For the glory of the Most Holy Trinity
In honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Just Heart of Joseph
In honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Just Heart of Joseph
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JosephMary
JosephMary
JosephMary is a cradle Catholic and a wife and a mother. Some 14 years ago she had a reconversion to the fullness of the faith at the hands of Our Blessed Mother. Nothing has been the same since! Our Lady then introduced her to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The rest is 'history' as they say. JosephMary also has the grace of a vocation to the Franciscan Third Order.
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What does it take to be a "person"?
posted by: JosephMary
Just what does it take to be a ‘person’?
Recently in Mesa County, Colorado there has been a case where a child born early due to trauma to the mother and who lived only a short time has been declared not to have been yet a person. And that has got me wondering about this issue especially since we now have another case where a mother is murdered and the child, delivered two weeks before the due date, lived only a short while. She did live long enough to have a name, Maria, and now is mourned by family members however. Was she a person?
I wonder how long someone must draw breath to be a person? Perhaps a smart judge will be able to help with this question. An hour? Two hours? A day? Three days? A month? More? Does one have to draw a breath to be a person? The kicking and moving unborn child that can be killed even during the process of birth, seems to be denied that designation.
I think of other examples of ‘non-personhood'. It has been said that if someone is declared not a person, then they can be killed. The Native Americans in this country were essentially declared non-persons. So war was made on them to exterminate them and take their land. And the African peoples stolen from their homeland to be worked as slaves were not considered persons but property to done with as an owner decided. So there are indeed other examples of when some segments of our human race can be judged to not be human and their lives of no value. They were considered not to be persons and so could be used or destroyed.
There are cultures in this world presently where a child born can be left to die or can be killed at the will of another. Some might call that infanticide. Yet it happens. The world at large is not very good at defending the most defenseless among us. Whole countries will go to war over such things as oil or power or even religion but the war against the defenseless continues with few voices crying to defend them. They are not really persons some will say. And so more of these defenseless ones die every day than were killed in the tragedy of September 11th. More unborn Americans die daily than have given their lives in the conflict in Iraq. Is that okay because some deem them ‘non-persons'? So just what does it take to be considered a person?
April 6, 2008 - 3 comments
Ave Maria!
I agree. And our existance begins at conception. So many do not accept that because then how could the unborn be killed at will?
Submitted by JosephMary on Tue, 04/08/2008 - 9:26am.
It seems that, by presenting this issue by examining the rulings of the courts, we are looking at this issue upside down.
While the government courts do have powers to interpret manmade laws, they can not undo the natural law.
We ought to apporach these issues by examining the reality, then looking at the manmade institutions that have either upheld or twisted the reality.
Submitted by Protect the Rock on Tue, 04/08/2008 - 10:21am.
At least one federal agency (The IRS)must recognizes personhood at birth, no matter how short the ensuing life...those babies mentioned above as dying shortly after premature birth due to trauma are able to be claimed as dependents on federal taxes and we cannot claim dogs, cats or goldfish, no matter how much we may say that they are a member of the family! Of course as Horton says "A person's a person no matter how small". Place of residence (womb, crib or whatever) does not determine personhood. Recognition by "authorities" does not determine personhood. DNA does, and that person's unique DNA is present from the moment of conception. Seems pretty simple to me. But then I recognize that there is objective truth. I suspect many if not all recognize the fact of the personhood of the unborn. The question is what does it take for a person to be of value and due protection? I say it is existence.
Momof11