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Originally Posted by Kadath
Darwinism is a theory that no longer applies to human beings in any regard, as those less able to survive in the current environment are given aid and thus made able to pass on their genes.
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Not true. The selection criteria has been changed, issues that were fatal may no longer be, but the pressures are still there. The direction of evolution has changed, not the concept. Darwinism is not about being able to survive ‘in the wild’ its about being able to reproduce, period.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Superbelt
Marsupials seem to have done ok in regards to survival and the ability to thrive. And they have been practicing abortion since their evolution. The kangaroos, koalas, tasmanian devils, wombats and Opossum are all able to terminate their post gestation embryos. They do this when they are under pressure. Usually injury to the mother or a general lack of adequate food marsupial females have the ability to stop feeding which starves the embryo.
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One of them is a Marsupial, the other is a human. You will note they are phenotypically different. They have also followed different evolutionary paths. The unconscious decision of marsupials to terminate a pregnancy based on the chance of survival and environmental conditions bears little similarity to a female human in a western society having an abortion. Even in cases where a female human may well be unable to provide for her young, the social structure will allow it, even if the female human plays no role in the child’s upbringing. Therefore the selection criteria for a human female choosing abortion is different then that of a kangaroos, and is different then the infanticide of a gerbil or lion. All of these processes change the evolutionary path of the animal, but not necessarily in the same direction.