Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Grunthor
As do most thinking people that consider themselves pro-life

I will take exception to your inclusion of the word "thinking". As a practical matter, many pro-lifers accept the rape and incest exceptions for two reasons -- one, most non-thinking people don't want to "force" women who are pregnant through "no fault of their own" to have babies, and those who know better realise that it's better to ban 950,000 abortions a year than none.

But there is no rational way to justify banning abortion in general, but allowing it for rape and incest.

Abortion is only wrong if you believe the baby is a person. If you don't, there is NO reason not to allow a woman to choose.

But if you believe the baby is a person, what possible justification can be used to kill that person in response to unrelated criminal or non-acceptable activity?

The argument that we should hold the woman "responsible" if it is her fault she is pregnant, but not otherwise, plays into the false claim of pro-abortionists that pro-lifers don't care for the child, but just want to punish women.

First, incest. There was a time when babies born of incestuous relationships were often in severe distress. But nowadays the gene pool is more diluted, AND we have treatments which largely obviate the problems. Further, the relative health of a person is no excuse to kill them. And unless the incest is also rape, the sex act was consensual, so you can't even make the false argument about not punishing the woman. If it's because incest is often with young girls, then why not allow all young girls to get abortions? The incest exception really makes no sense.

The rape exception makes only slighly more sense. You could argue that a mother knowing her baby is the child of an evil man would be traumatized in a way that really costs her her life, in which case you are really arguing "life of the mother". But still, to kill a person just to relieve emotional suffering of another?

No, if you oppose abortion for the right reason, you have to oppose rape and incest exceptions, at least on a PERSONAL level, for those same reasons.

Which means you are back to doing so for political expediency, something I am familiar with but which has some level of disfavor here .

3,413 posted on 01/29/2008 11:42:25 PM PST by CharlesWayneCT
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3376 | View Replies ]


To: CharlesWayneCT

You make fine points to support your argument, I of course agree on principle if not practicality. The absolute refusal of those on the extremes of both sides of this issue to compromise is what enables the killing to continue.

Rape, Life of the Mother, Incest.

Most folks will eventually go for this, I hope in my lifetime.


3,428 posted on 01/30/2008 12:19:14 AM PST by Grunthor (No McCain-Kennedy. No Huckaliar. NO JUDY! Not primary, not general, not ever.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3413 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson