Week Question #1 - Do you think you should be able to decide what you want to do with your own body?

Hampus Andersson · Sep 1, 2012

Pretty simple question with some pretty complicated answers

Consider this the first question of a weekly poll asking questions that is designed to make you think.
Both sides have great arguments and if you want, please share your opinion why you think the way you do.

#1 - Do you think you should be able to decide what you want to do with your own body?

As an example. Candy is banned because it´s not healthy for your body. You on the other hand love candy.
What would your stand be. Do you think someone else should decide what you can put in your own body?

Even if you do or don´t consume cannabis/alchohol/caffeine/candy/cocaine/coca cola/fanta/ you name it, try and find something you like that if it were banned the day after, how you would react.

Hampus Andersson · Sep 1, 2012

For me it´s a tough question. Right out of the bat i would say yes of course.
Every person on this planet has the right to do whatever they want with their own body.
Your own body is your own mansion, you decide what you do with it.

But then you have the other side like "ok what happens when you for example legalize everything"
Will your own satisfaction (whatever it might be) outweigh the pain you might cause to other people due to your own personal wishes/needs of whatever you feel is appropriate to you to put in your own body.

I hope i get some discussion going on this, i find it interesting on both sides

Take people who like coffee, it gets banned. Would you still drink coffee or would you follow the law because it´s now been changed even though you have drunk coffee for 20 years?

Chronus · Sep 1, 2012

Wow, tough question. Not a simple black and white picture.

Face value? Yes.

Thinking deeper, NO.

There are countless ties between you and those that surround you (family and otherwise). Ties can be emotional, familial, but they can also be social.

Whatever you do carries weight to those around you through those ties. If your influence is negative, effects will also be negative.

And then there's also something less obvious. As a society or aggregation of individuals, is it or is it not the obligation of society as a whole and of every single one of us individually to care for one another? Can we believe we're evolving if we don't care for those around us?

If doing whatever you want to your body means you're also able to destroy it - then most definitely we should be able to prevent it. But should we?

On the other hand...people jump from buildings or kill themselves in forests when they can't take it anymore. In the end, they did as they wished, society did not stop them.

Would it be more tolerable if we didn't know about the choices other people make, good or bad?

Example: cigarettes kill. People want cigarettes. Do we prevent them because cigarettes "can kill"? Or do we just prevent the use of cigarettes when their use affect others? So BIG YES to individual freedom as long as it does not directly affect others. On the other hand, we punish smoking in non-smoking places, but we let people kill themselves - all fine? No, they get cancer, the State will end up covering part of the expenses for the treatments and we all get affected by it. Back to your original question: should you be able to decide what to do with your own body?

The answer seems to be: if your decision ends up affecting everyone else or a significant number of people, no. But then you'd say: what about personal freedom?

Ok, go to an uninhabited island and smoke yourself to death. Who would care?

Ah...dung.

Rupe Wilson · Sep 1, 2012

i will decide what i do to my body,

but do i have the right to expect for treatment if i destroy my body myself over a natural illness ... NO...
EG. If i destroy my liver through drink why should i expect to be at the top of the pile...
maybe if i'm the only one who can take the donner part... time restrictions on transplants don't allow for round the world journeys then yes give it to me..
but when i'm dead they can take what they want....

Hampus Andersson · Sep 1, 2012

Rupe Wilson said:
i will decide what i do to my body,
but do i have the right to expect for treatment if i destroy my body myself over a natural illness ... NO...
EG. If i destroy my liver through drink why should i expect to be at the top of the pile...
maybe if i'm the only one who can take the donner part... time restrictions on transplants don't allow for round the world journeys then yes give it to me..
but when i'm dead they can take what they want....

Nice interesting point

But are you ok with that even if your own drinking gets so far it would affect your family members?

Pretty tricky question

Keep it coming

I´m leaning towards your side though.

Rupe Wilson · Sep 1, 2012

i don't drink so that wont be a problem,
but i understand what you mean, i would not do anything that could destroy the relationship with family they mean to much to me... and i plan on being around for a long time...

most things when taken in excess are bad for you whether it be coffee, sweets or fags or drugs
At present i have heath issues ..and here's the kicker its my healthy diet that's causing most of the problems...

Rhys Gardiner · Sep 2, 2012

It's a complicated issue.

It's the reason why laws are in place to prohibit people from certain drugs, or consuming alcohol under a certain age - There are people who cannot be trusted with that freedom if it's given to them, and there is also the matter of how your choices affect the people around you.

My view is: If you are given the freedom to decide, you should also be held accountable for what happens as a consequence of that.

Hampus Andersson · Sep 2, 2012

Rupe Wilson said:
i don't drink so that wont be a problem,

Maybe not you but we can´t have individual rules for human beings, so you have to think large scale

Rhys Gardiner said:
It's a complicated issue.

It's the reason why laws are in place to prohibit people from certain drugs, or consuming alcohol under a certain age - There are people who cannot be trusted with that freedom if it's given to them, and there is also the matter of how your choices affect the people around you.

Even if you think the law is wrong? or something should be illegal, like alcohol etc.
Take two different countries, one it´s legal in, the other it´s not.
If Alcohol got banned today, would you still drink it?

Omer Said · Sep 2, 2012

I believe the body which is given to me is not completely mine. Did i build it? Did i choose it? And i will not have it forever, everyone dies. It's entrusted to me for a short time of life on this earth. That is why i believe i can't do everything i want. I should avoid harming both others and myself. If cigarette is something harmful for me, then i should stop it. It is also polluting air, bothering people near me with it's smell and smoke.

Of course it should not be enforced by the government. Government should only ban the things which affect the society's order. Ban smoking in public cafes, but don't ban in personal homes. Because my body is not government's property aswell.

Actually it is a very complicated issue and should be discussed in every single element. Can't say something general. Effect of cigarette and drugs are very different for example.

It is very nice to hear people's opinion and share myself in such a civilized thread. I hope things here don't turn into flaming debates

Rhys Gardiner · Sep 2, 2012

Hampus Andersson said:
Even if you think the law is wrong? or something should be illegal, like alcohol etc.
Take two different countries, one it´s legal in, the other it´s not.
If Alcohol got banned today, would you still drink it?

No, I wouldn't. I'd put my energy into protesting the law and trying to get it overturned, rather than going out of my way to violate it. Whether I think it's right or not, one thing I don't want is a criminal record. That goes for other countries as well - if I'm in a foreign country and something is illegal there, I won't do it because I don't want to get into trouble... I don't think it would be worth the risk. It's how I operate - if there are absolutely, without a doubt, going to be negative consequences for me if I do something, I won't do it.

The point I was trying to make is that laws are put into motion because people abuse the substances in question and endanger other people because of that. I'm not saying that the laws are right or wrong, just that this happens.

Hampus Andersson · Sep 2, 2012

Great subject haha, soo complicated!

Byw Rhys, im not discussing against you, just trying to grt people to expand even more about it.

Rhys Gardiner · Sep 2, 2012

Hampus Andersson said:
Byw Rhys, im not discussing against you, just trying to grt people to expand even more about it.

Yeah, that's okay - it gave me an opportunity to expand my views!

Chronus · Sep 2, 2012

This issue is very much alive with professional athletes.

You get the competitive edge by more than training alone. If you get PEDs into your system you're risking your life. Some say "leave it to the athletes discretion". But then, there's more at stake then the athletes health.

There's more at stake than just one person's health or right over his/her own body.