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Saturday, January 11, 2014

Abortion, pragmatic law

Many base their thinking about abortion on the wrong premise.  They think if something is "wrong," it should be illegal.

Largely speaking that serves to work, but "wrongness" is a slippery concept and people will disagree based on culture and belief.  It is at heart a religious matter.  For a secular state, where religion is kept at arm's length, a different basis for deciding what should be illegal than wrongness is needed -- namely the effect of the act on society and its members.  Even when it is shown that there is a definite negative effect, the power of the law should be applied selectively and carefully, as the very act of making something illegal can make its effects even worse or create other negative effects.

I think abortions are immoral and would ever personally have one and would urge others to seek alternatives.  I do not think morality is an all or nothing thing; some immoral acts are more immoral than others (and in fact some immoral acts are overwhelmed by an ensuing immorality of not doing it -- such as lying to the Gestapo about the whereabouts of a Jew).

So the relevant questions regarding making something illegal have to do with pragmatic effects on society, not moral grounds.

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