Gallup Pro-life/choice

 

Actually, I think this is one of the better arguments I have ever made, online or offline.  Not as good as I initially thought, as pointed out by Darur, but nevertheless very powerful.  And my somewhat inelegant restatement of your hypothetical was simply a demonstration of how hypotheticals can serve different purposes in different contexts.

 

Much like how the endless "what would you bring to a desert island" discussions are not really planning for when you actually get stuck on a desert island with one thing of your choosing, but a tool for exploring your personal priorities.

 

Let's try another impossible hypothetical and see if this breaks the logjam.  This one completely ripped off from DaveEllis(!) in an earlier thread on this subject:

 

You see a burning building, and run inside to look for people in need of help (cuz you're a hero type, dontcha know).  Upon entering the building, you find a baby and a jar full of human embryos.  Unfortunately, the building is about to collapse and you can only save one - the baby or the jar of embryos.   Which do you save?  A single born baby, or a whole jarful of unborn embryos?