We live in disturbed and disturbing times, with more than enough dubious characters grabbing the headlines;
I remember reading ssomewhere that the best thing about Hitler was he made avery good case for Birth Control or even abortion.
From those we see around us who do you think seriously should never have been born OR that the world would have been a better place without them? I will start with my list - not just because I dislike or even disagree with them, although I do!) but those I believe are genuinely people who have no moral scruples, or decency and who set out to knowingly hurt others, or are so up themselves that they just don’t care
anyway.
Nigel Farage
Iain Duncan Smith
John Wedgwood
Every Lord Rothermere who ever existed
Jean-Luc Melenchon
Marine lePen
Orban of Hungary
The remaining malignant twin dwarf of Poland whose name escapes me.
Anyone who belonged to ISIS
That will do for starters? You might be suprised that a certain President of the US is not on the list, nor is his surrogate buffoon Boris. but I am trying to avoid including those who are simply mental defectives.
There is no case for eugenics, ever, any time, any where. It is even debatable whether it is ethically acceptable where there is a mild genetic defect like trisomy-21.
Very provocative Norman - Are we having a ‘Wish you were dead’ week on SF. What with Bob’s remarks about royalty and now your very own hate list - I suppose not being able to get out and about these past few weeks is making me grumpy and l assume it’s taking it’s toll on others - But indulging in this sort of discussion draws a fine line between “humour” and extremist sentiment.
In my humble opinion it’s distasteful and should have no place on the forum.
I’m not sure there are any good arguments for abortion… but, perhaps, that is too broad a reply.
Many Parents have suffered torment on learning that a foetus has “this or that” which would be best dealt with by abortion… what a decision to have to face/make… and subsequently live with.
Years ago… a friend confided in me that tests showed that his longed-for child might be physically disabled… and that abortion was being suggested to them… they were distraught.
He and his wife decided to let the pregnancy continue… they felt that they had the love and sufficient money, to ensure that the best life possible could be offered to their child.
Sounds like a fairy-tale, but absolutely true… their son was born without any deformity/disablement and I clutched him close at his christening party…
Edited: I am also aware of other cases, where abortion was appropriate for a particular reason. IMO it is Never to be undertaken lightly and never for a blanket-reasoning (social/political etc) …
I have experienced the kind of opposite in my family, where a pregnancy was terminated and it proved to be the right decision. The key question to the consultant was ‘ what would you advise your daughter to do’. Having said that she needed a lot of counselling and support after and then genetic testing etc. They have two healthy daughters now
It would be like removing all the perceived species of vermin on the Earth.
Somewhere the “chain” would be broken, & Life would possibly not continue…at least not in the way it should.
Unfortunately, everything & everyone (even the orange fiasco) has their place.
If you know that carrying the pregnancy to term will mean bearing a child who will be disabled, or inevitably have a short life then it is probably appropriate on clinical grounds - though every case has to be viewed on its own merits and, as you describe, is often an agonising decision for parents.
To suggest that someone be prevented from having children because they aren’t “the right sort” is, as Dan says, distasteful and should not be tolerated in civilized sociery.
From the point of view of Fry’s novel arguably neither - the premise being that with, or without him similar events would have occurred (because: “the bigger picture”).
Strange you mention ISIS and Hitler but not George Bush or Tony Blair. In modern times their actions probably escalated if not caused many of the conflicts in the middle east.