You are wrong here. Believe me when I say an Atheist can distinguish right from wrong, often much better than many professed Christians I have known.
Who defines what is right and what is wrong in a world with no God?
RadioAstronomer: You are wrong here. Believe me when I say an Atheist can distinguish right from wrong, often much better than many professed Christians I have known.
But, I suggest, you mean a right and wrong derived from Christian ideas of right and wrong.
Morality and all of its associated ideals are rooted entirely in the presupposition some higher power defines what is correct for human behavior.
But, since we are all properly obeying the * modern interpretation * of the First Amendment, good & evil isn't the question... Good & bad, right & wrong, etc., etc., ad nausea; are all inherently religious ideals.
The modern interpretation of the First Amendment (according to the liberaltarians) says government must exorcise all traces of religion and theism from itself. Therefore, government must never consider issues of morality and right and wrong...
So, it becomes a question of benefits versus costs. Fetus killing has its benefits to society, especially if you like to sleep late on Saturdays. But it also has its costs as well. Society (by which I mean, whoever manages to seize power) needs to evaluate these costs and decide accordingly.
The mythical rights of men and women are also meaningless. The very concept of rights is also founded in religion. Since the enlightened person is freed from any superstitions about some "God," they are free from having to worry about "rights." Only raw power counts and humans are just meat puppets for the powerful...
I am not an ecumenical atheist, nor am I an orthodox atheist - - THERE ARE NO SUCH THINGS!