The notion that that which results from the fusion of a man’s sperm cell and a woman’s ovum called a zygote and up to 12 weeks later in development is not a person seems, on the surface, to be a compelling argument for abortion. But appearances can be deceptive and this argument is no better…
Tag: abortion
Polls plus: Awkward Questions
It could be because I have never formally studied the Social Sciences why I am ambivalent about the results of polls. I accept that polls can be accurate. However, it is my position that they are, in general, not reliable because people are not always reliable. Here now is an obnoxious question. Why are the…
The ‘Own Body Argument’: Sense and Nonsense
The people who favour abortion are correct. A pregnant woman should have the right to decide what happens to her own body. However, we should not go on and talk nonsense beyond that statement which needs proper nuancing. At a common-sense level, it should be remembered that no one at all has any unchallengeable right…
Legal Puzzles Concerning Pregnant Women
In my first book, A Matter of Principle (2nded. 2003), I raised some of these issues but they bear repetition now amidst the abortion dialogue. In light of the nuanced arguments for a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy, should that right become law in Jamaica, then, in my unlearned view, legal reform would be necessary concerning…