Quote:
Originally posted by G8Ralphaxi
But here's the real issue: No, we are NOT going to put mothers in jail for not getting enough folic acid. As you put it, that's an "extension" of the principle. One of the points of criminal laws is to draw a line - what conduct does our society want to prohibit, and what will we allow, or in other words, how far do we want to "extend" the reach of the law?
|
And you've exceeded, by far, the literal level I was seeking - but the legalese is interesting, as you're obviously far more familiar with it.
However, here you've exactly hit my point - I was utilizing hyperbole to intimate that the reach of law has a sneaky way of continually extending itself, and that this case may be one where the extension is unjustified.
Here, the reason is that there's no real way to determine when the fetus becomes deserving of the rights, priviledges, and responsibilities afforded to everyone under our legal system - and, I happen to agree with Valkyrie when she says that she would be more comfortable keeping that legislative reach outside of a woman's body.