Fetally speaking, I’m well past my 100th trimester (three-month term) since I’m over 20 years of age. Today in one of my classes, we were discussing the legalese of Roe v. Wade and recent law pertaining to abortion. From a legal standpoint (and in order to have relevance for the government to be involved), there needs to be constitutional and/or judicial grounds for preserving or abolishing laws. Much of the initial motives for making abortions legal were to protect the pregnant woman. It is claimed that having an early abortion is safer than childbirth. Even if this is true, it is illogical; It would then follow that no child should ever be born which is absurd. Science has taken a wider look at other aspects and it appears that this isn’t a good case to keep partial-birth abortion. My college professor avoided to bring up scientific findings, but abortion itself is shrouded in debate about health risks. I am not an expert so I will not try to push my ideals into this field. I do know, however, that there is potential for numerous psychological problems. Aside from the immediate physical complications that can arise for the mother during the procedure, it can lead to complications in future pregnancies, including infertility, miscarriage, and premature birth. Obviously, the aborted baby is being destroyed and if it manages to live through it, you are compounding the ethical consequences.
Viability is next on the list. According to Roe v. Wade, if a fetus is able to survive outside the womb even with medical assistance, the state can regulate or prohibit abortions. This is old news but many fail to realize that abortion, especially late in the term, can be regulated or banned based on this ruling.
This may come as a surprise to some, but I do feel women should have a right to choose abortions. What I mean is woman should be able to choose whether they themselves are born or to have assisted suicide performed on themselves before birth. They have every right to desire to have a doctor contaminate their brains with special human-pesticide or to have their inner organs mutilated and sucked into the clinic’s vacuum cleaner.
My biggest concern is for the life of someone who doesn’t get to choose how they come into the world. The very fact that we cannot objectively define the start of life is reason enough not to push the line deeper into levels beyond our ignorance in the name of egocentricity. I am more concerned with the person – YOU – than what the law is. Law should not be a gauge for morals, but morals should be considered in the law (morals as rationally good, not personal/political opinions). I don’t care if rulings change, I care that people change and take responsibility.
2 comments
Ray says:
May 2, 2007
People should have the right to choose and accept the consequences of their choice. Women know the risks of getting pregnant. I cannot see my self being that selfish. When it comes down to it if it were me or my child I would die. If I were a woman and I was in danger and killing my baby could save my life I would say please kill me first. Knowledge is power and you should know that you might die if you get pregnant and everything doesn’t work right. The life of the mother debate is just a way for abortion activists to justify their murderous mind set. They know it is wrong to initiate a partial birth abortion but in order to keep the law on the books they make up some fallacious accuse (the mothers life). But when you think about it 5 minutes more of labor. I really cannot imagine having the head of the baby out of the womb and then killing it in your hands with the feet still in the body. Good thing the supreme court approved the partial birth abortion ban.
Michael says:
May 21, 2007
Why don’t we design an artificial uterus, then when the person decides they don’t want the baby, we surgically remove the baby and place them in the artificial uterus. But then think of all the mothers carrying their babies in the portable model concealed in rolling backpacks. Not that the portable model will be available right away…