Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

cyclonefence

(4,483 posts)
Sat Jun 27, 2020, 09:04 AM Jun 2020

Masks and abortion rights

Last edited Sat Jun 27, 2020, 01:43 PM - Edit history (1)

Explain to me the difference.

Justification for restricting or banning abortion is to protect innocent life.

Justification for wearing a mask is to protect innocent life.

My body, my decision?

Consistency may be the hobgoblin of small minds, but my god Republicans are famous for being small-minded already, so what's their problem?


Never thought I'd need this

16 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Masks and abortion rights (Original Post) cyclonefence Jun 2020 OP
Wish I could rec this 1000 times! Ohiogal Jun 2020 #1
Recommended the story ChazII Jun 2020 #5
Thank you! Ohiogal Jun 2020 #11
That is what DU friend's are for. n/t ChazII Jun 2020 #13
Restricting abortion was never about protectinng Phoenix61 Jun 2020 #2
And they couldn't give a f@#_ after the child is born, which validates your point. OnDoutside Jun 2020 #3
Exactly! MuseRider Jun 2020 #6
So much this...nt Wounded Bear Jun 2020 #8
They have reduced the "Suffer the little children" Lars39 Jun 2020 #4
An abortion kills a fetus, not a human being. marie999 Jun 2020 #7
Abortion bans have nothing to do with protecting life. NutmegYankee Jun 2020 #9
I don't think people should have an abortion in public Orangepeel Jun 2020 #10
Even if they maintain social distancing? cyclonefence Jun 2020 #14
These things are usually three-edged swords. Igel Jun 2020 #12
Well said, thanks. n/t sl8 Jun 2020 #15
Hypocrisy is a way of life for Rethuglicons. PandoraAwakened Jun 2020 #16

Phoenix61

(17,003 posts)
2. Restricting abortion was never about protectinng
Sat Jun 27, 2020, 09:24 AM
Jun 2020

life. It was about punishing women for being sexually active.

MuseRider

(34,108 posts)
6. Exactly!
Sat Jun 27, 2020, 10:32 AM
Jun 2020

We were only supposed to be sexually active at the behest or forcing of a man and dammit you were supposed to like it!

Lars39

(26,109 posts)
4. They have reduced the "Suffer the little children"
Sat Jun 27, 2020, 09:35 AM
Jun 2020

down to the smallest, ie cells. Humans out of the womb don't count.
They're just selfish gits.

NutmegYankee

(16,199 posts)
9. Abortion bans have nothing to do with protecting life.
Sat Jun 27, 2020, 10:43 AM
Jun 2020

It's about ensuring that women are relegated to a second class role in society. This is why many faiths that also don't treat women equal (See any Catholic female priests?) are so adamant on banning it - it helps them "restore God's natural order" and feel that they are still in control of society.

Igel

(35,300 posts)
12. These things are usually three-edged swords.
Sat Jun 27, 2020, 12:28 PM
Jun 2020

"It's my body, I'll do with it what I want. That includes abortion."

"It's my body, I'll do with it what I want. That includes not wearing a mask."

The problem is the need to actually gain agreement on what life is. Most of the time we scream, shout, and when the other side doesn't give in just delete them and say they're not really fully people. In a democracy, 50% + 1 (or a good court-based oligarchy) wins--there *are* no minority rights that the majority doesn't want to extend.

A second is agreement on who should benefit--who's more important in a society? Is it the individual, 100.000% of the time? Society all of the time? Some of the time?

Because it extends to vaccinations. We can quibble that being made to comply with something hung on your body isn't really the same as deciding what gets done in your body. But forced vaccinations or disfellowshipment from society (with all the other obligations still in place) seems like pure hypocrisy when advocated by pro-choice folk.

I can put together the following arguments.

If you do not get vaccinated, you might incur additional risk to others. You are at greater risk of contracting the disease and spread it (to me); you may contract the disease and overburden the system, so that if I need those facilities they're unnecessarily occupied; you may do neither of those two things, but will still cost the health care system money and resources that I have to pay part of, and that gives me authority over your body.

If you do not get an abortion, you might incur additional risk to others. As a single mother, your child will run increased risk of low educational outcome or higher risk of crime; you will raise the poverty level for your economic unit, incurring costs to society, while simultaneously lowering your opportunities to advance. Either way, you increase the risk and expense of society that I am part of.

I don't like any of my arguments. On the other hand, I find that thinking with emotions is a really sucky way of doing things. Thought is thought, emotion is emotion, and while they have to get together and parley having one walk the plank before it even gets to open its mouth is hardly "reasoned" or "intelligent". When I make an emotion-based arbitrary cut-off, I like to be explicit about it; then when others disagree, we can discuss it (when the others are willing to admit that they, too, have an arbitrary emotion-based cut-off instead of "this is God's very truth" or "how dare you defy the sacred Arc of History and the truth of the holy side that is right." The idea of a secular religion is far from new. Or even just 20th century.)

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Masks and abortion rights