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Today's news - is it ethical to kill newborns rather than adopt?

Discussion in 'Midwifery News' started by riffraff, Mar 1, 2012.

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  1. Mush Well-Known Member

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    Re: Today's news - Kill newborns rather than adopt

    Bluepixie: Well that depends on their definition of "person", but without reading the whole article, it's hard to say.
    Mush, Mar 1, 2012
    #21

  2. BluePixie Maderator

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    Re: Today's news - Kill newborns rather than adopt

    I know, but what I meant is they seem to be treating that definition (of what constitutes a person) as if it's up for discussion, when in actual fact it is defined in law, so it's all rather, well, academic! :p Which I realise is actually the nature of it, but it makes it all seem rather pointless to me, apart from to stir emotion and basically wind people up.
    BluePixie, Mar 1, 2012
    #22

  3. Mush Well-Known Member

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    Re: Today's news - Kill newborns rather than adopt

    But laws can be changed, and ethicists play a role in shaping laws relating to medicine and health, so the discussion, and others like it can have practical implications.
    Mush, Mar 1, 2012
    #23

  4. SuperGirl09 Well-Known Member

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    Re: Today's news - Kill newborns rather than adopt

    'is not a person'? Why because some medical snob has declared so? But if a baby was murdered it would be UPROAR. I think these people need schooling.. AGAIN. Sickening, I stopped reading. I have NO time for such nonsense and disgusting news.

    I agree Twidly I really do hope that the papers have just messed up and making a poor attempt to improve ratings by upsetting people.
    SuperGirl09, Mar 2, 2012
    #24

  5. River Song Head of cakes and biscuits

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    Re: Today's news - Kill newborns rather than adopt

    A blog from the British Medical Journal. Their take on it, not the over sensatioanlising journalists

    http://blogs.bmj.com/medical-ethics...on-of-after-birth-abortion/#comment-451456352

    I'm saddened to learn it is practiced in the Netherlands :( this whole debate does get me thinking about the treatment of animals, which nobody bats an eyelid about (hardly anybody).
    River Song, Mar 2, 2012
    #25

  6. BluePixie Maderator

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    Re: Today's news - Kill newborns rather than adopt

    Thanks River Song, that was a very interesting article. I was going to say it was a very good article, until I got to the bottom of it. I seems they are trying to label anyone who disagrees with them as fanatics, which is again a case of "say it and people will assume it's true". Certainly SOME of the commentary is fanatic, racist, and plain ridiculous but a lot of it is just an expression of pure disgust, which doesn't make a person a fanatic. Not in my eyes at least.
    BluePixie, Mar 2, 2012
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  7. River Song Head of cakes and biscuits

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    Re: Today's news - Kill newborns rather than adopt

    :iagree:
    River Song, Mar 2, 2012
    #27

  8. BluePixie Maderator

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    Re: Today's news - Kill newborns rather than adopt

    True. I just get the feeling that this particular debate is in the interests of nothing more than being antagonistic. This is obviously just my opinion though, based on the fact that I see the practical applications of this research as quite limited, currently at least. But as you say it's impossible to really know without reading the entire article. It would have been nice if the papers could have maybe highlighted some of the instances where this idea may actually be applied (examples of cases in the Netherlands perhaps) rather than simply labelling the researchers as a bunch of demented murders! But then that probably wouldn't sell papers would it? :p
    BluePixie, Mar 2, 2012
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  9. Ethel Well-Known Member

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    + SMNET Plus!
    Ethel, Mar 2, 2012
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  10. Satsumagirl Well-Known Member

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    Re: Today's news - Kill newborns rather than adopt

    Well you could also say that about any academic exercise then, where commonly held and accepted values were challenged and turned on their head. I think it is a good thing to have these discussions, as awful and abhorrent as they might sound, it allows us to test what we consider acceptable and get to the root of why something is acceptable and ethical. And being defined by law is not the same thing as being defined ethically. One might state that a pregnant woman has a moral or ethical duty to act in a way to protect her unborn child, but she certainly does not have a legal duty to act that way.
    Satsumagirl, Mar 2, 2012
    #30
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