Sage:"Although I agree about the sentient value over non-sentient value, I will have to disagree with you about intelligent over less intelligent organisms. This is inherently biased since you are one of the most intelligent organisms, and a bear would most certainly disagree with you. It also assumes that factual knowledge is greater than other forms of knowledge - you may be more intelligent in many ways, but in kinetic knowledge, the bear most likely wins.

To clarify the "kinetic knowledge" phrase, think about it this way: how is it that a squirrel rarely missed a branch, but you would be hard pressed to try leaping from one tree to another even if you were the same size as the squirrel."

To underline the conceptual mush/dilemma here though, I would just like to observe that the Nazis turned out to be very good/efficient at doing some bad things, even clearing the way in their Kristallnacht-enabling laws and courts.

Sage, closing:"A good response, but you failed to touch upon the more important points I made. These are:

1) The false assumption that all religious people must believe it God's responsiblity to provide their medical needs and comforts."

Unresoureful people might make that assumption while they stand on the corner, waiting for "others" to be "Christians". Naturally, the Christians and similar people benefit from the opportunity to show some largesse, be generous, and act out on their professed philosophy of caring for the widows, etc.

Sage:"2) Why human life is considered "sacred.""

As starting assumptions go, I think "we" humans benefit from that one, and it gets our priorities "straight". Is it ever *harmful* to assume that life in general has a sacredness?

Even legalistic Shedevil, may have a sacred tendency in her basic essence. Grin.

OYOH, I persist in favoring the view, "the law is a ass" (Dickens, 19th Century London). Many things get past the law, with a conspiratory wink from their approving contemporary society.

Is the reference to Holocaust in the abortion connection really connected?

Naturally, not all asses resided just in 19th Century London.