Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 37 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
Exclusive to OpEd News:
OpEdNews Op Eds    H1'ed 7/2/22

The Abortion Debate: If Animals Are Persons, Are Carnivores Murderers?

By       (Page 1 of 5 pages)   36 comments
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Mike Rivage-Seul
Become a Fan
  (54 fans)


Animals: Property or Persons? This 6-minute animated video introduces students to the concept of legal personhood, and its potential application to animals.
(Image by YouTube, Channel: VoicelessAustralia)
  Details   DMCA

A recent article in the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) suggested a moral paradigm shift pointedly relevant to the abortion debate currently intensified by the U.S. Supreme Court's striking down the Roe vs. Wade decision.

The piece was authored by Franciscan scholar, Daniel P. Horan, a professor of philosophy, religious studies and theology at St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. It was entitled "We humans need to open our minds to the personhood of nonhuman animals."

It highlighted a burgeoning body of theological and scientific literature holding that nonhuman animals exhibit characteristics that might qualify classifying them as persons.

In the context of today's abortion debate, the article's title raised three questions for me, since the issue of abortion often turns on whether fetuses qualify as human persons before viability outside the womb.

To begin with, I wondered about the scientific evidence for the personhood of nonhuman animals. Is it stronger, weaker, or roughly the same as that for classifying human fetuses as persons?

Secondly, if the evidence for the personhood of nonhuman animals is stronger or the same, wouldn't the logic of the so-called "pro-life" crowd (that "abortion is murder") justify categorizing carnivores as murderers?

And finally, if it did, wouldn't pro-lifers be forced by their logic to become vegetarians? And wouldn't any reluctance to do so expose the wrongheadedness of their position that ending fetal life is homicide?

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Rate It | View Ratings

Mike Rivage-Seul Social Media Pages: Facebook Page       Twitter Page       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in


Mike Rivage-Seul is a liberation theologian and former Roman Catholic priest. Retired in 2014, he taught at Berea College in Kentucky for 40 years where he directed Berea's Peace and Social Justice Studies Program. His latest book is (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Sunday Homily: Pope Francis to Women: The Next Pope Should Be One of You!

The Case for and Intimate Relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene

"Cloud Atlas": A Film for the Ages (But perhaps not for ours)

Muhammad as Liberationist Prophet (Pt. 2 of 4 on Islam as Liberation Theology)

What You Don't Know About Cuba Tells You About YOUR Future

Sunday Homily: Pope Francis' New Song -- Seven Things You May Have Missed in 'The Joy of the Gospel'

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend