At the outset, we should remember that for the first 200 years of U.S. history, abortion was illegal. We’ve lived without abortion before. We can live without it again. Abortion is just one of three potential responses to unplanned pregnancy. The other two, adoption and parenthood, will remain perfectly viable solutions in the post-Roe era. The problem, of course, is that both adoption and parenthood require the mother to carry her child to term. There’s simply no getting around the fact that abortion is a far more convenient option for women who don’t want a child and don’t want to be pregnant. Carrying a child for nine months (and then giving birth) is no small thing. According to most modern feminists (and to the Supreme Court ruling quoted above), women cannot have social and economic equality unless they can “control their reproductive lives.” In other words, without the right to forcibly end a pregnancy, women cannot compete with men in the workplace or in society at large.
This seems a fairly low view of feminism, one for which the highest ambition is to essentially become a man. More to the point, such thinking misses the fact that there are non-abortive ways to ensure against pregnancy. Abstinence is one. Tubal ligation is another. The government does not force women to get pregnant and have children, but it does prohibit them from killing those children once they’re born. Why should it be any different before the children are born? The real question is not whether abortion is convenient for women (and men). Clearly it is. The real question is whether or not abortion kills an innocent human being. If it does, then the convenience question is immaterial. Once it is recognized that abortion, at every stage of pregnancy, kills a genetically-distinct, rapidly developing human being, it can no longer be regarded as an ethically viable choice. Adoption must take its place, especially for women not materially or emotionally capable of parenting a child.Read the rest.
(HT: B-Lo)
2 comments:
I apologize, but I could not and do not, under any circumstance agree with you. We are entitled to our opinions therefore I would like to express mine. Abortion is not only about women who do not want to have children because they want to compete in a mans world and those who use the excuse in the first place are unfortunately not arguing a point that's even worth touching upon. What about rape victims who got pregnant against their will? To take away the right of abortion is wrong after they lost so much already. How is it at all a "good" thing to let a woman who was violated and abused have to carry a child of her tormentor, what about that woman's husband? Can we force him to love a child that was forced upon him and not his? What about women who have massive health complications during pregnancy and have to have an abortion to survive? Is it fair to take the current life of a woman in exchange of a potential persons life? What about accidents, that do happen, and if that accident happened in a family where people can not support themselves never mind a child. You brought up a point about living without abortion for 200 years. That is false. Historically, and I have done research on this, and you may also if you don't believe me, there have always been abortions. Always! They were secret, unsanitary and extremely dangerous, but they have been performed through out history. They have been performed because there were always women who needed them and so individuals, under veils of secrecy performed them. It is right to make that type of behavior resurface? What about steam engines and electricity,we lived without them before, would we want to live without them again? I understand that you are a religious person, but I feel that your views are not to be pressed upon others who differ from you. I am not religious or a person of any faith but I believe in reason, science and good deeds for their own sake. I believe in being a good person without the directions of the bible, its supposed to be innate in us, to help others. However, I feel that it is wrong to take choice away from women, who through history have already tolerated a lot of limitations and plain inequality. It is no longer 200 years ago, over population is killing our planet and consuming our resources, to add children to a world where there are so many malnutritioned children in needs of homes already, partially because the mothers could not get an abortion, that, to bring more unwanted children into this world is wrong. It's just expanding the number of children who will never feel love because they were not wanted in the first place. If there were not horrible instances of child abuse and neglect, if foster homes were not filled with children and we didnt have charities funneling money to save starving kids, yes in Africa, but also America and Europe, basically everywhere, then yes, we can live without abortion because that would mean we can take care of everyone already here. Until we learn to take care of the people already on the planet, there is no need, of any kind, to bring more unfortunate people in. Perhaps also, if all the crazed parents stopped giving the Board of Education crap for teaching responsible use of birth control and responsible sex, instead of telling kids about abstinence that they do not follow for the most part, maybe then abortion rates will go down.Imagine a world were teenagers are finally be able to talk to their parents about responsible intimate behavior. I am always surprised to see these types of arguments against abortion because they are not realistic. Every indication points to young adults and teenagers having sex, its no longer 200 years ago, you cant stop it,nor should you, its not the devil bugging them, its nature. TEACH them. Bringing unwanted children into the world,is not responsibility, that't carelessness of the highest degree. I by no means wanted to disrespect you, I hope that my passionate opinion does not offend you. Best.
Anonymous,
I would love to interact with your points here but I make a policy out of not responding to anonymous comments. If you want to identify yourself I would love address your points.
z
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