Should incitement to infanticide be a crime?

Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM) refer to a debate at Princeton University between a couple of 'heavyweight philosophers', namely Peter “An infant has no moral status because he is not self-aware” Singer,

a professor of bioethics, and John Finnis, a professor emeritus of philosophy in the University of Oxford, who argued against using the 'F' word: foetus:

As used in the conference program and website, which are not medical contexts, it is offensive, dehumanizing, prejudicial, manipulative, A website describing ultrasound for expectant mothers doesn’t talk about her fetus but her baby, and so do her doctors unless they’re her abortionists or think she has been or is interested in abortion.

How's this for a statement from Frances Kissling, a so-called bioethics scholar and abortion rights advocate and conference organiser:

We have to get rid of the idea of evil.

Pretty Marxist, don't you think?

As C-FAM reports:

Singer defended his support for infanticide, stating that self-awareness confers moral status, and not species membership. Abortion is the killing of a human being, but is not immoral because the child does not meet the self-awareness test, said Singer.

In his utilitarian view, Singer believes that there can even be a moral duty to kill humans lacking self-awareness, including the disabled, which he has been criticized for not following in the case of his mother.

Interesting that the Princeton University debate website states that these debates are inspired by the call made by President Obama in his speech at Notre Dame University

for those on different sides of the abortion issue not only to work together where we agree, but also to engage in "vigorous debate" with "open hearts, open minds, and fair minded words."

Meanwhile said President vigorously promotes legislation and health care programmes that increase the provision of abortion. To debate with infanticiders with open heart, open mind and fair minded words is to tell them the truth: they are killers. Say it nicely, but clearly. Apparently Finnis kept his cool in the debate.

In looking for an image of Singer I found one at SuperVegan. Now I haven't much in common with vegans but take a look at the website which refers to Singer's obnoxious "ethical" views:

Earlier this week, animal rights advocate and ethicist Peter Singer restated his position on killing disabled babies for the UK Independent "You Ask the Questions" column. In response to a reader's question "Would you kill a disabled baby?," Singer replied:

"Yes, if that was in the best interests of the baby and of the family as a whole. Many people find this shocking, yet they support a woman's right to have an abortion. One point on which I agree with opponents of abortion is that, from the point of view of ethics rather than the law, there is no sharp distinction between the fetus and the newborn baby."

This isn't really news since for some time now Singer has been promoting euthanasia of the disabled. But I thought I'd share this just in case some people didn't know about Peter Singer's unflinching ethics.

Now Vegans or even Super Vegans are people with whom I'd be very happy to debate with open mind, open heart and fair minded words.

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St Thomas Aquinas on Radio 4

Melvyn Bragg and his weekly philosophy programme on Radio 4 looks at St Thomas Aquinas today.

From the BBC website:

Melvyn Bragg discusses the life, works and enduring influence of the medieval philosopher and theologian St Thomas Aquinas with Martin Palmer, John Haldane and Annabel Brett.

St Thomas Aquinas' ideas remain at the heart of the official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church today and inform philosophical debates on human rights, natural law and what constitutes a 'just war'.

Martin Palmer is Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture; John Haldane is Professor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews; Annabel Brett is Lecturer in History at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.

I hope to listen again later or hear the edited version on Radio 4 this evening.