US - Abortion

[Supernick]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5096 894.stm

Not strictly the newest of stories, but it has been about in the last couple of weeks. A law has been proposed to outlaw abortion, even in rape and incest cases, unless it specifically endangers the mother's life. If this happened in the middle east we'd be talking about the subjugation of women well into the night, but this seemed to slip under the radar a bit. Thankfully campaigners have managed to get it put on hold for the moment. Does anyone else think that this would be an appalling law to pass, or can anyone justify it?

[El D]

I'm not really bothered whether you accept it or not Waldo - yes this is an emotive subject and yes there will be emotive terms. We do not talk about the murder of adult beings as termination so I see no reason to alter the terminology simpy to ease various consciences. In fact, I see no need to inject the term termination into the debate. Call it what you like - it remains murder to those who have not merely factored in other issues. Even if I felt the woman was justified in having the abortion in a particular scenario, it would still be murder, I don't believe in shirking the moral pain such decisions should cause by adopting a more distanced and clinical term.

In answer to your next point, no I don't. The adoption of a woman's right to abortion above the right to life of a potentially independant human being to me indicates a lack of empathy with their condition simply due to a deficient attributation, for whatever reason, of their humanity. Argue the toss if you like, but the fact that this is your order of priorities reveals much.

Finally - oh bravo, very productive / witty, chalk one up one on the board for Waldo etc etc . . .


Noxlumos/Pippa

I agree that in an idea world this debate would not even be happening, and I wish we did not have to enter into this discussion. Of course I realise that you have a different viewpoint to mine, and I fully respect that, as I mentioned this is an emotive issue. It just seems to me that we shouldn't be compromising on a philosophical ideal because of 'life', if that makes sense. Shouldn't we be focusing on how to help these children, not on killing them before they enter this world. If even one child born into the conditions you describe goes on to live a full, happy and productive life, can we ever be sure it's for their benefit? Life sucks, but I fully believe every human being deserves a chance of living it and doing it their way.

[noxlumos]

I don't think it's in the interest of a child raped at say 10 or 11 years of age to be forced to give birth should she not wish to and much as I personally disagree with abortion I will continue to uphold it as the only humane way forward in some scenarios much as it saddens me.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Equally, El D, the adoption of the right to life of a potentially independant human being above a woman's right to abortion indicates a lack of empathy with their condition simply due to a deficient attributation, for whatever reason, of their humanity. Argue the toss if you like, but the fact that this is your order of priorities reveals much.

[Goodsoulette]

Now I am not silly or irresponsible but I have recently had an abortion. I was using the mini pill not the combined one because I was breastfeeding and I am up for promotion at work, I have 2 children under 5 already and I seriously could not cope with another. I earn the biggest wage in my house and my youngest is only 9 months. I took my pills when I was supposed and the time that I didnt use a condom as well as the pill, I hand on heart, went and got the morning after pill. Not a pleasant decision I made but by far, but it was an easy one. I had a medical abortion as the FPC rushed me through as I started to bleed regularly anway. It was handled sensatively and brilliantly, to the point that I am considering a career change and finding a path in sexual health. I am shocked at the amount of women that have abortions as the nurse said it was mainly down to people having unprotected sex.
I would have found a backstreet clinic or travelled to a country where it was legal, had it not been available to me. It will be very easy for girls to get tablets mail order and have a medical termination (I would imagine) and this would cause far more problems than i could bare to imagine.