Regardles sof religion this poses ethical questions. At the base is 'why do we treat humans differently?' Society is based upon th whole notion that cows are food humans are sacred. if you kill a human you go to jail, regardless of the circumstances; whether they are old and about to die, whether they are in a coma, whether they are young, whether they are stupid, whether they are crippled etc. . .

ok, well we are stuck with this value, regarless of religion. Without it it seems the whole of society will fall apar into anarchy, since you couldn't argue the stronger are just as valuable as the not so strong and the useless are just as valuable as the useful. and thus the stonger have rights above the weaker and that pretty much natural selection/anarchy.

And when does this value apply? well for some inexplicable reason theres this physical finish line that you can cross and obtain all these rights.

I mean, I was a ten month babby and theoreticlly could have come on out at any time between nine and ten months nd been fine. . . lets say for a second, hypothetically my mom was hit by a car when she was nine and half moths pregnant and I died in the womb, you mean, that person couldn't have been charged with manslaughter for my life? I hadn't popped out yet so the legal system can't go on and grant me any protection. However if the doctor for some reson decided to pull me out via C section the at nine montsh ( at nine months like any other babby) or if the star aligned to push me out at the right time like anyone else then I would have had all those rights to protect me. . .

. . . WTF?!!!! What a minute! Tha t would have been me in there! That would have been me that had my life terminated! and it all depended on whether I was outside or inside the uterus! A physical location! I would have been no different as a human being in my physical makeup or mental awareness no matter where I was located. in that situaltion!

furhtermore that was me a few months earlier all the way to nine and a half months earlier when I was conceived. I can look back and say 'that was me'. Everyone can. I can do that until I we go back the part that I was conceived because befoer that what was I? I wasn';t one single thing. My genetic makeup had not been produced, nor was it decide what I woudl be.

Therefore, if we are going to grant humans any speciall rights, then you must grant those rights to at conception or else it is abitrary, it might not be practical with how we want to live, but at least it is consistent with ou r value system. Nothing religious about that.

Furthermore to base these rights on the fact that someone is a usefull human being (in case anyone does) is thus taking rights away from any cripple, comatos, elderly, retarded or infant human beings. Now whether the latter is wrong is a different story and diferent argument. but for anyone to make such an argument in todays socieny (that your rights as a human being depend on your functionality and usefullness) woud open anyone up to a serious tarring and feathering.

-Justin Kelly