Over at the Public Discourse blog, UFL member Chris Kaczor responds to Dennis O’Brien’s argument that prolifers are not serious unless we seek to impose the same criminal penalties for murder and for the performance of an abortion. In Let’s Talk About Abortion: A Reply to Dennis O’Brien Professor Kaczor argues that there are many instances in which we impose different penalties for the same act based on the circumstances surrounding the act or the nature of the victim. He uses the example of penalties for killing an ordinary citizen and stiffer penalties for killing a national leader like the President. He goes on the argue that the physical intimacy of a woman and her unborn child is not a valid basis for excusing the intentional killing of the child. The brief essay is worth a read.