Is there any way to justify abortion?

Question

I support the legality of abortion, but not without feeling conflicted. I think that a fetus is a human being and that it has a right to live. The only reason I support it is because it will happen no matter what, and I think it's important to have it done safely and legally. So tell me some good justifications for abortion.

Answer 1

I share your struggle, but have worked in an environment that showed me the worst of what could happen to unplanned and unwanted children. I believe that every child deserves to live in a world where s/he is wanted and loved and nutured. I admit that regardless of how hard a child's life is, society deserves the benefit of each potential life, and we may have seen the cure for AIDS aborted years ago. But we also have the concern that society has seen the damage caused by children coming of age who were unplanned and unwanted and unloved. Serial killers, rapist, predators, etc. are -- in part -- the result of unwanted, unplanned, unloved babies. Those lives rip through the lives of those who were wanted and planned and loved, and it is not completely their fault, but in a contest btwn the risk of killing the next Einstein or birthing the next child rapist, i would prefer to avoid the child rapist...

Answer 2

I also support the legality of abortion, but only in these terms -- that the fetus was a product of rape, or going through the pregnancy would risk either the baby or the mother's life due to certain diseases. The fetus at 4 weeks already has a heart formed and beating, though it can only be heard at 20 weeks of gestation. It's a sign of life so we can't just simply say it's only a mass of organs, even before the infant is viable. At 28 weeks, the age of viability, abortion should no longer be an option. In instances of unplanned or unwanted pregnancies between partners, I firmly believe abortion must never be a choice. They are morally obliged to be responsible for the sexual act and its consequences.

Answer 3

Tired Shoes ... That's an excellent way of putting it. I presently don't see any headway being made in either direction, but this partial-birth abortion stuff has got to go. However, if we can't eliminate abortions entirely (and it seems we never will), I hope the day will come when they'll be performed early-on in the pregnancy only, like in the first trimester.

Again, I have to say you posed your question very nicely. Thanks.

Oh, I shall like to add one more observation: Have you noticed that many states/municipalities seem to have laws they enforce that protect domestic animals better than unborn humans? In my mind, this "does not compute," for lack of a better way to say it. Why is that, I wonder.

Answer 4

In my opinion, the fetus reaches "human being" status when it is viable outside the mother's body. Until then, it's more or less an appendage of the host mother.
I personally don't think abortion should be allowed over the five-month stage, but there will always be exceptions, such as irreversible harm being caused to the mother.
Here is my main point: the rights of a WOMAN should trump the rights of a fetus, which is a potential human being. The mother is already one.

Answer 5

This is a loaded question people get mighty heated when you talk about this, My only justification is that it needs to be a choice and leave it at that. We are entitled to free will however, It should be illegal after the woman is in her second trimester, when there is brain development and the chances of survival are better because then after that to me it feels like your taking away free will, good luck with this question, this is very personal for a lot of people.

Answer 6

Is there any way to justify rape?

e.g. If a woman or say a little girl at puberty is raped and becomes pregnant - Is that fair for them to have a child they didn't want, or intended to have but were forced to? As the State of South Dakota has done??

And if South Dakota allows the abortion for the little girl - then why not the woman?

Answer 7

A foetus is biologically human, but it is not a person. It has no thoughts, feelings, memories, emotions, or sensations. It is not self-aware, and it does not respond to outside stimuli.It does not feel pain and it does not have any interests. In short, while it is genetically human (and it may look kindof cute), there is absolutely nothing about it that gives it 'personhood' of the kind that you or I enjoy. Therefore, killing it is not 'murder' the way that killing a fully-developed human is. How then does it have a right to live? Where does this right come from? If you say the right comes from God, then that is the end of the matter and we cannot argue any further. If you wish to put this to one side, then I ask again: where does its siupposed "right to live" come from, and in what is it anchored?

Answer 8

There are none! Abortion is murder of the innocent! Today a woman has options on getting pregnant , there are pills, patches , injection , not to get pregnant if they dont want responsability is the correct way to have sex with responsability! I can not believe for the self of me, that a woman after 8 onths wants to abort! Horrible! Disgusting! There is no excuse for this barbaric crime! Compare todays so called modern woman with our dreat grandmas who had no choice no way of stopping pregnancy, the grannys had to go to the butchers ,BUT they had no means of modeern stuff women have today , you just cannot compare! Todays woman is a selfish-sexual maniac!

Answer 9

1.) if the mother was raped and the baby is because of the rape. The mother should have to have filed a police report to back it up
2.)Having the baby or carrying it to term will harm or kill the mother
3.)If it can be proven the the baby will have a genetic mutation that can cause and early, painful death of the child or that the child will be born dead or brain dead(the babies born without skulls is an example.)

Answer 10

Make it illegal if the fetus is over a certain age...the age where the fetus feels things. If the fetus can't feel it, I guess it isn't too bad since he/she is just a mass of organs.