Close to Human, But Not Close Enough?
Over at the PowerLine Blog, Paul Mirengoff posts this:
Michael Gerson, formerly President Bush’s speechwriter extraordinaire, is now a columnist for the Washington Post. Today, he focuses on Rudy Giuliani’s position on abortion, which Gerson describes as "a muddle."
Giuliani says he hates abortion and considers it morally wrong, but nonetheless opposes legislation to outlaw the practice because he thinks the person carrying the baby has the right to make her own choice. Gerson considers this position "incoherent" because, by saying that he hates abortion, Giuliani is "implying his support for the Catholic belief that an innocent life is being taken." And if an innocent life is being taken, then the need to ban the practice must trump the choice of the would-be mother.
Although I don’t agree with Giuliani’s position, neither do I find it inherently incoherent. One can regard the fetus in its early stages as close enough to an innocent human being for us to abhor its destruction, but not close enough for us to deny the would-be mother the freedom to terminate it.
I doubt, though, that Giuliani wishes to articulate this position — the perception of incoherence might be a better option. And Gerson is certainly correct that this issue "is likely to dog [Giuliani] in the primary process."
It is the third paragraph that intrigues me. Perhaps he is right that Giuliani’s position is not "inherently incoherent." But Mirengoff’s reasoning for reaching this conclusion is odd to say the least. " One can regard the fetus in its early stages as close enough to an innocent human being for us to abhor its destruction, but not close enough for us to deny the would-be mother the freedom to terminate it." To me, this line of reasoning is appropriate if you’re considering putting down a sick dog, but hardly appropriate when speaking of a human being.
Then again, Mirengoff only claims that the fetus is "close enough to an innocent human being." One wonders when the poor baby crosses the threshhold to merit real human protection.
