"It is time to revive the moral argument for protecting a woman's right to choose: Abortion is about the value of women's lives."I agree with this as far as it goes while contending that it does not go far enough: "a woman's right to her own life" means that a woman's life is that woman's property. This is what ultimately must be recognized: that property rights are the foundation of all rights.
The left has been unwilling to do this because of their antagonism towards property rights in general and the individualism they imply. This is why they base their argument for abortion on a right to 'privacy' instead. They also have failed to capitalize on the bankruptcy of the right's blatant evasion of the existence of the mother.
The right professes to be pro-property rights, while being unwilling to examine the full implications of such a position. A truly consistent defense of property rights would require recognizing that a mother's life is her property. When the government tells a woman what to do with her body, isn't that a kind of eminent domain?
I hope to write about this at length in the near future.
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Rob, I am looking forward to your future writing on the topic of property rights. In the meantime, I question the idea that property rights are the foundation of other rights, including the right to life.
ReplyDeleteLife is action. How does one hold action as a property?
Further, if property rights are the foundation (the cause) and the right to life is a consequence (effect), that means one could, at least temporarily, dispense with the effect while still maintaining the cause. In other words, a government could kill a man but still respect his property rights.
I don't understand that. I would suggest that the right to life is fundamental. It is only in the context of life that property has any meaning or utility. I have the right to property because I have a right to life, not the other way around.
Again, I am looking forward to your further writings in the future. Your style is clear and straight-forward, which is ideal for discussion and learning.
Discussions can always be helpful. But, personally, I have no interest in debating the subject. I look forward to your or others' views on an area that is not a special study for me.
Burgess - Thanks for yor comment! Until I'm ready to post my "future writing" on propery rights, I'm not going to have much to say about it. I will say that it will examine the implications of the idea that "your life is your property".
ReplyDeleteThank you for the compliments on my style! I hope it stays just as clear and direct when I tackle more ambitious posts.