Los Angeles for Life
Three Pro-Life Events Take Place in the Claremont Area
Chris Wolfe
Last Updated: 4/26/10 Section: Features
Over the course of this semester, three pro-life events are bringing the abortion issue to the forefront of debate at the Claremont Colleges. The first was a formal debate sponsored by the Pomona Student Union on February 25th, the second was the Los Angeles March for Life on March 13th, and the third, the California Students of Life Conference, will be held at Claremont McKenna on April 17th.
The debate at Pomona, titled "The Ethics of Abortion," included pro-choice advocate David Boonin, chair of the philosophy department at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and pro-life proponent Patrick Lee, professor of bioethics in the philosophy department at the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
The debate focused primarily on the oft-discussed topic of whether or not abortion is just. Patrick Lee argued that abortion is unjust, since, scientifically, conception occurs at the moment in which a new organism with a genetic code and animating growth can be detected. Rights are logically tied to man's essence as an individual human organism, so unborn children accordingly have a right to life. Surprisingly, David Boonin agreed with Lee's assessment of when life begins, but rejected the notion that rights are logically tied to man's essence. Boonin asked the audience if they would be willing to help a stranger through a bone-marrow transplant if it meant spending nine months in agonizing pain to do so. Boonin likened this sacrifice to the nine months a mother would have to spend to keep an unborn child alive. Boonin argued that just as most of the audience could justly decline their consent to the bone-marrow transplant, mothers can justly decline their consent to keep an unwanted baby alive.
During the question and answer period, I asked Boonin what he believed human rights derived from. Lee said the right to life was grounded in the human essence, noting that our Declaration of Independence states that the right to life is endowed by our creator, but Boonin argued that all rights are grounded in consent. He replied to my question by stating that he did not specialize in the political aspect of the issue. This debate begged the question, if all rights come from consent, is any group of individuals safe from the will of the majority?
The debate at Pomona, titled "The Ethics of Abortion," included pro-choice advocate David Boonin, chair of the philosophy department at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and pro-life proponent Patrick Lee, professor of bioethics in the philosophy department at the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
The debate focused primarily on the oft-discussed topic of whether or not abortion is just. Patrick Lee argued that abortion is unjust, since, scientifically, conception occurs at the moment in which a new organism with a genetic code and animating growth can be detected. Rights are logically tied to man's essence as an individual human organism, so unborn children accordingly have a right to life. Surprisingly, David Boonin agreed with Lee's assessment of when life begins, but rejected the notion that rights are logically tied to man's essence. Boonin asked the audience if they would be willing to help a stranger through a bone-marrow transplant if it meant spending nine months in agonizing pain to do so. Boonin likened this sacrifice to the nine months a mother would have to spend to keep an unborn child alive. Boonin argued that just as most of the audience could justly decline their consent to the bone-marrow transplant, mothers can justly decline their consent to keep an unwanted baby alive.
During the question and answer period, I asked Boonin what he believed human rights derived from. Lee said the right to life was grounded in the human essence, noting that our Declaration of Independence states that the right to life is endowed by our creator, but Boonin argued that all rights are grounded in consent. He replied to my question by stating that he did not specialize in the political aspect of the issue. This debate begged the question, if all rights come from consent, is any group of individuals safe from the will of the majority?
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Los Angeles Movers
posted 7/29/10 @ 5:52 PM PST
I'm telling you its so difficult to get a decent pro life rally going these days. Cities such as L.A. really do have it good.
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