Quote:
Originally posted by Sparhawk
I think abortion is wrong. Do I think government should be able to stop a woman from doing what she wants with her body? Well, it's a very hard argument for me to justify (especially being a man), but I'm tempted to say yes.
Am I against the death penalty? Or, framed another way, do I think government should be in the business of killing its citizens? No, I don't.
Oh yes, and here's the hypocracy:
Republicans:
Abortion: Pro-Life
Death Penalty: Pro-Death
Democrats:
Abortion: Pro-Death
Death Penalty: Pro-Life
If you want an un-hypocritical view, you need only look as far as the Catholics:
Abortion: Pro-Life
Death Penalty: Pro-Life
or Clinton:
Abortion: Pro-Death
Death Penalty: Pro-Death
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Good post Sparhawk. I, for the most part, agree.
I guess I have an ideal and real view on the subjects at hand.
Idealistically, I am against abortion (rape & life of the mother are exceptions). People need to take responsibility for their actions. If you don't want to get pregnant, don't have sex. If you're going to gamble and have sex, improve your odds by using birth control. Don't hold the fetus accountable for your lack of planning or bad luck.
Realistically I don't believe it should be outlawed. Making it illegal will not prevent it from occuring. There will just be unregulated back alley abortion clinics that will kill or maim unborn babies and perhaps their mothers as well. If that isn't enough, people will be driving/flying out of the country to have them performed.
As for the death penalty, I was a staunch advocate of it for most of my life. The vast majority of those sentenced to death are horrendous people who, even in jail, are threats to others (fellow inmates and guards and the public should they escape or have friends on the outside who will do their bidding).
Realistically, there are far too many people being cleared of convictions who were sentenced to death. Either new procedures or standards need to be put in place so innocents do not receive the death penalty or we need to minimize the threats to those who come in contact with the most dangerous criminals. Perhaps banishment to a remote island or something akin to "Escape from NY" is in order (that's not being realistic but it's a thought).