[url=https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins]From his personal twitter account:[/url]
[quote]With respect to those meanings of "human" that are relevant to the morality of abortion, any fetus is less human than an adult pig[/quote]
[quote]"Human" features relevant to the morality of abortion include ability to feel pain, fear etc & to be mourned by others[/quote]
[quote]"I dare you to say that to a broken hearted woman who has miscarried." She would not have an abortion anyway, so irrelevant.[/quote]
[quote]Yes, anything can be mourned. If you are going to mourn your fetus, you are free to not have an abortion[/quote]
[quote]Of course potential to be human is among fetus' qualities. But my pig comparison was careful to specify "relevant to morality of abortion."[/quote]
[quote]"Genetically a fetus is more human." Yes. Another reason my pig comparison was careful to specify "relevant to morality of abortion."[/quote]
[quote]My criterion for "relevant to morality of abortion" is standard consequentialist morality. Opponents follow absolutist morality. Simple.[/quote]
[quote]"Parent might mourn daughter's fetus, even if she herself doesn't — relevant to the morality?" Yes, but daughter paramount. It's her body.[/quote]
[quote]"Right but that doesnt mean fetus gets zero weight." I never said it did. I said less weight than a pig. I hope that is not zero?[/quote]
[quote]The most important moral question in abortion debate is "Can it feel pain?" Late abortuses may, but you don't have to be human to feel pain[/quote]
[quote]Unlike many pro-choice friends, I think fetal pain could outweigh woman's right to control her own body. But pig pain matters too.[/quote]
[quote]Everything I've said in this argument assumes consequentialist moral philosophy. If you're an absolutist you obviously won't agree. Simple.[/quote]
[quote]"I know several broken-hearted (pro-choice) women following abortion." I sympathise. They balanced all, brought all to mind. And chose.[/quote]
[quote]Woman's rights over her own body are extremely important. So is pain. At what age can fetus feel pain? Can pig feel more?[/quote]
[quote]Pig doesn't have human DNA, human potential or human IQ. It probably does have human capacity to feel pain. Aborted fetus probably doesn't[/quote]
[quote]My hair and fingernails are human but don't feel pain when I cut them. Embryo before brain develops doesn't feel pain. Late fetus? Pig?[/quote]
tl;dr He's pro-choice
Thoughts on his tweets? Spot on or completely immoral?
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Immoral of course.