Political prisoner, activist, journalist, hymn-writer, emerging thinktanker, aspiring novelist, "tribal elder", 2019 parliamentary candidate for North West Durham, Shadow Leader of the Opposition, "Speedboat", "The Cockroach", eagerly awaiting the second (or possibly third) attempt to murder me.
Friday, 25 June 2010
Insentient
Since they presumably believe the unborn child to be part of the woman's body, is it the whole of a woman's body that is insentient, or only the parts directly concerned with reproduction?
Even if they were right, they would still be wrong from the standpoint of government policy. The State has traditionally intervened to prevent people from doing certain things to or with their own bodies. To a certain extent, I suppose the concept of self-ownership is a good thing, but there have to limits if we are to be civilized.
I'm not quite sure why you're convinced that it's impossible for only one part of the body to be insentient, but if it helps at all I should point out that, in women and men, the brain is utterly insentient - this is why brain surgery requires only a local anasthetic.
Even if they were right, they would still be wrong from the standpoint of government policy. The State has traditionally intervened to prevent people from doing certain things to or with their own bodies. To a certain extent, I suppose the concept of self-ownership is a good thing, but there have to limits if we are to be civilized.
ReplyDeletePresumably, she won't need any pain-killers in the process either?
ReplyDeleteI'm not quite sure why you're convinced that it's impossible for only one part of the body to be insentient, but if it helps at all I should point out that, in women and men, the brain is utterly insentient - this is why brain surgery requires only a local anasthetic.
ReplyDelete