My article has nothing to do with religion, says nothing about religion and the issue of abortion has nothing to do with religion. If anything it's more an issue to do with science and embryology. I find it hard to believe that the pro-abortion crowd still use the out of date slogan of a woman's right to choose, as if we are speaking about getting a cancer removed. Those who seek to discount the opinion of others who think that killing babies is bad as simply religious nonsense are ironically more backward than the ones they would accuse. Ad hominem responses are meaningless.

A person's a person, no matter how small... so long as it has no tail, but if it has a tail then no matter how big, it's not a person. Is that the case, Bernard?

Why should a tiny creature who has never even been conscious, who has not yet acquired any knowledge, who has not yet acquired an attachment to life and a fear of death, be more worthy of keeping alive (if indeed being kept alive is an advantage) than a grown up creature, who is conscious, who has learnt things (chimpanzees for example are known to learn at the same rate as human children up to the age of 3, the only difference being that then they stop), who are attached to many things in life and who do fear death?

I am not a saint, but at least I am vegetarian and I didn't kill any babies so far, born or unborn, yet I am a sinner as I do kill the occasional little flying and crawling intruders that come into the house. Let the one who doesn't kill them throw the first stone at those who kill foetuses.

I try not to kill (even when it is legal) because that would take me further away from God. Why should someone who doesn't care about coming closer to God mind not to kill - I have no clue, unless of course they actually do care about coming closer to God, but simply do not admit it nor label themselves "religious", though they subconsciously are.

BernardT reckons his views on abortion aren't involved with religion.
Well Bernard, I always read about the author before I read the article.

Your description states "Bernard Toutounji is a freelance speaker and writer. He has a theological formation from both Australia and the USA, and has particular interest in questions of anthropology, morality and truth. Bernard writes a regular column, www.foolishwisdom.com, in which he takes a contemporary issue and examines it through an alternative lens. Bernard tutors in theology at a university level and speaks at conferences when requested."

I am fairly certain your views on abortion are colored by your Theology studies? Correct me if am wrong.

Tell me Bernard, in the unlikely event of a reversal in legal abortion being allowed in Australia, exactly how would you stop women from trying to obtain abortions for themselves again, like they did before it was legalized years ago?
It is all very well ranting and raving about the evil women who 'kill' all the 'babies' and demanding they carry their unwanted pregnancies to term, and force them into having an unwanted child.
But HOW will you enforce your will on these women?

Ten-week-old babies are not in the womb; they have, by definition, been born ten weeks ago. A ten-week old foetus in the womb is not by any stretch of the imagination a 'baby'. It is roughly the size of a mouse and quite incapable of independent existence.

Bollocks.
What a disgusting, sickening article. To try to use your own children as fodder in your dogmatic war on womens rights. Pure evil.
Comparing your living, breathing children with fetuses. Im sure they are going to appreciate that when they find out.

A person is someone who understand their own individuality and their own ongoing future.
They understand and fear death.
They have desires and ambitions for their future.

Without these things they are not a person.
Fetuses are not "persons".

Mikk says "A person is someone who understand their own individuality and their own ongoing future.
They understand and fear death.
They have desires and ambitions for their future".

In that case we should be able to kill children up to the age of at least four or five years old.