the "a fetus is a human being" argument is a bullsh*t argument of rhetorical convenience

[unblock]

anti-choicers don't really believe it themselves. at least, i've never met an anti-choicer who actually fully believes it.

they use this argument because it sounds good (to them, at least, and to people who don't give it much thought -- but i repeat myself...), not because they actually believe it, because they don't.


can a fetus be counted in the census to increase representation in congress and the electoral college?

no, that's silly and unworkable. no one believes that. don't be ridiculous. fetuses aren't human beings when it comes to the census.


can a pregnant woman get an exemption on her income taxes based on the number of fetuses she's carrying?

no, that's silly and unworkable. no one believes that. don't be ridiculous. fetuses aren't human beings when it comes to taxes.


can a pregnant woman count the fetus(es) she's carrying for purposes of getting government aid, such as aid to families with dependent children?

no, that's silly and unworkable. no one believes that. don't be ridiculous. fetuses aren't human beings when it comes to government assistance programs.



that fact is, anti-choicers don't believe that a fetus is a human being for nearly any purpose other than for the pregnancy enslavement of women.

it's not a consistent view any more than they are "pro-life" when they also support the death penalty, stand your ground, war, etc.

[lapfog_1]

1. Ask them if anyone who is 17 years and 3 months

past the date of their birth is now eligible to vote, have sex with a 45 year old person, etc.

[PoliticAverse]

4. In some cultures you were considered to be 1 year old when born. n/t

[lapfog_1]

6. so they were "created" by a potential thought

like "hey, 3 months from now I might rape a woman and 9 months from then we will have a 1 year old child!"

Cool.

[PoliticAverse]

2. Can someone be charged with murder if they assault a pregnant woman and cause a fetus to terminate?

[Azathoth]

3. Actually, yes, that's been done nt

[PoliticAverse]

5. Indeed...

https://www.salon.com/2013/05/17/is_killing_a_fetus_murder/

[ShazzieB]

13. Sure has.

Scott Peterson is the example I'm most familiar with. Dude killed his 8 months pregnant wife and was convicted of 1st degree murder, plus an additional charge of 2nd degree murder for the fetus. This was in California, in 2004.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Peterson?wprov=sfla1

EDITED TO ADD: I just realized this example was exactly what you were asking about, as she was murdered, not just assaulted. I'll leave this here in case it's of interest to you or ayone else.

[unblock]

9. That's why I hedged a little -- "nearly".

I suppose a better characterization of their view is that a fetus is a human being only when it comes to terminating the pregnancy, whether that's done by abortion or other means such as a violent crime.

No doubt they'll start passing laws that make criminals of pregnant women who engage in activities that increase the risk of miscarriage as well. Or just start prosecuting it as negligent homicide or reckless endangerment.

[meadowlander]

7. I've met people who are simple-minded enough to genuinely believe it. They're still wrong though.

[TlalocW]

8. I've used this thought experiment

This is an example of how it goes

If you were in a burning building, and there was a kid that needed saving, and you knew 100% you would both make it, you would save him or her, right?
Yes, of course.
What if you were in a burning building, and there were two kids that needed saving, and you knew 100% that you could only save one? It would be tough, but you would choose the two right? (Don't let them try to object to the scenario)
Yeah, it would suck, but I would.
What if you were in a burning building, and you could save either one kid or ten but not all eleven? What would you do?
I'd save the ten kids.
What about if it were one kid or nine?
The nine.
Eight? Seven? Six? Five? Four? Three? Two?
I'd save the bigger number.

Next I ask all at once because they normally don't answer right away so I drive it home.

What if the choice was between one kid, and two frozen embryos?
One kid versus three frozen embryos?
Four? Five? Six? Seven?
What number of frozen embryos in danger of being destroyed would it take for you to save them instead of the kid?

TlalocW

[Rhiannon12866]

10. If anyone is "pro-life," it should mean that they oppose the death penalty...

[multigraincracker]

11. If it is based on a heart beat...

what is Dick Cheney?

[multigraincracker]

12. A cadaver is a human being,

that is only one lighting strike away from getting up and walking away.