ksuw, how are you not morally ok with people killing abortion doctors (and really the women getting abortions as well)? seems disingenuous to equate abortion in america to the holocaust, but not be ok with stopping the people responsible by physical force.
just wondering, thanks
I can't speak for KSUW, but for me, it's pretty simple: I am not in favor of anyone taking anyone else's life.
You're fairly consistent here, but ksuw is pro death penalty and def on the "turn the middle east to glass" side, so I don't think your answer applies to him.
It's an interesting philosophical question I've considered before. First, as you allude to above, I do not believe it is
always immoral to kill human life. War is not always immoral, nor is the death penalty, nor is killing as absolutely necessary to defend yourself or others.
So let's start with when I believe that killing another human life is moral, and then use that to answer your question. I believe that killing a human life is moral if it is absolutely necessary to protect against the loss of your own life or the lives of others (self-defense), when there is a reasonable chance that such killing, and only killing, will prevent a greater loss of life and/or suffering (some wars), and as justice through a fair and impartial legal system.
In my opinion, anti-abortion violence doesn't fit in any of these categories. Let's start with the easy one - it certainly isn't justice through a fair and impartial legal system. But in my opinion anti-abortion violence doesn't fit in the other categories either, because (1) killing one abortionist isn't likely to save many innocent lives, if any (the women will almost certainly abort, anyway), and (2) there are peaceful and more effective means of preventing abortion. I don't think anyone can seriously disagree that the peaceful pro-life movement (which is the
vast majority), aided by advances in imaging technology, have been far more successful in shifting public opinion and reducing abortion than violence.
