5491141519326116972008-10-07T08:47:00.000-07:002008-10-07T08:47:00.000-07:00Let me start by saying that I'm approaching this a...Let me start by saying that I'm approaching this argument from a mostly-neutral position. Regardless of my political or personal position on abortion, I appreciate the arguments on both sides and am mostly interested in the issue itself--namely, how abortion, which is a very controversial and potentially harmful solution to the problem of unwanted pregnancy, has completely overpowered the more important conversation we need to be having about how to prevent those pregnancies in the first place. <BR/><BR/>But I digress. Although this blog entry is well intentioned, it misses the point. Pro-choice advocates not only use the rape/incest argument, but they use it well, because they have pointed out a nuance where they can provide clear reasons for their objections. Pro-life advocates, unfortunately, have not found a way to respond to this argument. <BR/><BR/>Case in point--your column is principled, but answers the rape/incest question with the same approach that you would answer any general question where abortion is an option. You aren't recognizing the nuances because to you, there are none. Abortion, in your argument, is wrong and therefore is wrong in this circumstance, which means you are providing little more than a tautological argument. This works to reinforce your beliefs and those who share them, but it won't convince those on the fence. <BR/><BR/>Furthermore, it doesn't address the fundamental flaw in this entire argument, which is that neither side speaks on the other's terms. I think that if you can discover a way to formulate your argument using the terms that someone on the fence would better relate to, you would discover you could convince them and appear educated and principled, rather than angry, myopic, and too reliant on religious and moral arguments.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com