Life+Begins+at+the+ripe+age+of+18

**Dee L (Cohort 8)**
I can’t even comprehend how people see that life begins at conception, I mean it’s just an egg getting bombarded over and over by billions of sperm (that’s only true for fertile men, but I don't know for the rest of males) until one lucky sperm penetrates this little hermit egg. However, on the flip side, I do not believe that a 6.7-8.1 pound of flesh with a height between 18.9-20.1 newborn can be considered where life begins either. I think when people talk about abortion, they think that you can only be on two sides of the debate: “Pro Life”, in the middle, or “Pro Choice”. Well I am here to tell you that there is a fourth option, and it is all thanks to Colin O. for putting forward such a bold and rash idea that life begins when you turn 18 years old. Let it be known to the world that I fully agree with him.

Well the reason why I believe that life begins when you turn 18 is because you are not just turning another number like you have been all of your life, it is at this magical number that you are able to experience true freedom. The theory that you take your first steps between 9 months and 17 months is wrong because you actually only learn how to stand up and copy what your parents can do. You do not take your first steps until you turn 18. Here is a list of things you can do: 2. Change your name 3. Get a tattoo 4. Get a piercing 5. Buy spray paint 6. Work more hours 7. Sue someone 8. Be sued 9. Purchase liquid white out 10. Pawn something 11. Get married 12. Get divorced 13. Adopt a child 14. Be on Jerry Springer 15. Go on Cruise 16. Buy a lottery ticket 17. Get a hotel room <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">18. Call some "900" numbers <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">19. Go to a nightclub <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">20. Get a Sam's club membership <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">21. Skydive <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">22. Sign legal documents <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">23. Gamble <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">24. Get a blockbuster membership <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">25. Get a loan <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">26. Buy insurance <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">27. Donate blood <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">28. Enlist in the military <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">29. Rent a movie <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">30. Get a non-prepaid cell phone <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">31. Sign a legal contract <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">32. Begin earning credit <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">33. Smoke a cigarette <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">34. Chew tobacco <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">35. Move out of parents’ house || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">36. Get paid more <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">37. Go to an adult jail <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">38. Be convicted as an adult <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">39. Become an undercover cop <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">40. Work full-time <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">41. Become a flight attendant <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">42. Purchase Nicorette gum <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">43. Purchase "the patch" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">44. Drive any time of day <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">45. Visit a porn site <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">46. Visit a porn store <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">47. Become a stripper <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">48. Serve alcohol <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">49. Work in bar <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">50. Get a bartending license <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">51. Work at WalMart <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">52. Get a business license <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">53. Go to a strip club <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">54. Work in a strip club <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">55. Work in a night club <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">56. Vote <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">57. Pay a utility bill <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">58. Open a savings account <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">59. Open a checking account <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">60. Obtain a credit card <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">61. Enter a contest <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">62. Enter a sweepstakes <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">63. Buy a monkey (w/ a license) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">64. Open an eBay account <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">65. Carry a weapon (w/ a license) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">66. Order something off T.V. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">67. Open your own AOL account <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">68. Write a check <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;"> 69. Operate machinery at work <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">70. Become a mentor <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">71. Go bungee jumping || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">72. Work at a gas station <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">73. See a doctor on your own <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">74. Get a driver's license <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">75. Rent a port-a-potty <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">76. Get bills in your name <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">77. Lease an apartment <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">78. Rent a house <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">79. Finance a car <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">80. Be a manager <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">81. Deliver newspapers <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">82. Sign yourself out of school <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">83. Work practically anywhere <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">84. Start your own business <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">85. Cash a savings bond <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">86. Buy nitrous oxide <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">87. Give a lap dance <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">88. Get a lap dance <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">89. Rent a post office box <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">90. Drive a company vehicle <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">91. Drive an ice cream truck <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">92. Buy a house <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">93. No breaks at work <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">94. Start a 401k plan <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">95. Apply for benefits at work <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">96. Gain responsibility <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">97. Pay taxes <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">98. Get a PayPal account <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">99. Make your own decisions <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">100.Have freedom/independence || As of now we are currently caught in the crossfire between Pro life activists and Pro Choice activists in this endless debate on whether or not a woman can have an abortion. The main reason for this argument or debate comes from when people believe “personhood” begins. Even though the government declared in the “Roe V. Wade” case that abortion was legal, it now stands in the way of solving this debate and has only brought conflict to this controversial issue. The government should have not gotten their hands dirty in this conflict in the first place by trying to pick a side. All it has done is cause more conflict between the two sides and stirred up action. I am not just talking about making posters and protesting, though, as strong opinions have led to physical and verbal violence, too. This new violent atmosphere has not only resulted in injuries, but there have also been deaths. For example, Dr. John Britton and James Barrett were brutally shot to death by a man named Paul Jennings Hill on the way to an abortion clinic. The worst part of this whole ordeal was his reasoning for why he committed this act. He said it was because these people were killing babies who had the right to potential life and were getting robbed of their rights, so he felt that this gave him the right to kill these two men. Yes, these acts were committed by an individual and not the whole “Pro-Life” movement, however, and it is because of government involvement in trying to say that life begins at birth that has lead to the deaths of countless people on both sides of the conflict. To be fair to “Pro LIfe” side, though, I was going to list an incident where “pro-abortion” supporters killed a “ProLife” activist but after 20 minutes of searching all I could find were just blogs that people had created, yet I could not find a reasonable case. Although I found no evidence that Pro abortion activists have taken violent acts, I am positive that Pro Abortionist individual members have taken actions of revenge and have armed individuals of Pro Life. These acts however are violent and cruel they were committed by a few and not the entire whole, yet we also must understand that this violence stems from the idea of trying to make a cut of point where life begins at the point of conception and at the point of birth.
 * || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Buy tobacco

The only viable option left to end this endless conflict is to state in a new Supreme Ruling that clearly draws a line, unlike the court case of Roe V Wade. We have it clearly stated that a man first has to get permission to have sex with a women, because women have a right to their body at all times. I mean a woman could say yes to having sex with you and you two could get but naked and under the sheets, couch, floor, car, class room (and we should all remember what happen in the F pod) and just before you to go at it like animals she can say no and we (we being all males and not just myself) must respect their wishes and stop: if we do not, that is rape. If this is true how can we say that once a women gets pregnant she loses her right to her body? With this being said i believe that a woman as well as males (even though we can't get pregnant, yet) have a right to their body at all times, no matter what the decision may be, and we have the right to make it without government and other individuals getting involved. I might be shocked when a woman moments from birth says she wants an abortion and i will judge her, but she should have that right. Kids are completely dependent on our parents, we need them to teach how to poop, eat, walk, talk, spell, ride our bikes, drive us, pay for us, feed us, clothe us, and so many other things. So if a woman says she wants an abortion she should have a right to it, because i don't know about anyone else but i don't want to be the daughter or a son of a mother who moments away from birthing me want to terminate me, not the best show of character if you ask me.

To finally sum up the reason why I believe i fall under the category that I believe that life begins at age 18 is not just because you are capable and legal to do so many different things but at this age you can become no longer dependent on your parent. I mean most of 18 year olds still depend on their parents but in theory we are able to care for ourselves. The second reason why i believe that my view point belongs in this category is that defining the idea that life begins at age 18 would end this endless conflict between Pro Life activists and Pro Choice activist, with personhood being defined at age 18 it would once again clearly state that all citizens have a right to their OWN BODY.

Colin Os illuminated response
Ahh, life truly begins at the sweet moment of becoming a legal adult. 18, is a magic number. A number of rights come along with this moment: the right to vote, the right to marry, the right to enter legal contracts. But truly the real freedoms are the right to flip off your parents, run naked through the woods, and smoke copious amounts of cigarettes. These rights mark the significance of this age, and truly not a moment prior to this could a blastocyst/child/fetus/slave/offspring be considered human life. It is irrationally IRESPONSIBLE to give these “parasitic monsters” the right to run their life. They still live off of their parents, and suck the marrow out of the hard-working citizens of our society.

To be fair and reasonable the government should not side with one group. When intense fundamental differences such as the moment of ‘personhood’ arise; the most politically correct verdict is one that makes neither party completely satisfied. The beauty of compromise, this is what our great country was built upon. And thus, Life should not be protected from the moment of conception (as that would only make the Pro-Lifers happy). On the other hand, to allow all abortions would cause the Pro-Choice supporters to be happy. So a completely unrelated solution that makes neither party entirely happy would be the most politically correct solution. And thus the last limit on abortion should be when the child becomes a legal adult at 18. This would be the most logical solution to this polarizing issue, as it makes neither side truly content.

In nature, there seems to be evidence for allowing parents to have direct control of their child’s wellbeing all around us. When parents have complete autonomy in child rearing, it appears that the society benefits as a whole. The parents typically have the most influential role in a child’s life, and thus it makes most reasonable sense to allow the parents the right [which in America we are all about protecting rights] to abort their ‘cluster of cells’ which may be 11 years old. Animals in the jungle can kill their young and it is just considered another day. Crocodile patriarchs will eat the baby crocodiles because they might be a threat to their territory. Lions and Gorillas will do the same thing. Upcoming sons are commonly a threat to the father even in the species Homo sapiens. Many times in Medieval Europe, Kings were murdered because the son was too impatient to wait for Daddy to die and then usurp the throne. The child could threaten the reputation of the parents. That could be a legitimate medical reason to have an abortion. This problem still occurs today. I would bet that Bush Senior would definitely have aborted Little W. if he had known the tarnish that would destroy the Bush name directly caused Little W.‘s shenanigans.

Overall, it seems relatively obvious why we should allow the right to abortion to cover all the way until the fetus turns 18 years old. But to reiterate: most of the best rights an individual receives is at 18 (buying tobacco, going to jail, etc) and thus it would be easy to add another; children are ‘parasites’ up until that moment anyways; our government works by making compromises that makes no one happy (this compromise fits that premise); and because nature intents us to have the right to destroy our offspring. The most important reason, however, is because at the age of two most children just ask “why?” too many times, driving their parents to insanity, and thus deserve to be aborted.

The End [of all debate on this issue….. I WISH]

P.s the truly wonderful things that make 18 the begining of true life cannot be enumerated here as they are too grapic, or can only be heard by those over 18 (which many are not yet; for those who this applies: be excited to become enlightened when this magical year comes).

Colin, you are my hero. If I could I would bear your children.... and abort them at 12 sincerely, Jake