Douglas Hendrickson said:
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There is one basic problem with this, and it is the failure to see the difference between "human" and "human being."
"... only became human when we had our umbilical cord severed" should read: "became a human being," and then it would be true. To understand better
the difference between before birth and after see my post above, #1076. There is a difference of dependencies, but more important a difference of being, there exists an actual animal (human) being only after birth. A new member of the human species. Just like there are never any pigs in a pigs belly - we do not count pig fetuses as pigs, because they are not. So too is
a chicken egg not a chicken even if it is fertilized.
Most people are able to tell the difference between a chicken and an egg!
Sorry I don't get your point. A pig fetus is still a pig. So? A fertilized chicken egg is still a chicken, although not fully developed yet, but it's still a chicken.
The basis of the argument is the fact that there is no difference between a human and human being. That is a philosphical argument. A person in a vegitative state could be considered a human, but not a human being because they are dependent on others for survival. As could many other humans on this planet. Most children could not survive on their own. They are still human beings. The fact that the baby in the mothers womb cannot survive without being in the mothers womb is meaningless. You obviously are debating the humanity of a human. Once you go down that road you are placing yourself into the position to decide what is human and what is not. That road inevitably leads to deciding if a person outside the womb is a human being. And what constitutes a human being. You do NOT get to decide that. No one should. But that is exactly what you have done. Placed yourself in the position on who lives and who dies based on YOUR definition of what is a human being. And that is as immoral as it comes.
What is it about, "there are never any pigs in a pigs belly" you don't understand? That you say "A pig fetus is still a pig. So?"
On the chicken/egg thing, see my post #1177.
Please read a little more closely - I do not here speak of "a human," I was contrasting "human" and "human being."
"Human" is an adjective and often indicates "is composed of human cells." Has human DNA, like the cancer and the severed leg.
I am not at all talking about "the humanity of a human." But it IS important to understand "what is human and what is not," and the reference to DNA just above goes in that direction. To repeat myself, human DNA like in the fetus and the cancer is one marker of the "human." (Note I did not here say
a human.)