"Don Leighton's Aug.4 letter, "Electing to abort is a moral wrong", is another attempt at circular reasoning. Anyone who considers a collection of cells an actual human being is, at the very least, misinformed. Nonscientists and pseudoscientists make statements that are unverified, or verified by sources within their own belief circle. Again, religion is rearing its ugly head, trying to make a modern society adopt biblical absurdities."
Mr. Leighton stated that the
"pro-life argument can be distilled into four simple points:
1. The unborn, from the moment of conception, is a full-fledged member of the human community.
2. Intentionally killing an innocent member of the human community is a moral wrong.
3. Elective abortion is the intentional killing of a member of the human community.
4. Therefore, elective abortion is a moral wrong."
There are a number of observations regarding Mr. Leighton's argument:
a) It is a valid syllogism.
b) Premise #1 is a scientific fact. The conception between a human mother and a human father results in a genetic human being that is unique from her mother and her father. Human beings are, by definition, members of the human community.
c) Premise #2 is a philosophical view with which I doubt even Ms. Lundberg would disagree.
d) Premise #3 - The point of elective abortion is that something is alive that needs to be killed. It's alive before the abortion and dead afterwards. Therefore, elective abortion does kill. What does it kill? That which was conceived between the human mother and human father, that is, a human being which, by definition, is a member of the human community. Therfeore, this premise is true.
e) Therefore, since the Premise #1, #2, and #3 are true, the conclusion (see 4) must also be true - "Elective abortion is a moral wrong."
Notice, nowhere does Leighton appeal to religion, deity, or holy writ. Lundberg is unable to refute the pro-life argument so she just ignores it and simply reiterates the assertion that Leighton had already refuted!
Further, Lundberg makes this incredible statement:
"Anyone who considers a collection of cells an actual human being is, at the very least, misinformed."Really?!?
Does Ms. Lundberg not realize that she, me, and every human being is a "collection of cells"? Does Lundberg consider herself a human being? Is a two-year old "collection of cells", called a toddler, less human than the 16-year old "collection of cells"?
Can we kill either because they are less of a "collection of cells" than an adult?
