<p>A few years ago, a law student at Northwestern (I think) was researching a death penalty case the defendant of which was on death row, and he/she found that the man was innocent. The law students of the school began researching and found that 60% of those on death row in Illinois could have been freed if their lawyers had done a better job. The governor, on the last day of his term, put a moratorium on all executions. This story was the first chapter of a book on the death penalty, and it went on to point out socioeconomic and racial biases in death row cases and all of the other arguments pointed out on this thread already. Now I don't support the death penalty for anyone, actually guilty or innocent, but to those who do I would submit that the current system is no where near accurate enough to impose such an irrevocable punishment--not to mention all of those convicted who were later freed with DNA evidence; who knows what new evidence will come along later.</p>
<p>What ever happened to forgiveness? Isn't that a Christian teaching? IMO, the death penalty is equivalent to revenge. If a person is in prison for life without parole, why does it matter if he or she is dead?</p>
<p>Right. Like I was trying to clarify in a previous post, it's not like the only options available are: (1) abortion and (2) having an unwanted baby. There is also (3) don't get pregnant in the first place.</p>
<p>^ well its kind of hard when your spiritual leader says that condoms, or any other form of birth control, are evil and cant be used, now isnt it?</p>
<p>Ideally people who don't want kids won't have sex, but we don't live in an ideal world. I'm not being cynical, I'm just being realistic. How many people who don't want kids have sex? Come on, the answer is obviously not zero. Child Services is already overburdened as it is. Let's not add to their burden by dumping thousands of unwanted children into Child Services. Besides, newborns have special needs, and therefore finding placement for newborn children is twice or three times as hard as say, a 5 year old who can go to the bathroom, eat, talk and move independently. </p>
<p>Sex is a natural human desire just as much as the fight or flight response is instinctive. In a stretch, the right to have sex is therefore protected under the right to the pursuit of happiness. </p>
<p>You're educated and smart. If you think abortion is morally wrong or gross or disturbing or whatever, don't do it yourself. But there's no need to impose your opinions on somebody who doesn't believe that abortion is morally wrong. :)</p>
<p>Besides that fact making abortions illegal doesn't solve the problem of unwanted pregnancies and subsequent children. It not only doesn't solve it, it exacerbates it. :)</p>
<p>I would change that some to most but that is just my two cents. I don't know a single person that only has sex when they are trying to reproduce.</p>
<p>I don't have a problem with birth control or condoms, though I do have a problem with pre/extramarital sex. Aside from it being a sin, there are many other unfortunate side effects of sex outside of marriage and abortion.</p>
<p>1) Emotional and psychological problems. Post-abortion women often have a hard time dealing with what's happened. Also, "Women use sex to get men. Men use women to get sex." Frequently, a girl has sex with a guy because he says he'll leave otherwise. And guess what? He leaves anyways. Girls are sluts if they sleep around, while guys are studs. Hmm. Sounds like grounds for a LOT of emotional and psychological problems, especially for women.</p>
<p>2) Physical problems. Having an abortion makes it harder to get pregnant in the future (same with birth control, other than the condom, and the day-after pill). Complications can arise, such as a partly aborted fetus being born alive (in which case it is the duty of a medical professional to save the baby, but if it occurs at an abortion clinic, there have been cases when the baby was killed). Physical problems of unsafe sex are obviously STDs, and premarital sex has sometimes led to depression, unsafe behaviors, etc. (This is just something for you to think about. No, I don't have statistics, just anecdotal evidence, and if you don't agree, OK. You don't have to yell at me about it.)</p>
<p>Futurenyustudent, there are thousands of American couples who are quite willing - sometimes desperate - to adopt, and they usually want newborns. It's actually much harder to place an older child in an adoptive home or foster care.</p>
<p>Lavendercloud, I don't agree with almost your entire post. But as we are civilized people I will not yell at you about it. :)
To each their own.</p>
<p>Thanks, Sweetny007. I don't mind if you want to discuss it. It's the ad hominem, etc. that gets really irritating. So you can respond further if you can do so without being unduly harsh.</p>
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though I do have a problem with pre/extramarital sex. Aside from it being a sin..
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<p>What about people who aren't religious and don't believe in sin? Are they bound by these beliefs too? That's what has always got me with so many of these arguments. They are based too much on religion.</p>