Tag Archives: Republican Party

Polemics

Abortion debate: a secular case against legalized abortion

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Unborn baby scheming about being only two months old
Unborn baby scheming about being only two months old

Note: this post has a twin! Its companion post on a secular case against gay marriage is here.

Now, you may think that the view that the unborn deserve protection during pregnancy is something that you either take on faith or not. But I want to explain how you can make a case for the right to life of the unborn, just by using reason and evidence.

To defend the pro-life position, I think you need to sustain 3 arguments:

  1. The unborn is a living being with human DNA, and is therefore human.
  2. There is no morally-relevant difference between an unborn baby, and one already born.
  3. None of the justifications given for terminating an unborn baby are morally adequate.

Now, the pro-abortion debater may object to point 1, perhaps by claiming that the unborn baby is either not living, or not human, or not distinct from the mother.

Defending point 1: Well, it is pretty obvious that the unborn child is not inanimate matter. It is definitely living and growing through all 9 months of pregnancy. (Click here for a video that shows what a baby looks like through all 9 months of pregnancy). Since it has human DNA, that makes it a human. And its DNA is different from either its mother or father, so it clearly not just a tissue growth of the father or the mother. More on this point at Christian Cadre, here. An unborn child cannot be the woman’s own body, because then the woman would have four arms, four legs, two heads, four eyes and two different DNA signatures. When you have two different human DNA signatures, you have two different humans.

Secondly, the pro-abortion debater may try to identify a characteristic of the unborn that is not yet present or developed while it is still in the womb, and then argue that because the unborn does not have that characteristic, it does not deserve the protection of the law.

Defending point 2: You need to show that the unborn are not different from the already-born in any meaningful way. The main differences between them are: size, level of development, environment and degree of dependence. Once these characteristics are identified, you can explain that none of these differences provide moral justification for terminating a life. For example, babies inside and outside the womb have the same value, because location does not change a human’s intrinsic value.

Additionally, the pro-abortion debater may try to identify a characteristic of the already-born that is not yet present or developed in the unborn, and then argue that because the unborn does not have that characteristic, that it does not deserve protection, (e.g. – sentience). Most of the these objections that you may encounter are refuted in this essay by Francis Beckwith. Usually these objections fall apart because they assume the thing they are trying to prove, namely, that the unborn deserves less protection than the already born.

Finally, the pro-abortion debater may conceded your points 1 and 2, and admit that the unborn is fully human. But they may then try to provide a moral justification for terminating the life of the unborn, regardless.

Defending point 3: I fully grant that it is sometimes justifiable to terminate an innocent human life, if there is a moral justification. Is there such a justification for abortion? One of the best known attempts to justify abortion is Judith Jarvis Thomson’s “violinist” argument. This argument is summarized by Paul Manata, one of the experts over at Triablogue:

Briefly, this argument goes like this: Say a world-famous violinist developed a fatal kidney ailment and the Society of Music Lovers found that only you had the right blood-type to help. So, they therefore have you kidnapped and then attach you to the violinist’s circulatory system so that your kidneys can be used to extract the poison from his. To unplug yourself from the violinist would be to kill him; therefore, pro-lifers would say a person has to stay attached against her will to the violinist for 9 months. Thompson says that it would be morally virtuous to stay plugged-in. But she asks, “Do you have to?” She appeals to our intuitions and answers, “No.”

Manata then goes on to defeat Thomson’s proposal here, with a short, memorable illustration, which I highly recommend that you check out. More info on how to respond to similar arguments is here.

Here is the best book for beginners on the pro-life view.

For those looking for advanced resources, Francis Beckwith, a professor at Baylor University, published the book Defending Life, with Cambridge University Press, 2007.

News

Nick Sandmann delivered the best RNC Convention speech on Tuesday night

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You can bet that CNN leftists aren't too happy to see his smirky face again
CNN leftists aren’t too happy to see his smirky face again

Do you remember Nick Sandmann? He is the pro-life high school student who was the victim of a dishonest smear campaign by leftists in the mainstream news media. He was able to win two cases against far-left extremist CNN and far-left extremist Washington Post. Other cases are still in progress. But he managed to get back on CNN cameras Tuesday night to tell his side of his story.

Daily Wire reported on his speech and on CNN’s response.

Here’s an excerpt:

My life changed forever in that one moment. The full war machine of the mainstream media revved up into attack mode. They did so without ever researching the full video of the incident; without ever investigating Mr. Philips’ motives; or without ever asking me for my side of the story. And do you know why? Because the truth wasn’t important. Advancing their anti-Christian, anti-Conservative, anti-Donald Trump narrative was all that mattered. And if advancing their narrative ruined the reputation and future of a teenager from Covington, Kentucky…so be it. That will teach him not to wear a MAGA hat!”

I learned that what was happening to me had a name. It was called being cancelled. As in annulled. As in revoked. As in made void. Cancelled is what’s happening to people around this country who refuse to be silenced by the far left. Many are being fired, humiliated or even threatened. Often, the media is a willing participant.”

But I wouldn’t be cancelled. I fought back hard to expose the media for what they did to me and won a personal victory. While much more must be done, I look forward to the day that the media returns to providing balanced, responsible and accountable news coverage. In November, I believe this country must unite around a President who calls the media out and refuses to allow them to create a narrative instead of reporting the facts.”

And CNN’s response:

Lockhart tweeted, “I’m watching tonight because it’s important. But I don’t have to watch this snot nose entitled kid from Kentucky.”

Yeah, but they’re paying that kid to wear a MAGA hat on their network. Because he whipped their asses!

His speech is pretty short – only 4.5 minutes:

That was my favorite speech of the ones I saw. Rand Paul was pretty good. Mike Pompeo was pretty good. Some people really like Melania Trump’s speech, as well.

But for me, the runner-up was this short speech by Kentucky’s black Republican attorney General Daniel.

Daily Wire had an excerpt:

“My values were shaped by my faith and by my parents. I worked at their small coffee shop meeting people from all walks of life, and I realized something: no matter who we are, everyone needs a cup of coffee. That lesson stuck with me because despite our differences, we all want the same things: for our children to have more opportunities than we did, to feel the dignity of work, and to believe that if you play by the rules, you can make a good life for yourself and your family,” Cameron said.

[…]“So the question is, will we chose the path that gives us the best chance to meet those universal desires? Or will we go backward to a time where people were treated like political commodities who can’t be trusted to think for themselves. I think often about my ancestors who struggled for freedom, and as I think of those giants and their broad shoulders, I also think about Joe Biden, who says, ‘If you aren’t voting for me, you ain’t black;’ who argued that Republicans would put us back in chains; who says there is no diversity of thought in the black community.” Cameron said.

“Mr. Vice President, look at me. I am black. We are not all the same, sir. I am not in chains. My mind is my own and you can’t tell me how to vote because of the color of my skin,” Cameron said, addressing Biden. “Joe Biden is a backwards thinker in a world that is craving forward-looking leadership. There is not wisdom in his record or plan, just a trail of discredited ideas and offensive statements. Joe Biden would destroy jobs, raise our taxes, and throw away the lives of countless unborn children.”

The attorney general said that Biden is “captive to the radical left” that believes “skin color must dictate your politics.”

I love that line: “Mr. Vice President, look at me. I am black. We are not all the same, sir. I am not in chains. My mind is my own and you can’t tell me how to vote because of the color of my skin”. I would really like to live in a world where the typical low-information Democrat voter understood what black conservatives stand for.

Here’s the video:

I noticed that a new poll of college students found that 20% of black men enrolled in 4-year degrees preferred Donald Trump to Joe Biden.

I’m looking forward to the Wednesday night speakers. This is the time where people are learning about the differences between the parties. And I’ll be keeping an eye out to bring you the speeches that capture the essence of the Republican party. You won’t hear this in the public school classroom or from the mainstream news media.

News

Senator Tim Scott at RNC Convention: “our family went from cotton to Congress in one generation”

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Republican Senator Tim Scott (South Carolina)
Republican Senator Tim Scott (South Carolina)

A few weeks ago, I did a podcast on Tim Stratton’s show where I explained some of the reasons why America has been a good place for me as a non-white conservative. I also explained some of the decisions I made in order to succeed. Democrats don’t emphasize the goodness of America, or the importance of making good decisions in order to succeed. But Republicans do.

Just The News reports on the speech by Senator Tim Scott, a black Republican from the state of South Carolina:

“Our side is working on policy, while Joe Biden’s radical Democrats are trying to permanently transform what it means to be an American,” Scott said. “If we let them, they will turn our country into a socialist utopia, and history taught us that path only leads to pain and misery,” said Scott, “We must focus on the promise of the American journey.”

“We don’t give into cancel-culture, or the radical – and factually baseless – belief that things are worse today than in the 1860s or the 1960s,” he continued.

Scott spoke about how an early mentor in his life taught him valuable lessons about how, with hard work, he could improve not just his own standing in the world, but his community’s.

“He planted the seeds of what would become Opportunity Zones,” he said.

He called the American education system “magic,” for the opportunities it presents to all children, and reaffirmed his and the president’s support for school choice, “to make sure every child, in every neighborhood has a quality education.”

He spoke about how being the owner of a successful small business taught him to value a tax code that encourages growth. And he spoke about winning his first congressional primary against the son of Strom Thurmond, famed senator of South Carolina and notorious segregationist.

“Because of the evolution of the heart, in an overwhelmingly white district, the voters judged me on the content of my character, not the color of my skin,” Scott said.

[…]Throughout his speech, Scott stressed the progress that America has made and will continue to make. He said that despite living in “a world that only wants to you believe in the bad news, the truth is, our nation’s arc always bends back towards fairness.”

The senator closed by reaffirming his belief in the hope that America represents for its citizens, and represented for him personally.

“Our family went from Cotton to Congress in one lifetime. And that’s why I believe the next American century can be better than the last,” Scott said.

The full speech is here:

There were some other interesting events during the first night of the GOP Convention.

The Federalist reported on one speech that was considered very moving, and might have been the best speech of the night:

Maximo Alvarez, a successful American businessman who fled the communist regime of Cuba’s Fidel Castro, offered a powerful testimony Monday in support of President Donald Trump. Alvarez warned Americans of the alternative presented by the Democrats nomination of the most progressive ticket in recent memory.

“I’m speaking to you today because I’ve seen people like this before,” Alvarez told the convention. “I’ve seen movements like this before. I’ve seen ideas like this before and I’m here to tell you, we cannot let them take over our country.”

Throughout the seven-minute speech delivered on the first night of the Republican National Convention, Alvarez shared his family’s story fleeing the oppressive regime just 100 miles off Florida’s coast.

“I’ve heard the promises of Fidel Castro, and I cannot forget those who grew up around me, who looked like me, who suffered, and starved, and died because they believed those empty promises. They swallowed the communist poison pill,” he said.

“By the grace of God, I lived the American dream, the greatest blessing I ever had,” said Alvarez, who now serves as the president of Sunshine Gasoline Distributors. “My dad, who only had a 6th grade education told me, ‘Don’t leave this place. You will never be as lucky as me … There is no place to hide.’”

The video is here:

I hope that as the election nears, that you have a plan to do something to encourage people to vote Republican. We can’t afford to lose this election because we didn’t think it was our job to do something. At the very least, you should be sharing articles by e-mail and on social media. But it’s a good idea to contact your local GOP office and find out what you can do to help. Lawn signs, bumper stickers, donations, etc. are all positive steps to winning the election. If we stand by now, and the Democrats win, things will get a lot worse for us.