Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Could someone please explain this to me?

There's an interesting piece in the Telegraph by Professor Stuart Campbell, a London obstetrician who discusses his "technique for producing detailed 3D images of the developing foetus that show it smiling, yawning, rubbing its eyes and apparently 'walking' in the womb."

He continues:

"Though I perform these scans every day, I am still overcome by the excitement and the wonder of the foetus that is learning to be a baby. By 20 weeks it smiles, makes crying expressions and sucks its thumb. At 23 weeks, it begins to open its eyes and develops quite complex patterns of behaviour. It can survive outside the womb.

. . .

"I have been accused of sentimentality, but the fact is that, in these images, foetuses are baby-like. To me it is almost barbaric to abort foetuses between 20 and 24 weeks. In fact, the procedure is so unattractive and distressing that few doctors will perform the operation after 20 weeks."

Campbell, however, advocates reducing the amount of red tape involved in procuring an abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. (The current law in Great Britain requires two doctors to sign off in such cases, though in practice this is basically a formality, according to Campbell.) Here's his reasoning:

"Delay is bad. Anything that speeds up the process and enables an abortion to be carried out more expeditiously once a woman has made her decision, is to be welcomed.

. . .

"Some GPs are less keen on performing terminations than others. While they go through the laborious formalities of seeking independent signatures, a woman may be left waiting for two or three weeks before her termination. In that time, the foetus is acquiring the startling human characteristics seen in the scans carried out every day in hospitals around the country."

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I understand it, this obstetrician's position with respect to unborn babies is, Hurry up and kill it before it starts doing anything too cute that might convict my conscience!

I can't understand how anyone could be intellectually satisfied with such a position. Aborting a 20-to-24-week-old fetus is "almost barbaric," but aborting a less-than-20-week-old fetus is apparently morally neutral, a process to be streamlined? There's a very strange philosophical scheme at work here, one that establishes a firm chronological cut-off point for determining the humanity of an unborn baby, based largely on the emotional response the baby evokes.

Such a scheme seems, to me, intellectually unsustainable. What if you're faced with a particularly precocious 19-and-a-half-week-old fetus? Would aborting that baby be barbaric, or no? What is it, exactly, that happens at that magical 20-week threshold that universally transmogrifies non-humans into humans?

Is there an ontological difference between a 20-week-old fetus and a 19-week-old fetus? Between a 19-week-old and an 18-week-old? Between an 18-week-old and a 17-week-old, and so on?

Could someone please explain this to me?

11 comments:

Tim said...

totally bizarre.

Jeanette said...

I wonder if there's any way you can ask him directly. That would be pretty interesting.

On a different note, babies toddle around in the womb?!? I knew they kicked, but, walking? Cute!!!

Anonymous said...

I want not approve on it. I regard as precise post. Especially the title-deed attracted me to read the intact story.

Anonymous said...

Amiable brief and this post helped me alot in my college assignement. Say thank you you for your information.

Anonymous said...

[u][b]Xrumer[/b][/u]

[b]Xrumer SEO Professionals

As Xrumer experts, we possess been using [url=http://www.xrumer-seo.com]Xrumer[/url] for a wish leisure now and grasp how to harness the massive power of Xrumer and go off it into a Banknotes machine.

We also purvey the cheapest prices on the market. Diverse competitors devise charge 2x or square 3x and a end of the time 5x what we pervade you. But we have faith in providing great service at a low affordable rate. The unbroken something of purchasing Xrumer blasts is because it is a cheaper variant to buying Xrumer. So we train to stifle that mental activity in rebuke and yield you with the cheapest standing possible.

Not solitary do we cause the unexcelled prices but our turnaround heyday for the treatment of your Xrumer posting is super fast. We will have your posting done in the forefront you discern it.

We also cater you with a sated log of affluent posts on contrary forums. So that you can notice for yourself the power of Xrumer and how we get harnessed it to gain your site.[/b]


[b]Search Engine Optimization

Using Xrumer you can think to distinguish thousands upon thousands of backlinks for your site. Tons of the forums that your Install you settle upon be posted on have exalted PageRank. Having your link on these sites can really help strengthen up some crown rank back links and really boost your Alexa Rating and Google PageRank rating utterly the roof.

This is making your put more and more popular. And with this better in celebrity as superbly as PageRank you can think to witness your site absolutely filthy high in those Search Motor Results.
Transport

The amount of traffic that can be obtained nearby harnessing the power of Xrumer is enormous. You are publishing your plat to tens of thousands of forums. With our higher packages you may even be publishing your locale to HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of forums. Visualize 1 post on a stylish forum disposition almost always get 1000 or so views, with announce ' 100 of those people visiting your site. Now create tens of thousands of posts on fashionable forums all getting 1000 views each. Your traffic liking function because of the roof.

These are all targeted visitors that are interested or bizarre nearly your site. Imagine how divers sales or leads you can achieve with this titanic gang of targeted visitors. You are line for line stumbling upon a goldmine bright to be picked and profited from.

Reminisce over, Shipping is Money.
[/b]

GET YOUR INFERIOR ERUPTION TODAY:


http://www.xrumer-seo.com

Anonymous said...

[B]NZBsRus.com[/B]
Forget Slow Downloads With NZB Downloads You Can Instantly Search HD Movies, Games, MP3 Singles, Software & Download Them at Accelerated Speeds

[URL=http://www.nzbsrus.com][B]Usenet[/B][/URL]

Anonymous said...

[B]NZBsRus.com[/B]
No More Idle Downloads With NZB Files You Can Instantly Find High Quality Movies, PC Games, MP3 Albums, Applications & Download Them at Rapid Speeds

[URL=http://www.nzbsrus.com][B]NZB Search[/B][/URL]

Anonymous said...

[B]NZBsRus.com[/B]
Escape Laggin Downloads With NZB Downloads You Can Easily Find Movies, PC Games, Music, Applications & Download Them @ Maxed Out Rates

[URL=http://www.nzbsrus.com][B]NZB[/B][/URL]

Anonymous said...

Genial post and this enter helped me alot in my college assignement. Thank you as your information.

Anonymous said...

It isn't hard at all to start making money online in the underground world of [URL=http://www.www.blackhatmoneymaker.com]blackhat hosting[/URL], It's not a big surprise if you don't know what blackhat is. Blackhat marketing uses alternative or little-understood avenues to build an income online.

Anonymous said...

Hi im new on here. I find this forum very helpful & it has helped me tonns. i should be able to give something back and help other ppl like it has helped me.

Personally i like [url=http://watch-family-guy-free.warlordz.co.uk]family guy episodes to watch[/url] this help spin a lot of time.

Thanks all, See ya about.