Saturday, January 31, 2009
Infanticide In Stavanger May Help Reduce Crime?
In the bestseller "Freakonomics", Steven D. Levitt argued that the legalization of abortion in the United States helped reduce crime. I wonder if the legalization of infanticide would have the same effect?
The timing of when a human life begins is in many countries legislated by law. On one day you are considered a fetus and terminable, on the following day you may be considered a human being with full legal rights. Canada, for instance, places "no restrictions on the provision of abortion whatsoever". Legally speaking, and please correct me if I am wrong, in Canada you can terminate your pregnancy until the day of birth, but you are considered a murderer if you kill the baby a few hours later (after birth). This raises some interesting moral questions.
In the case of Norway, which does have various restrictions with regard to abortion:
1. If abortion is simply a question of a woman's right to choose what to do with her own body, why doesn't Norway allow women to sell sexual services?
2. If abortion is simply a question of the woman's right to choose what to do with her own body, why not do as Canada and impose zero restrictions?
3. As Nassim Taleb writes in "The Black Swan": "Why those who favor allowing the elimination of a fetus in the mother's womb also oppose capital punishment?"
Norway's tabloids VG & Dagbladet are making a big deal about a newborn baby that was found dead covered in a blanket in a residential area in the city of Stavanger.
It is interesting that the death of this baby makes such a huge story. In Norway it is legal to abort a baby until the 18th week of pregnancy, and is also allowed under special circumstances thereafter. Approximately 15,000 abortions are performed in Norway each year.
Some babies can survive if born after 24 weeks of pregnancy, though some sources claim that babies can survive after 22 and 23 weeks as well. In other words, we are talking about a minor difference of a few weeks. If 15,000 babies are terminated during pregnancy each year, I can't see the logic behind making such a big deal about one baby being killed off a little bit late.
Update 1: VG reports that a register will be established in Rogaland to track recent pregnancies and births. Hopefully this will enable the police to determine who's the mother of the baby that was found. It is possible that the baby was alive when dropped off.
The timing of when a human life begins is in many countries legislated by law. On one day you are considered a fetus and terminable, on the following day you may be considered a human being with full legal rights. Canada, for instance, places "no restrictions on the provision of abortion whatsoever". Legally speaking, and please correct me if I am wrong, in Canada you can terminate your pregnancy until the day of birth, but you are considered a murderer if you kill the baby a few hours later (after birth). This raises some interesting moral questions.
In the case of Norway, which does have various restrictions with regard to abortion:
1. If abortion is simply a question of a woman's right to choose what to do with her own body, why doesn't Norway allow women to sell sexual services?
2. If abortion is simply a question of the woman's right to choose what to do with her own body, why not do as Canada and impose zero restrictions?
3. As Nassim Taleb writes in "The Black Swan": "Why those who favor allowing the elimination of a fetus in the mother's womb also oppose capital punishment?"
Norway's tabloids VG & Dagbladet are making a big deal about a newborn baby that was found dead covered in a blanket in a residential area in the city of Stavanger.
It is interesting that the death of this baby makes such a huge story. In Norway it is legal to abort a baby until the 18th week of pregnancy, and is also allowed under special circumstances thereafter. Approximately 15,000 abortions are performed in Norway each year.
Some babies can survive if born after 24 weeks of pregnancy, though some sources claim that babies can survive after 22 and 23 weeks as well. In other words, we are talking about a minor difference of a few weeks. If 15,000 babies are terminated during pregnancy each year, I can't see the logic behind making such a big deal about one baby being killed off a little bit late.
Update 1: VG reports that a register will be established in Rogaland to track recent pregnancies and births. Hopefully this will enable the police to determine who's the mother of the baby that was found. It is possible that the baby was alive when dropped off.
Labels: abortion, baby, norway, stavanger
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