Comments on: What I Hadn’t Heard About Alito

By: Josette

Josette — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 03:50:07 +0000

well, it looks like the ‘exponent screw-up of the year’ contest is already decided …

By: bkolstad

bkolstad — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 19:40:10 +0000

I am new to this website today, via scienceblogs.com, so I hope I am not intruding. Putting aside the morality of abortion, the reason the State must not interfere in this matter is this: If the State can stop a woman from having an abortion, it can also FORCE a woman to have an abortion. Perhaps what we need some sort of “I own my own body” amendment. I know what we don’t need is some creepy monarchist – excuse me- unitarian- on the SCOTUS who not only wants to undo the revolutionary war but who also tried TO KILL THE POPE (and the pope was probably even a unitarian!)

By: In Which the Author Crabs About Internet Slang Dragging Us All Down at I Blame The Patriarchy

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 11:11:59 +0000

[...] is word teh, and why is it suddenly being used to modify innocent young adjectives? As in “he is teh gay.” Or, “Firefox [...]

By: emcee

emcee — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 22:48:31 +0000

All this discussion is premised on the idea that life begins at conception. Do we therefore think that ova and sperm, unlike all of our other cells, are dead? Life is of course continuous, because otherwise it would have to be restarted somehow in each generation. I for one routinely slaughter a few million living sperm a week and don’t give it a thought. What’s a few fetuses compared to that mayhem?

By: Blitzgal

Blitzgal — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 19:07:13 +0000

In my opinion, the Laci Peterson case wreaks havoc with the feminist argument for abortion. Feminists are very quick with hangman’s noose when it comes to prosecuting men who abuse women, both physically and emotionally.

You should know better than to group all feminists together in this (or any) matter. I’ve always thought that applying murder charges on the basis of the death of a fetus was a slippery slope that’s being pushed not by feminists but by folks who hope to someday overturn Roe. The precedent being set by Peterson’s trial and other cases like this can be used in the future to argue against all abortions. The first degree murder charge against Peterson for killing his wife was enough. I also think he should rot in jail rather than be executed.

By: larkspur

larkspur — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 02:24:01 +0000

zuzu, you are the bestest.

By: zuzu

zuzu — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 22:25:22 +0000

In my opinion, the Laci Peterson case wreaks havoc with the feminist argument for abortion.

Why?

California law had no feticide statute, because killing or assaulting the mother was crime enough. The only reason that the Peterson case was considered a double murder, IIRC, was that after Laci was killed, her body expelled the fetus, who lived for a time as an independent being before he died. And because Scott Peterson caused that, he caused the murder of his son as well as the murder of his wife.

By: Marksman2000

Marksman2000 — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 22:11:10 +0000

Chris, there is no point in trying to sway people on abortion. They won’t move. Really, how many people do you know who are undecided about abortion? And if they aren’t, what are the chances of you changing their minds? Trying to tell someone who is pro-choice that abortion is wrong is like trying to tell an NRA member that the Second Amendment only applies to the Armed Forces and active police officers.

If you’re curious how complex the argument can get, take the case of Scott Peterson, who was convicted of slaying both his wife and her unborn son. Well if a fetus isn’t a human life, how could he get convicted of two murders? Why then doesn’t the California state attorney’s office subpoena the medical records of every abortion clinic and charge every woman who has ever had an abortion with Capital Murder? After all, didn’t they do the same thing that Scott Peterson did?

In my opinion, the Laci Peterson case wreaks havoc with the feminist argument for abortion. Feminists are very quick with hangman’s noose when it comes to prosecuting men who abuse women, both physically and emotionally. I studied under a feminist in college, Dr. Susan Marren, who stated that men convicted of these crimes “should be punished horribly.” So is it one murder charge or two? And if a pregnant woman is beaten to the point of miscarriage, then it’s just a felony battery case, correct? After all, that fetus wasn’t a human life…

What say you?

By: tigtog

tigtog — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 22:04:30 +0000

This does not mean everyone does, or even should seek it out, or that women should essentially be drafted for a year if they don’t want to be pregnant. Yup, aliens are coming around and making women pregnant who don’t want to be. “C’mere, you. ‘abracadabra!’ you’re pregnant!”

Well, I hear men are from Mars. But even the most insensitive I believe take a tad longer than 'abracadabra'.

By: Tony

Tony — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 21:07:25 +0000

This does not mean everyone does, or even should seek it out, or that women should essentially be drafted for a year if they don’t want to be pregnant.

Yup, aliens are coming around and making women pregnant who don’t want to be. “C’mere, you. ‘abracadabra!’ you’re pregnant!”