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utsfl:classroom:seminars:pba100y [2017/06/19 10:52] – mmccannutsfl:classroom:seminars:pba100y [2021/04/27 12:41] (current) – [PBA100Y: The Human Rights Case Against Abortion] mmccann
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 ====== PBA100Y: The Human Rights Case Against Abortion ====== ====== PBA100Y: The Human Rights Case Against Abortion ======
 +FIXME HR / my body/choice preamble, but then circumstances > HR > science > personhood > autonomy traditional ordering?
  
-FIXME Work on the formatting+FIXME Work on the order - circumstances / bodily autonomy / science / personhood. Starts and ends with HRA + AVP, always circling back to those.
  
 ===== Starting the Conversation on Abortion: Do You Believe in Human Rights? ===== ===== Starting the Conversation on Abortion: Do You Believe in Human Rights? =====
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 <note> <note>
-(FIXME would be preferable to have a testimony from a female staffer for the first featured testimony...) + 
-"A man said he had no opinion on abortion and after the human rights argument he agreed there is no situation in which abortion is okay. He said he was 100% pro-life." +FIXME HR argument testimony video (Maria)
-- Kristian Shortridge, CCBR Intern  +
-{{ :utsfl:classroom:seminars:kristian_hra.jpg?300 |}}+
  
 </note> </note>
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 ==== Bridging the Gap: ==== ==== Bridging the Gap: ====
-When people bring up difficult bodily autonomy or difficult circumstances to justify abortion, there are **three steps** to use in order to bridge to the central question of the abortion debate: //who are the pre-born?//+When people bring up bodily autonomy or difficult circumstances to justify abortion, there are **three steps** to use in order to bridge to the central question of the abortion debate: //who are the pre-born?//
   - Find **common ground**.   - Find **common ground**.
     - People on both sides of the abortion debate can agree that human beings should have choices, especially regarding their own bodies; and we can agree that a crisis pregnancy is just that--a crisis. The challenges can be intense.     - People on both sides of the abortion debate can agree that human beings should have choices, especially regarding their own bodies; and we can agree that a crisis pregnancy is just that--a crisis. The challenges can be intense.
-    - You can find common ground with the person by agreeing with them that the circumstances they have brought up are very difficult, and it is important to support pregnant women facing those challenges.  
     - This step is crucial in building a connection with the person you are talking to, a way of letting the other person know that you are here to listen to their concerns.     - This step is crucial in building a connection with the person you are talking to, a way of letting the other person know that you are here to listen to their concerns.
   - Use an **analogy** with a born human being.   - Use an **analogy** with a born human being.
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 </note> </note>
 +
 +FIXME testimony videos for CG/A/Q: Emily (choice) and Craig (circumstances)
 +
 +**What about rape?**  
 +
 +  * Although abortions from pregnancy caused by sexual assault are [[http://abortionincanada.ca/facts/why-women-choose-abortion/|very rare]], this question comes up frequently in discussions about abortion. When someone asks, "What about rape?", their first question is not, "Are the pre-born human?" They are wondering: are //you// human? Do you have compassion for a woman who has been violently assaulted? And so, when we are discussing abortion in the case of rape, it is crucial that we express compassion for those who have been a victim of such a horrible crime. 
 +
 +<note>
 +
 +“After discussing the humanity and human rights of the pre-born, the woman looked at me and said, ‘What about those girls who have been raped? Should we force them to have the kid of their rapist?’ We both agreed that no woman should have to experience something as horrible as sexual assault, and that we must do everything we can for the victims that do. I said, ‘I believe that we as a society need to surround that women with care, love, and support to help her work through that traumatic experience. And I believe that rapists should be thrown in jail and punished to the extent of the law.’ I then said, ‘**However, in a country where we don't even give the death penalty to the guilty rapist, how is it fair to give the death penalty to the innocent child**? Should we ever try to fix a human rights violation by committing another, or shouldn't we try to do our best to love them both?’ She thanked me for the enlightening conversation and left completely pro-life.”
 +{{ :utsfl:classroom:seminars:irene_cc.jpg?300 |}}
 +
 +</note>
 +
 +FIXME testimony video re: sexual assault (Kim)
  
 By using common ground, analogies, and questions, you can "bridge the gap" to the question we want to highlight: are pre-born children human beings? By using common ground, analogies, and questions, you can "bridge the gap" to the question we want to highlight: are pre-born children human beings?
 The pro-life position is very simple: Human beings have human rights. Human rights should begin when a human being's life begins. And science tells us when a new human beings begins: at fertilization.   The pro-life position is very simple: Human beings have human rights. Human rights should begin when a human being's life begins. And science tells us when a new human beings begins: at fertilization.  
 +
 +
  
 ===== The Science of When Life Begins: Do Humans Reproduce Other Living Humans? ===== ===== The Science of When Life Begins: Do Humans Reproduce Other Living Humans? =====
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 ==== Dialogue about Fertilization: Before, At, or After? ==== ==== Dialogue about Fertilization: Before, At, or After? ====
 +FIXME video from Stephanie Gray: https://youtu.be/8ia5O57nZbw
 +
   * FIXME wording   * FIXME wording
 Besides referring to experts in embryology, we can also consider for ourselves the "options" for when human life begins. Does human life begin before fertilization, at fertilization, or some time after?   Besides referring to experts in embryology, we can also consider for ourselves the "options" for when human life begins. Does human life begin before fertilization, at fertilization, or some time after?  
  
-**Before Fertilization**:+**Before Fertilization**?
  
   * Before fertilization, we have sperm and eggs, i.e. gametes. Are sperm and egg equivalent to the embryo? Here's one way to think about it:   * Before fertilization, we have sperm and eggs, i.e. gametes. Are sperm and egg equivalent to the embryo? Here's one way to think about it:
-    * If you take a sperm cell, and give it what it needs to live – nutrition, safety, a natural environment – and wait 1 year, or 15 years, what will happen? You will still have a sperm cell. +    * If you take a sperm cell, and give it what it needs to live – nutrition, a safe environment – and wait 1 year, or 15 years, what will happen? You will still have a sperm cell. 
-    * If you take an egg cell, and give it what it needs to live – nutrition, safety, a natural environment – and wait 1 year, or 15 years, what will happen? Again, you will still have an egg cell. +    * If you take an egg cell, and give it what it needs to live – nutrition, a safe environment – and wait 1 year, or 15 years, what will happen? Again, you will still have an egg cell. 
-    * In contrast, if you take a zygote, and give her what she needs to live – nutrition, safety, a natural environment – and wait 1 year, or 15 years, what will happen? You will have an infant, or a teenager. +    * In contrast, if you take a zygote, and give her what she needs to live – nutrition, a safe environment – and wait 1 year, or 15 years, what will happen? You will have an infant, or a teenager. 
-    * A gamete has 23 chromosomes, a zygote has a complete set of DNA. A gamete stays a gamete until the transformation of fertilization. A zygote continues to grow older, into a blastocyst, an embryo, a fetus, a newborn, an infant, a toddler, etc. A gamete is a human part, while the embryo is a human whole. We know the difference between a human part and a human whole.+    * A gamete has 23 chromosomes, while a zygote has a complete set of DNA. A gamete stays a gamete until the transformation of fertilization. A zygote, in contrast, continues to grow older, into a blastocyst, an embryo, a fetus, a newborn, an infant, a toddler, etc. A gamete is a human part, while the embryo is a human whole. We know the difference between a human part and a human whole.
  
-**After Fertilization**+**After Fertilization**?
   * Now let's entertain the possibility that human life begins some time //after// fertilization.    * Now let's entertain the possibility that human life begins some time //after// fertilization. 
     * Imagine you see a 2-year-old girl walking down the street, and you had never seen her before. Would you assume that her life began at that moment? Of course not! We know that 2 years earlier, she was born.     * Imagine you see a 2-year-old girl walking down the street, and you had never seen her before. Would you assume that her life began at that moment? Of course not! We know that 2 years earlier, she was born.
-    * And where did that newborn girl come from? She was not brought by the stork; she was delivered from her mother's body, at birth. The infant grew from an earlier version of herself--namely, the fetus.+    * And where did that newborn girl come from? She was not brought by the stork; she was delivered from her mother's body, at birth. The newborn infant grew from an earlier version of herself--namely, the fetus.
  
 <note> <note>
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 {{ :utsfl:classroom:seminars:human_dvlpmnt_timeline.jpg?300 |}} {{ :utsfl:classroom:seminars:human_dvlpmnt_timeline.jpg?300 |}}
  
-FIXME polaroid analogy here? Or put that in embryology? Don't want excessive content 
  
 ===== Personhood: Do All Humans Have Human Rights? ===== ===== Personhood: Do All Humans Have Human Rights? =====
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 FIXME condense and polish FIXME condense and polish
  
-  * Some people may agree with you that, scientifically, pre-born children are human beings like you and I. However, many abortion supporters will still argue that the pre-born are not equal to born human beings--that is, that they are not //persons//.   +Some people may agree with you that, scientifically, pre-born children are human beings like you and I. However, many abortion supporters will still argue that the pre-born are not equal to born human beings--that is, that they are not //persons//. They claim that since the pre-born cannot think or behave like those who are born, abortion is acceptable because it merely kills "non-persons." These individuals will point out that the pre-born differ so much from the born. 
-  * They claim that since the pre-born cannot think or behave like those who are born, abortion is acceptable because it merely kills "non-persons." These individuals will point out that the pre-born differ so much from the born. + 
-    * How? What are some of the ways that pre-born humans differ from born humans? +How? What are some of the ways that pre-born humans differ from born humans? All of these differences break down into four basic categories, into the acronym **SLED**((Stephen Schwartz, //The Moral Question of Abortion//)): 
-    * All of these differences break down into four basic categories, into the acronym SLED:+
         * **Size**         * **Size**
         * **Level of Development**          * **Level of Development** 
         * **Environment**          * **Environment** 
         * **Degree of Dependency**         * **Degree of Dependency**
-    * We should ask two questions:+We should ask two questions:
       - Do these differences only exist before birth, or do they continue //after// birth too?       - Do these differences only exist before birth, or do they continue //after// birth too?
       - Do any of these differences determine whether or not someone should have basic human rights, like the right to life?       - Do any of these differences determine whether or not someone should have basic human rights, like the right to life?
 Let's examine the categories: Let's examine the categories:
  
-  * **Size:**    +**Size:**    
-      * An embryo is far smaller than an infant, but similarly, an infant is far smaller than a teenager. + 
-      * And, does how big you are determine whether or not you have basic human rights? Bigger humans don't have more of a right to life than smaller humans. +An embryo is far smaller than an infant, but similarly, an infant is far smaller than a teenager. And, does how big you are determine whether or not you have basic human rights? Bigger humans don't have more of a right to life than smaller humans. 
-  * **Level of Development:**+ 
 +**Level of Development:**
  
 {{ :utsfl:classroom:seminars:maaike_sled_test.jpg?300|}} {{ :utsfl:classroom:seminars:maaike_sled_test.jpg?300|}}
-    * Embryos and fetuses are undoubtedly less developed than newborn babies. But aren't newborns also less developed than toddlers, and toddlers less developed than teenagers? Aren't some adult humans less cognitively or physically developed because of factors like disability? + 
-    * And why should our level of development matter when it comes to whether or not we get human rights?+Embryos and fetuses are undoubtedly less developed than newborn babies. But aren't newborns also less developed than toddlers, and toddlers less developed than teenagers? Aren't some adult humans less cognitively or physically developed because of factors like disability? And why should our level of development matter when it comes to whether or not we get human rights? 
     * FIXME Link here to [[utsfl:classroom:seminars:pba205h|functionalism]]?     * FIXME Link here to [[utsfl:classroom:seminars:pba205h|functionalism]]?
  
-  * **Environment:**  +**Environment:**  
-    * Some justify abortion because a pre-born child is inside the mother's womb, while an infant is outside her mother's womb. + 
-    * It is true that pre-born children live in a different environment. Your environment changes when you're born, but it also changes constantly throughout your life. +Some justify abortion because a pre-born child is inside the mother's womb, while an infant is outside her mother's womb. But why should our environment, something which changes constantly during our lives, dictate whether we get human rights? //Where// you are does not determine //who// or //what// you are. 
-    * And //where// you are does not determine //who// or //what// you are. + 
-        * Consider, for example, the story of baby [[http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/20/health/baby-born-twice-fetal-surgery/index.html|LynLee Boemer]]. She was removed from her mother's womb at 23 weeks so that doctors could perform a life-saving surgery on her. After surgery, she was placed back in her mother's womb. She was later born via C-section at 36 weeks. LynLee was inside her mother's body, then outside, then inside again, then outside again. If location determines personhood, did she go from being a non-person, to (temporarily) a person, to a non-person again, then finally back to being a person after birth? Her location changed, but why would her humanity or human rights change? +Consider, for example, the story of baby [[http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/20/health/baby-born-twice-fetal-surgery/index.html|LynLee Boemer]]. She was removed from her mother's womb at 23 weeks so that doctors could perform a life-saving surgery on her. After surgery, she was placed back in her mother's womb. She was later born via C-section at 36 weeks. LynLee was inside her mother's body, then outside, then inside again, then outside again. If location determines personhood, did she go from being a non-person, to (temporarily) a person, to a non-person again, then finally back to being a person after birth? Her location changed, but why would her humanity or human rights change? 
-  * **Degree of Dependency:**  + 
-    * Abortion advocates will point out that, before viability, a pre-born child is entirely dependent on her mother's body in a way that an infant is not. +**Degree of Dependency:**  
-      * But again, differences in dependency exist among born humans as well. A newborn is far more dependent than a teenager, and she might still be dependent on her mother's very body to live (for example, with breastfeeding). We do not become independent until //well// after birth. + 
-      * Furthermore, do people who are more dependent have fewer basic rights? Actually, the more dependent someone is, the //greater// our responsibility towards them! +Abortion advocates will point out that, before viability, a pre-born child is entirely dependent on her mother's body in a way that an infant is not. But again, differences in dependency exist among born humans as well. A newborn is far more dependent than a teenager, and she might still be dependent on her mother's very body to live (for example, with breastfeeding). We do not become independent until //well// after birth. 
-        * If a 3-year-old is thirsty and asks her mother for a drink of water, is the mother obligated to get it for her? Yes, otherwise she would be guilty of parental neglect. + 
-        * But if that same girl at age 17 says, 'Mom, get me a glass of water,' the mother is not obligated to do so--her daughter can get the water herself! +Furthermore, do people who are more dependent have fewer basic rights? Actually, **the more dependent someone is, the //greater// our responsibility towards them!** For instance, if a 3-year-old is thirsty and asks her mother for a drink of water, is the mother obligated to get it for her? Yes, otherwise she would be guilty of parental neglect. But if that same girl at age 17 says, 'Mom, get me a glass of water,' the mother is not obligated to do so--her daughter can get the water herself! 
-        * Clearly, the more dependent someone is, the //more// responsibility we have towards them. Just as we would never deny basic care to a 3-year-old who cannot care for herself, why would we deny basic care to the pre-born child, who also cannot care for herself?+ 
 +Clearly, the more dependent someone is, the //more// responsibility we have towards them. Just as we would never deny human rights and basic care to a 3-year-old who cannot care for herself, why would we deny human rights and basic care to the pre-born child, who also cannot care for herself? 
 === SLED = f(age) === === SLED = f(age) ===
 We can also encourage abortion supporters to think carefully about //why// there are these differences between embryos and infants, between infants and teenagers. These differences are all actually a function of one's //age//. We can also encourage abortion supporters to think carefully about //why// there are these differences between embryos and infants, between infants and teenagers. These differences are all actually a function of one's //age//.
-    * //Why// is a pre-born child smaller? What size should any member of our species be at that age? + 
-    * //Why// is a pre-born child still in her mother's womb? Where else is the natural place for any member of our species be at that age? +//Why// is a pre-born child smaller? What size should any member of our species be at that age? 
-    * //Why// is a pre-born child more dependent? How independent should any member of our species be at that age? + 
-    * //Why// is a pre-born child less developed? How developed should any member of our species be at that age? +//Why// is a pre-born child still in her mother's womb? Where else is the natural place for any member of our species be at that age? 
-      * //Why// can't a child survive outside the womb until about halfway through pregnancy? FIXME source+ 
 +//Why// is a pre-born child more dependent? How independent should any member of our species be at that age? 
 + 
 +//Why// is a pre-born child less developed? How developed should any member of our species be at that age? 
 + 
 +//Why// can't a child survive outside the womb until about halfway through pregnancy? FIXME source
         * Well, our medical technology is only so advanced -- it used to be later in pregnancy before a child could survive outside the womb, in the future maybe it will be earlier in pregnancy.         * Well, our medical technology is only so advanced -- it used to be later in pregnancy before a child could survive outside the womb, in the future maybe it will be earlier in pregnancy.
         * But, given our medical technology, what else would we expect for a human being of that age?         * But, given our medical technology, what else would we expect for a human being of that age?
-      * //Why// are brain waves measurable at six weeks? How developed should someone's brain be at that age? The human brain isn't fully developed until your mid-20s! +//Why// are brain waves measurable at six weeks? How developed should someone's brain be at that age? The human brain isn't fully developed until your mid-20s! 
-      * //Why// does the human heart start beating three weeks after fertilization? When should any human being's heart start beating?+//Why// does the human heart start beating three weeks after fertilization? When should any human being's heart start beating?
  
 These differences are all just //age differences// -- not differences that matter in terms of basic human rights, like the right to life. Clearly, to select age-related criteria for personhood is arbitrary and discriminatory. It pits older humans against younger ones. These differences are all just //age differences// -- not differences that matter in terms of basic human rights, like the right to life. Clearly, to select age-related criteria for personhood is arbitrary and discriminatory. It pits older humans against younger ones.
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 Some may still argue that a pre-born child is simply "not a person". But when we examine history, we see that //any// definition of a person that doesn't include //all// human beings is a grave violation of human rights. Some may still argue that a pre-born child is simply "not a person". But when we examine history, we see that //any// definition of a person that doesn't include //all// human beings is a grave violation of human rights.
  
-While today the term personhood is often used to describe someone as "self-aware" or "rational," [[https://www.endthekilling.ca/training/classroom/humans/history|historically other criteria were used]]. Personhood has been defined using sex, skin colour, ethnicity and other arbitrary distinctions. Whenever we say that, to be a person and have basic human rights, you have to be a 'human being plus x'--that just being a human being isn't good enough--that is the very formula for injustice. It is a formula for a grave human rights violation. +While today the term personhood is often used to describe someone as "self-aware" or "rational," [[https://www.endthekilling.ca/training/classroom/humans/history|historically other criteria were used]]. Personhood has been defined using sex, skin colour, ethnicity and other arbitrary distinctions. Whenever we say that, to be a person and have basic human rights, someone must be a 'human being plus x'--that just being a human being is not good enough--that is the very formula for injustice. Denying personhood to some human beings has always led to catastrophic moral errors:
-  * Denying personhood to some human beings has always led to catastrophic moral errors:+
   * **Racism**    * **Racism** 
       * "In the eyes of the law... the slave is not a person." –Virginia Supreme Court decision, 1858       * "In the eyes of the law... the slave is not a person." –Virginia Supreme Court decision, 1858
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 <note> <note>
 **"They're not persons."** **"They're not persons."**
 +{{youtube>TRaW4uOK2OE?medium}}
  
-{{:utsfl:classroom:seminars:personhood.jpg|}} +Some lessons take the longest to learn. Shouldn't all human beings have human rights?
-Some lessons take the longest to learn. +
-Human rights are for all human beings.+
 </note> </note>
  
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-FIXME **Conclusion example:** "At this point, someone who is intellectually honest will agree with you that pre-born children are living human beings from fertilization onward. However, they may then bring up other objections: the pre-born are not full persons until they gain [[utsfl:classroom:seminars:pba205h|certain functions]]. Or, even if they are human persons with the right to life, they do not have the right to [[utsfl:classroom:seminars:pba210h|their mother's body]]. Or maybe the other person intellectually accepts your arguments and is not ignorant of the truth, but rather is in [[utsfl:classroom:seminars:pbh220h|denial of the truth]] because of an issue of the heart. Read onward to learn how to engage with these kinds of objections."+FIXME **Conclusion example:** At this point, someone who is intellectually honest will agree with you that pre-born children are living human beings from fertilization onward. However, they may then bring up other objections: the pre-born are not full persons until they gain [[utsfl:classroom:seminars:pba205h|certain functions]]. Or, even if they are human persons with the right to life, they do not have the right to [[utsfl:classroom:seminars:pba210h|their mother's body]]. Or maybe the other person intellectually accepts your arguments and is not ignorant of the truth, but rather is in [[utsfl:classroom:seminars:pbh220h|denial of the truth]] because of an issue of the heart. Read onward to learn how to engage with these kinds of objections.