SunWuKong wrote: ↑Mon May 13, 2019 5:46 am
Dechen Norbu wrote: ↑Sun May 12, 2019 8:04 pm
Perhaps abortion is already way down the line in a sequence of problems caused by the common mindset in our society.
As important as debating its legal framing, is understanding how we got to that situation in the first place. What is it that makes abortion such a common practice these days? The answers may very well be related to this topic as a whole, in my opinion.
I can't respond to this without being told I'm off topic? Really?? So why did you ask this question in the first place?"
Dechen Norbu wrote: ↑Sun May 12, 2019 8:04 pm
"What is it that makes abortion such a common practice these days?"
I'll answer you out of courtesy, but know this is not a subject I'm aiming to discuss much further.
I provided an answer just after the question. I belive a physicallist mindset heightens the probability of abortions being often considered as the most viable way to solve an unwanted pregnancy.
If the prevalent belief within a society is, bluntly put, that "mind (consciousness) is what the brain does", then until a certain point, that till now is unknown so it's more or less arbitrarily determined, it's preferable to kill the fetus than carrying an unwanted pregnancy till the end.
If the preciousness of a human life is not recognized as one of the best opportunities to practice Dharma, because this practice is not believed to be more than superstition or another coping therapy, then the value of a potential human life risks being lessened.
A mindset that rests upon physicallism is also more prone to give way to consumerism, extreme hedonism, savage competition and so on and so forth, none of these conducive to long lasting well being.
Much more could be said, but I'll leave it here.
Of course it's lamentable that certain men abandon women when they become aware that they became pregnant. It's terrible and a very coward thing to do. It's true that many women recur to abortion in these cases, particularly in societies that will make their life harder in many ways if they decide to carry on, having the baby while single.
Still, the solution doesn't seem to pass by forcing men to stay in a relation with a certain woman (by many reasons this is catastrophic). They should be forced by law to provide for the baby and the mother and that's the case in many countries. But BOTH are responsible. Both made it, both need to help raising it. The female is not a passive observer that had it simply happening to her, unless she was raped. She participated, fully knowing that it was her that would get pregnant, not the man. This carries a certain degree of practical responsibility when engaging in sexual relations.
But all these problems are symptoms of deeper issues. It's like having a fever which is a symptom, not the disease. How those issues relate to a certain set of beliefs was the topic of the debate at the other thread.
By the way, since you seem to have ancient greeks in such high regard, they didn't let women vote. Do you know what they also "loved" along with philosophy? Slaves. So, I would be suspicious about bluntly transplanting their solutions for nowadays society.
Best wishes.