{"id":24843,"date":"2019-03-31T00:49:54","date_gmt":"2019-03-31T07:49:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/?p=24843"},"modified":"2019-04-01T12:12:23","modified_gmt":"2019-04-01T19:12:23","slug":"cartoon-if-a-fetus-could-talk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/?p=24843","title":{"rendered":"Cartoon: If A Fetus Could Talk"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Help me make more cartoons by supporting my Patreon!<\/a><\/p>\n

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Okay, this one is probably in bad taste. But every friend I showed this to while I was working on it laughed.<\/p>\n

The “fetus” in this strip – who is, like the pro-life illustrations I’m lampooning, drawn unrealistically to look like a born baby – is of course speaking my views, just as the talking fetuses in pro-life cartoons speak those cartoonists’ views. Because fetuses don’t have views of their own.<\/p>\n

I’m going to quote a blog post<\/a> I wrote years ago, on this subject. Head over to that post if you’d like to read more and see some supporting links.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what \u201cpersonhood\u201d means to me: the ability to subjectively \u00a0experience consciousness; to have thoughts and feel emotions; to have a \u00a0personality. This ability, in humans, is located in the cortex of the \u00a0brain, where all our thoughts and emotions take place.<\/p>\n

Why am I so focused on the brain as the center of what we are? \u00a0Because the brain is the only part of a person\u2019s body that cannot be \u00a0destroyed while leaving the person still alive.<\/p>\n

To see what I mean, imagine that you get an emergency call: Someone \u00a0close to you has been in a terrible accident. You rush to the hospital, \u00a0and are told that your friend\u2019s heart has been destroyed. However, a \u00a0tourist from Belgium happened to die the same day, in the same hospital, \u00a0and luckily is a tissue match for your friend. (Luckily for your friend, not so luckily for the dead Belgian).<\/p>\n

Repeat the same thought exercise, except this time imagine different \u00a0body parts being replaced with a part from the unfortunate Belgian. A \u00a0hand transplant. A kidney. Ears. Hair. Lungs. No matter which part is \u00a0replaced, it\u2019s still your friend. You\u2019re not mistaken to feel you have an ongoing relationship with this person, despite the new \u00a0heart\/hand\/kidney\/ear\/hair\/whatever.<\/p>\n

Now imagine that the doctors say your friend\u2019s brain <\/em>was utterly destroyed in the accident. But not to worry \u2013 they have put in \u00a0the Belgian\u2019s brain. The doctors tell you that your friend now remembers \u00a0an entirely different life, speaks a different native language, and has \u00a0a completely new personality; but other than that, she\u2019s still the same person you know.<\/p>\n

Does that make any sense? Is this the same person you considered your \u00a0friend? Most people would say no. The survivor of that operation wasn\u2019t your friend; it was the Belgian tourist.<\/p>\n

In science fiction movies like The Man With Two Brains<\/em>, some \u00a0people can be reduced to brains in jar, but they\u2019re still themselves, \u00a0and audiences have no trouble accepting that notion. Why does that ring true with us?<\/p>\n

Because it gets at a core truth. Our brains \u2013 and in \u00a0particular, the personality imprinted in the cortex \u2013 is the one part of \u00a0a person that cannot be destroyed and still leave the person in any \u00a0sense intact. But as long as that part is retained, we are still, in a meaningful sense, the same person.<\/p>\n

So when does personhood begin? I don\u2019t know. But I know that it can\u2019t possibly happen before <\/em>the fetus has a fully functioning cerebral cortex, capable of supporting thought.<\/p>\n

In particular, it\u2019s not possible for there to be any thought or \u00a0awareness before the emergence of pyramidal cell dendritic spines on \u00a0neurons, which happens relatively abruptly at about the 28th week. Pre-dendritic spines, the cerebral cortex might as well be a pile of gray slush, in terms of how well it can actually function.<\/p>\n

Once the dendritic spines are in place, does the fetus become a \u00a0person that instant? I doubt it. I think a working cerebral cortex is a necessary condition of personhood (in human beings, anyhow \u2013 maybe \u00a0Vulcans are different), but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s sufficient. Once a fetus \u00a0has a fully working cerebral cortex, to some extent that\u2019s like having a blank hard drive; the hardware is all in place, but the data is still to come.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, as far as abortion is concerned, I find the science reassuring. Personhood, as I understand it, can\u2019t even begin to exist until at least the 28th week \u2013 and probably doesn\u2019t exist in any \u00a0meaningful form until well after that point. But virtually all abortions \u00a0\u2013 even those abortions usually referred to as \u201clate term\u201d abortions \u2013 \u00a0take place long before the 28th week of pregnancy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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The first panel is true \u00a0\u2013 I really did have this conversation, with my housemate Sarah, which inspired this strip.<\/p>\n

The art in this strip was very <\/em>easy: I drew a cartoon baby with no clothes or background six times. But to do anything more, in any of those panels, would have detracted from the cartoon. To make up for it, I put a lot of work into drawing panel 1: Dumpster, litter, bricks drawn in perspective, etc.<\/p>\n

Panel 7 – “notice who they’re leaving out?” – describes nearly all pro-life arguments.<\/p>\n

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TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON<\/strong><\/p>\n

This cartoon has eight panels.<\/p>\n

Panel 1<\/strong><\/p>\n

A woman and a man are walking down a city sidewalk, chatting. The woman is looking a little irritated; the man is holding up a finger in a “that gives me an idea!” gesture.<\/p>\n

WOMAN: You know the genre of political cartoon I hate? Pro-life cartoons with a fetus lecturing from inside a womb!<\/p>\n

MAN: I should draw one of those!<\/p>\n

Panel 2<\/strong><\/p>\n

This panel, and almost all the remaining panels, show a fetus inside a vaguely drawn womb shape, which is itself in a blank void. The fetus, who is drawn to look like a baby rather than like a fetus, is smiling and talking directly to the reader.<\/p>\n

FETUS: Hi folks! I’m Frank the friendly fetus, talking from inside the womb!<\/p>\n

Panel 3<\/strong><\/p>\n

A close-up \u00a0of the smiling fetus’ face. He’s pointing at his head with one finger.<\/p>\n

FETUS: Except not really, because you know what? My cerebral cortex isn’t functioning yet!<\/p>\n

Panel 4<\/strong><\/p>\n

FETUS: So I can’t talk! Or think! Or feel anything at all – not even pain!<\/p>\n

Panel 5<\/strong><\/p>\n

The fetus is giving the “thumbs up” gesture with both hands.<\/p>\n

FETUS: So if you need an abortion, go for it! It’s okay! I literally feel nothing and have no preferences!<\/p>\n

Panel 6<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the first time, the fetus looks serious rather than smiling. It’s raising a forefinger to make a point.<\/p>\n

FETUS: I’m not a person! But the pregnant person is! So it’s up to them to decide!<\/p>\n

Panel 7<\/strong><\/p>\n

This panel shows a dark-haired pregnant woman, in a dress and carrying a purse, walking through what looks like a park. The word balloon leads down to her pregnant stomach.<\/p>\n

FETUS: Speaking of which, pro-life cartoons often show wombs floating in a blank void. Notice who they’re leaving out?<\/p>\n

Panel 8<\/strong><\/p>\n

A shot of the smiling fetus, who is holding up a medical instrument in one hand.<\/p>\n

FETUS: In summary: Abort me! Or don’t! It’s your choice!<\/p>\n

FETUS: Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Help me make more cartoons by supporting my Patreon! Okay, this one is probably in bad taste. But every friend I showed this to while I was working on it laughed. The “fetus” in this strip – who is, like … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,17,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-abortion-reproductive-rights","category-cartooning-comics","category-feminism-sexism-etc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24843"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24853,"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24843\/revisions\/24853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}