Nathan Key

Liberals often use "Quality of Life" as a reason to keep abortion on the table.

Conservatives often use the "Quality of a Life" as a reason to keep capitol punishment on the table.

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The former assumes that no child should be born into a family that can't provide for her needs- whether they are financial, emotional, or physical (especially in the case of disabilities in the child).

I have a hard time with this line of thinking, because even the poorest of the poor would rather be alive than dead and even children and adults with disabilities want to be alive. So, when we make an assumption that it's OK to terminate a pregnancy because someone isn't able to provide the kind of care a child needs- I wonder if that's really a fair reason.

It's especially odd that this sort of rationale is provided primarily by progressives who are usually in favor of government programs that support those who are in need. If Libertarians or Republicans made the vow that we should terminate pregnancy rather than give them money and help, I might at least understand the principle... but as it stands, I don't think it makes sense. Even orphan kids in third world countries fight to stay alive.

They'd rather be hungry than dead.

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There's a similar thing that happens when we assume that a man should be put to death because of actions he's committed.

Just as Liberals assume that a child's world cannot be redeemed if they are born with a disability or into a home that doesn't want them- conservatives believe that some people are beyond repair because of what they've done. They believe that because of certain actions a person is better off dead than alive.

They dismiss rehabilitation. They see only vengeance.

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I think both of these prove that people tend to value circumstances rather than LIFE itself. It's a shame, really, that we treat life with such disdain.

And I truly hope that Liberals AND Conservatives get it right soon, because both of these perspectives are just inches away from genocide.

Once we cross over into assessing quality of life and who has the right to live or die based on circumstances, we're thinking just like Hitler did. He decided that the world would be better off without certain races, religions, and people predisposed toward certain sexualities. He wanted to make the best of the world, even if it meant a little blood on his hands.

Let's hope we're not guilty of the same thing.

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