I don't really want to, but I find this debating over the words grows tiresome. You know and I know that child is an acceptable term to describe all offspring, whether or not it's still incubating.

*cough* Pro-abortion *cough*

This poll is ABOUT AN OPINION. Stop asking for one if you only want us to agree with you.

why not??? It just proves my point and makes the pro choice people look like they hate the dictionary...JK!!!!! But it does really not settle well with some of the choicers. We had one guy on another forum that stated dictionaries didn't matter!!!!Seriously!!! What relevance does our language have if even our dictionary doesn't matter?????????

Are you afraid of being beaten? cause you are going down a beaten path that few pro choicers have walked down and come back again without being proved wrong. It always ends that the dictionaries don't matter or they just stop replying.

I meant to say that the post two up from this is for Jules.

I don't feel that a fetus is a child in any sense. Just like I don't think a caterpillar is a butterfly. Fourteen year olds will be able to legally drink someday. Doesn't mean they are of legal age to buy a beer.

IF: "child" = offpspring
AND IF: "fetus" /= "child"

THEN:
"fetus" /= offspring?

What is the fetus then, if it is not offspring?

Huh?

Offspring doesn't always=child. I'm an offspring, but I am not a child.

But what we are talking about DOES mean child. A young offspring is a child. Ask the dictionary. Fetus literally means unborn child. I am serious, look it up!!!!!

You could call it apple pie and it wouldn't make a difference to me. My next door neighbor has no right to use my organs and neither does a mindless embryo. At least when I donate blood it's going to sentient human beings.

What, because you call it a child and I call it an embryo? Ask nearly any women who had an abortion of her own choosing and see if she thought it was her "child". By calling it a child, you're not proving anything. Give it a name for all I care. Tell me I'm promoting the death of poor baby George. It doesn't matter. Biologically, it's still a embryo. It still is dependent on my body. It still is unwanted.

And that is all that matters by law, ask the lawyers!

You want us to admit that we agree with you. But we don't. I'd like for you to admit that some women actually NEED an abortion, but you won't either. Thankfully, the law is on our side and women aren't forced to gestate.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chi ld

"Child" obviously has different meanings. There is no set in stone meaning, at least not socially. We shouldn't make laws based on what "dictionary.com" says.

Fetus does not mean offspring simply because it has not "off-sprung" -- it's still in and attached.

Well, then, if we can't base anything on our dictionary that defines everything we are saying, then what are saying means nothing at all. Seriously, if we can't even trust what we are saying, what can we trust? How come some words in the dictionary matter and some don't?

I know that. You have to de humanize it to make your argument sound in the least credible. I mean, how crazy does this sound: "I know abortion does kill a child, but I really couldn't care less!!!" Pretty creepy to me!!!

That 'mindless embryo' is a human like me and you that just hasn't fully developed yet. If you let it live, surely it would turn into a sentient being like you and me. It's not its fault it was conceived; it had absolutely no say in the matter and shouldn't have to be killed for it!!!

What about those people in a coma who can't understand anything? I mean, we could kill them and they would never know. They may feel pain, but would be unable to comprehend what was happening. It is the same with an unborn child; they can never comprehend what is going on, but may feel pain if developed enough. Really, how cruel can people be???? If we can justify killing a harmless human who hasn't even gotten a chance to live and do anything wrong, how can you feel safe?

I voted for the second one. Until the fetus can survive on the outside it's not a child.

I can't believe you wrote that.
If near full term and 'ready to go', but if this child is not "out" yet it's not worthy?
and you have a child in your photo here? geesh

I think you ma have misunderstood Mommy35. I took it to mean that until the foetus can survive outside the womb then it is not a child. In other words, until it reaches viabilty (arguably around 24 weeks), she does not consider the foetus a child.

Correct me if I'm wrong Mommy35!