You write:
> Seems like a real/separate body is required to even exercise most
> rights.
That line of reasoning may just get you somewhere. I can think of one
major objection to it, but it's definitely worth exploring.
The objection: Possession of a right and exercise of that right may
not necessarily be the same issue. If I tie you up and sew your mouth
shut, I'm obviously suppressing your right to speak ... but does that
right go away, or do you still possess it even though you can't
exercise it at the moment?
> Seems like these and other (many) fundamental differences should
> be plenty on which to base a decision to draw the line at birth,
> and feel confident that it's a good decision.
Now you're moving into non-ideological -- and therefore, in the eyes
of many libertarians, unprincipled -- territory.
You're basically saying "even if we don't know, we have to have some
sort of criteria, and this seems like a reasonable set to go with. Chill."
That's a very different approach than the typical ideological approach
taken by libertarians. Paul's is an extreme example of the ideological
approach on the issue of abortion, but he's not alone, and I tend to
that approach on most issues myself, said approach being:
"A+B=C, period. That's it. That's all. That's the only libertarian
formula. If you don't agree with it, you're wrong, you're not a
libertarian, and moreover you are a statist, anti-freedom asshole."
As it happens, I haven't found such a "formula" on abortion that, in
my view, satisfies libertarian criteria, and ultimately my own
position on abortion is similar to yours in form, although not in content.
I've allowed myself that deviation in form because the questions of
content are so unsettled, and I assume that your own deviation has a
similar basis. However, many libertarians aren't going to accept that
deviation from form is necessary under any circumstances, and many
non-libertarians are simply going to disagree with your (or any other)
assessment of content.
Regards,
Tom
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