Over one million cases of rape or incest in a year?

[curlymatt]

According to state reports, in the United States there were at least (some states don't report) 1,064,541 abortions in 2009. According to another report there were 4,130,665 births in 2009. Now I understand that in some cases having a child is a difficult issue, but the argument that abortion should be legal because in cases of rape, incest, or women's health shouldn't be enough to justify 1/5 babies being terminated. Abortion is the leading cause of death in the country (more than double that of second place) and its the law of the land.

Now before you tune me out as a right-wing one issue fanatic, here me out. I think the US government shouldn't necessarily tell its citizenry what to do in areas of right or wrong but it should serve a role to protect the weak and small of voice from those who have the power to oppress (read smaller military, antitrust laws, services for the poor, healthcare regulation). On this issue, however, the most weak and vulnerable are losing out, in the most extreme way.

We need to repeal this law. And we need to find ways to protect unborn babies (and support their mothers!). Steps taken in other states to reduce this number are encouraging to hear about, but they aren't enough. Continuing this trend is unconscionable regardless of its legality.

Sources:
http://kff.org/womens-health-policy/sta ... abortions/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22670489
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr62/nvsr62_06.pdf

[exploited]

Even though I am ambiguous about the morality of abortion, I am certain that it's a personal choice. The only person who should have a legal say over the future of her fetus is the mother.

[curlymatt]

[The Dharma Bum]

[curlymatt]

True abuse...whether that is at the line the law draws it, or whether it is somewhere else, isn't okay no matter who does it.

[exploited]

[The Dharma Bum]

[curlymatt]

[exploited]

Agreed. Children are not the property of the parents. And women are not the property of the state. Because they and they alone are obliged to carry the child, they and they alone have authority over the decision to keep it or terminate it.

I don't care a whit about the morality of it. Abortion results in a net benefit to society. It decreases the number of people being born, which is a good thing. It allows women greater freedom over their lives, which is good. It prevents people who may be terrible parents from having kids, who would otherwise be raised by people who don't want to do it, with predictable results. It prevents the state from mandating a deeply personal medical decision. Finally, it decreases future financial obligations on the state. The life of an undeveloped, unconscious and non-sentient person is worthless compared to that.

[Dobby]

A fetus is neither a baby nor a child. It therefore does not have the same rights as a baby or a child.