06-13-2023, 07:39 PM
(06-13-2023, 06:24 PM)KillerGoose Wrote: I agree with your thoughts here. While I think that this hypothetical you has played an active role in my death in varying degrees in both scenarios, the version where you actively pull the trigger bears more blame than the version who simply allowed me to die.
I do think we can construct an analogy that fits and perhaps causes some conflict. Let’s say you willingly enter a blood drive so that you may donate blood. The process begins, and at some point during the process you are informed that you have an incredibly rare type of blood. As chance would have it, there is a person in the hospital who also has this rare blood type and is in dire need of a transfusion, as well as future transfusions. Given the unique situation, they have wheeled this individual down and they are now using you to keep them alive without discussing with you first. Without you there, the person will surely die.
Do you believe that you should be mandated to now stay and support this person through your own bodily means, or should you have a choice of whether or not you do so?
Also, just a note that I find these philosophical discussions interesting so this isn’t coming from a place of malice or a “gotcha” attempt. I’m just trying to construct an intellectually honest analogy, one where I feel like there is potential to create conflict in a situation that many see as black and white.
What you're describing is the exact same thing as walking by and seeing a person hanging from a cliff. If you don't help them you can be described as contributing to their death by not helping, but you did not cause their death. This is different then causing them to hang from the cliff in the first place. In answer to your question, my answer is, no. No one should be compelled to assist or aid anyone, even if it may cause that person's death. I am huge on personal freedom, I think taking away a person's freedom is the absolute worse thing you can do to them. That's why I think life imprisonment with no parole is a far worse punishment than the death penalty.
If we apply this logic to abortion it would be along the line of, your baby is going to die unless you submit to a very risky medical procedure and the mother refuses. This is wildly different then having an elective abortion, even if the end result is the same.
