Junto Boys

Being from Pensacola I find an interest in the Paul Hill execution that is coming up. If you don’t remember, Paul Hill killed an abortion doctor in 1994 and is defiant that his actions were just. Hill’s position and actions on abortion mirror those of John Brown who attempted to abolish slavery by force. Hill's crime ten years ago hasn't inspired one single copycat. But there are some people who worry that his executuion will.

"By helping Paul Hill to martyr himself, you will give Hill and his followers a platform to encourage others to copy the crime... The martyrdom of Paul Hill will be a prime example of how the death penalty can actually encourage more murder and violence," wrote FADP Director Abe Bonowitz

I hate the abortion issue personally. It distracts national politics away from other issues that have more importance. Personally, I have always been torn. As a libertarian I hate to see the government in people's lives. On the other hand, abortion itself is an ugly thing. The choice argument has always seemed inconsistent with other portions of life. The government won't let a woman use her body to take drugs or prostitute herself, but they will let her kill her fetus. I'm willing to trade the legalization of abortion for other personal freedoms, but the people who argue for abortion are almost always on the other side of personal liberty.

If a woman cannot be forced to do something with her body such as bear a child, can a man be forced to doing something with his body, like fight in a war? How can the government draft a person into the military where he may have to risk his life, if the government doesn't have the right to force a woman to give birth to tomorrow's soldiers? Does a woman and only a woman have a special right to protect her body? Should one sex have more personal liberty than the other sex? These are ethical questions not a legal ones. I'd be interested in hearing your varying opinions.