Jennings said, “People often point out the so-called incongruity between the people who support abortion but not capital punishment, or vice-versa. But at bottom, both sides are really saying the same thing: 'You don't kill what's human.' People who support abortion, if they are thoughtful about it, don't really believe that the fertilized egg is human from the moment of conception; they think that they human-ness comes later. And people who support capital punishment don't really believe that the killer (because that's who those who receive the death sentence are, generally) is human, they think he or she has given up or lost something that makes them human.”
“Now, there is some incongruity on both sides. Some people say that you become human at the moment of conception, without anything else having to happen. So abortion isn't OK. But these same folks say that you can lose, or give up, your humanity through your actions or life experiences, or something, so capital punishment is OK.
“Other people say that you only become human after a certain amount of time, or with certain experiences or capabilities, or something. So abortion is OK. But once you've become human, there is nothing that can happen, nothing you can lose, that can take away this 'human-ness' from you. Thus, capital punishment is not OK.
“If something is present at the moment of conception, when the 'you' is only one cell, how can you lose it later? Or if it only happens at some later point, how can you hold on to it, no matter what?
“Now, there are also some people who are against abortion because they think people are killing cute little babies. These are the 'Hello Kitty' collectors of the people in this debate; there's nothing cute about a two-month collection of cells.”
Jennings continued, “I, for one, don't believe in capital punishment, but it's not because I give a damn about the convicted person; it's not even because of the cost and inefficiency of the current system. It's because I don't believe in heaven or hell, but I do believe in punishment. As soon as you kill the convict, his punishment is over. And a long prison term is much more exquisite punishment than a quick ending to his torments.”
“As for abortion, I support abortion so strongly that I think it should be available as an option up to sixty months post-partum.”
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