> until it becomes able to sustain life independently
You mean get a job and earn a living, or just forage in the woods for berries?
> at which point abortion is essentially illegal everywhere in the world except in seriously extreme circumstances.
Assuming you mean "at fetal viability" (the RvW standard), I think you may be surprised to learn that 6 states plus DC allow abortions at any stage of development and for any reason.[0]
> If I have to amputate my arm did I "kill" my arm?
Does your arm have distinct DNA from the rest of your body? Was your arm going to naturally develop into a healthy individual with their own rights and desires?
> Is a baby part of the mother or is it special because some of the DNA was donated externally?
Thank you for correctly using the term "baby". I ask your question back to you in the context of a hypothetical law allowing the abortion of newborns. Would your answer change if this hypothetical law only applied to newborns with life expectancies less than 5 years?
> What distinguishes it from viral infections that introduce foreign RNA?
The baby has human DNA (and RNA). That seems relevant if we are asking whether the baby should have human rights or not.
> I don't think I'm uninformed.
It seems like you've thought about your position a lot, which is great, but I'm not sure if you've fully considered enough of the possible counter-points to it. Thank you for sharing your position with me, though.
You mean get a job and earn a living, or just forage in the woods for berries?
> at which point abortion is essentially illegal everywhere in the world except in seriously extreme circumstances.
Assuming you mean "at fetal viability" (the RvW standard), I think you may be surprised to learn that 6 states plus DC allow abortions at any stage of development and for any reason.[0]
> If I have to amputate my arm did I "kill" my arm?
Does your arm have distinct DNA from the rest of your body? Was your arm going to naturally develop into a healthy individual with their own rights and desires?
> Is a baby part of the mother or is it special because some of the DNA was donated externally?
Thank you for correctly using the term "baby". I ask your question back to you in the context of a hypothetical law allowing the abortion of newborns. Would your answer change if this hypothetical law only applied to newborns with life expectancies less than 5 years?
> What distinguishes it from viral infections that introduce foreign RNA?
The baby has human DNA (and RNA). That seems relevant if we are asking whether the baby should have human rights or not.
> I don't think I'm uninformed.
It seems like you've thought about your position a lot, which is great, but I'm not sure if you've fully considered enough of the possible counter-points to it. Thank you for sharing your position with me, though.
[0] https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/state-indicator/ges...