Demonstrating How Answering the Question "What is it?" is Everything in the Abortion Issue

Scott Lemieux, writing at the American Prospect:

Finally, the Gosnell case is an illustration of a deeper problem with abortion politics in the United States. A number of pundits—most notably Slate‘s William Saletan and The Daily Beast‘s Megan McArdle—have argued that even though it’s best that abortion remain formally legal, pro-choicers should concede that abortion is an icky, immoral procedure that should be discouraged. But the stigmatization of abortion, as it functions in the United States, greatly harms women. In most other liberal democracies, the Gosnell clinic wouldn’t be an issue because even poor women could obtain safe abortions in a public hospital…. The best way to prevent future Gosnells is to treat pre-viability abortions like the ordinary, safe medical procedures they in fact are, not to engage in sexist moralizing.

So if we can all agree that the fetus is an actual human being then what Mr. Lemieux is arguing for is simply a cleaning up the death scene so it's not so gory. Basically, make the killing look a little prettier and everyone can then stomach it better.

But if the fetus is an actual human being in the womb then his case would go like this...

There will always be crazy parents (like crazy Gosnell) who who kill their toddlers.  Usually this is not in a manner that is particularly pleasing to the eye.  Maybe they shoot them, strangle them, drown them, or stab them.  Who wants to deal with that mess?  Kids should have a right to killed in a way that is humane!

So since there are always going to be weirdos (like Gosnell) out there, we need to make room for people to do the killing in a way that is more pleasing.  How about legal injection?  Decapitation is quick.  It's over before it starts.  Why not?  Just give the parents an option to do it in a way that's calm, sterile, and less bloody.  This will surely make the problem of messy, unsanitary, and unregulated backyard killings go away.

Except the problem doesn't go away from the toddler.  He still has a big problem.  Namely that his parents want to kill him and there is no one to stop them or protect him.

So framed this way, Mr. Lemieux's logic fails.  In fact it's quite absurd.  But given my claim that the fetus is a human being it's quite consistent.

But I would be willing to bet the farm the Mr. Lemieux would take issue with my claim that the fetus is an actual human being that is worthy of protection under the law.  I would like to ask him, "How does he know?"  "When exactly does a person gain the right to be protected?"  "How does that happen?"

See how this is the key battleground for the human rights of all those created in God's image?  The only question that matters is "What is it?"  If abortion is no worse than having your appendix removed than abort away!

But we all know this is not that case.  We just can't quite admit to it because we fear the consequences of said admission.  And the death toll rises...

God have mercy.