We are a social animal. That means that we cannot survive as individuals. We ban together to share the tasks of our survival. We have house builders, teachers, factory workers, cooks, and leaders. Leaders are charged with keeping our efforts coordinated and optimized for the survival of our families, communities, and humanity. When activities are also optimized for comfort, the pleasure encourages us to propagate.
We can discuss self-actualization by education and other processes, but let’s now consider the social aspects of the sexual population increase.
Humans have the mental power to analyze and hypothesize about conception, gestation, birth, and life. Of course, being a “social animal,” the implications on our neighbors (the people under a leader’s responsibility) are significant.
The breath of life brings a new body into the social structure. The infant needs all their life-sustaining nutrition and maintenance to be provided just to make it through one day. Parents and community leaders contribute to the success of its maturation.
Conception is the union of two haploid cells. The two people carrying the cells generally expect to take primary responsibility for the rearing of the child. They are expected to know, though not always psychiatrically reasonable in the rush of coital hormones, what they are obligating themselves to with conjugation. If they have a personal relationship, they can navigate the child support with their family, friends, and the medical community.
The gestation of our approaching newest social member is the responsibility of the mother. She is full-time and the most intimately involved person. However, she cannot do it without the support of a partner and the purposeful participation of the people around her.
There may be broad and enduring negative social consequences to a pregnancy.
• If impregnation is without the consent of one of the parties, it is anti-social. It is not a neutral act. It is not an act of God.
The victim’s social role is changed without regard to their life choices or actions. At the least, one of the participants has lost their opportunity to be a mother or father in their own family of choice. As a result, the child will likely have to endure the stigma of their non-sanctioned conception and not get all the support necessary from family and social structure.
◦ It could be impregnation by criminal assault or
◦ by an authority figure’s intimidation and manipulation.
• If the zygote/embryo/fetus has a reasonable chance, in the passage of a few years, of being deformed or not being able to take care of themselves they would be an extra burden to the community. Additionally, the child would be facing a lifetime with a limited chance to participate in the rewards of social life.
• If the impregnated woman, the only party left with a lingering personal effect from the act of non-consensual coitus, has a threat of serious injury to her physical or mental health, it is a consequence that can often be addressed. It can be treated to restore the woman to be a healthy participant in our society and to get pregnant by choice.
• Child support to age 18 is the obligation of the state when the state requires the pregnancy to go to full term. Support is the obligation of pregnant couples if they choose to let the pregnancy go to full term.
For an illustration: The government protects our freedom to worship a god or no god at our personal preference. We do not impose a state religion or bias treatment of people by their declared religion or birth religion. Our government protects religious rights by not practicing any religion. It is not a rejection of religion.
It is staying out of the way of religion.
Pregnancy will lead to several different responses, depending on the individuals involved. A woman will consider her values, present condition, resources, and hopes for the future. Pregnancy is not a government concern because only the mother’s property or personal rights are involved as they are without a pregnancy. The government’s position is to not intrude on an individual’s decisions for an unborn zygote, embryo, or fetus.
The government and its leaders as a creation of the people’s community have a role in the care of living members. The community has developed government laws and services to protect the sanctity of life for breathing members of the state.
Addendum for Christian “breath is life”
“The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” – Genesis 2:7.
The Bible is perfectly clear that all living creatures have the breath of life in Genesis 1:30, Genesis 6:17, and Genesis 7:15-22.
