2555. Abortion, nature, and technology
Sometimes the way to make progress on an issue is to see that it is part of a larger issue. Abortion borders between nature (human nature)and technology. The abortions we talk about are often needed because criminal acts like rape, or medical emergencies such as an ectopic pregnancy, but a large number of pregnancies leading to abortion were created by moments of nature: loves and lusts. Thus abortion is part of a much larger problem of how we reconstruct the relationship of human lives to nature. This is a really interesting issue that is, along with the related issues of climate and population, moving to the center serious thought.
primitive societies and ancient practices have always included abortion. It is interesting to think of how a society would be so loving and open that no-one would think to terminate a pregnancy based on a loving encounter. Really inconvenient or life treating pregnancies leading to sanctioned abortions would be accepted with compassion. As I enticed, abortion is at the interface of humans and nature and worth a lot of thought. Ideologies are based on the underlying asumotions and, if there is conflict, to be explored with awe and interest.
Should Chinese parents be allowed to choose the gender of their offspring?