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Culture War Roundup for the week of April 13, 2026

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Maybe for unprotected sex.

I don’t think we apply such a black and white understanding of causality to every risky activity. Is there some point at which you’d say “yeah, neither he nor she could have reasonably expected a pregnancy?”

The reverse came up last time we discussed miscarriage. A surprising amount of fertilizations don’t result in a viable pregnancy.

Is there some point at which you’d say “yeah, neither he nor she could have reasonably expected a pregnancy?”

As tempting as the strict liability standard is, I'd rather avoid the need to answer that question than set a threshold.

Imagine you're golfing, and your ball goes flying through someone's window. Are you responsible for that in the case where:

  1. You suck at golf and failed a risky shot. (Yes, you're clearly responsible)
  2. You're good and responsible, but flinched from a wasp sting (Yes, you're still responsible despite your precautions)
  3. You made a good shot, but a sudden tornado threw it away (No, that's an act of God)
  4. You didn't hit the golf ball, someone else did (No, that other person is responsible)

By that standard, any pregnancy short of the Virgin Mary's would be covered.


The more interesting question IMO is: Given that it happened due to your actions, what is the range of your acceptable responses? I think it does include abortion even in cases of recklessness, but you wouldn't be able to think about that in the sudden-surprise-baby framing.