Today marks the 34th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade and I thought the occasion warrants a brief interlude in our normal political coverage. this is obviously a very charged issue for many so if you are going to comment, which I encourage you to do, please be respectful of all view points.
I started this as a grand personal examination of my stance on the issue but it became a little long-winded and pretty convoluted. So, I’ll try to make it short: I hate abortions. In a perfect world no woman would have to experience the tragic circumstances that lead to such a terrible situation, but our world isn’t perfect. There are situations that call for a woman to exercise her right to an abortion; it is never a light decision, it is never a pleasant experience and it is almost always definitively tragic but sometimes it is necessary.
To categorically label abortions as “evil” or “immoral” is a non sequitur because they will happen no matter the legality. The question is whether allowing abortions to be legal in certain situations will make them more safe and the access to them more equitable. I think the answer is yes. And, moreover, acknowledging the necessity of abortions makes it possible to address the variables that lead to the circumstances that make the procedure necessary.
We can fight abortions and we should, but the way to go about it is not through making them illegal but through sexual education and social programs. Abortions will always happen no matter our legal approach but we can choose a system that simultaneously makes terrible situations safer for women and allows us to better address the true causes of those situations.
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i’m thinking you mean the 34th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
But i agree with your assessment. thanks.
I did… whoops
Outstanding assessment, Matt. The simple fact that abortions will happen no matter our legal approach is all too often overlooked. Also, I wish more pro-lifers would see that abstinence education isn’t not going to work for the vast majority of the sexually active population. Most teens and young adults need a realistic acknowledgment that sex exists, that they CAN engage in it, and problems against which they need to guard.
Keep up the good work with MNpublius, fellow alumnus.
The so-called “pro-life” freakshow is out in force on CSPAN. I’d have more respect for the so-called “pro-lifers” - including characters like Janet Robert - if they would support life saving stem cell research, and would support prevention programs. All too many of these folks - including the Democrats for Life - are extremist on the topic - and oppose not only abortion, but contraception.
The basis is interesting…you “hate abortions.” But why?
Eva should also realize that pro-lifers are not opposed to stem cell research that does not involve the destruction of an embryo. The non-destructive research has led to over 70 in-use treatments. Embryonic destruction has yet to come close to a single one.
“To categorically label abortions as ‘evil’ or ‘immoral’ is a non sequitur because they will happen no matter the legality.”
Huh? What exactly does this statement mean?
wtm, that means that before 1973 women had illegal abortions; because of the decreasing availability of reproductive choices women are having illegal abortions NOW; if abortion becomes illegal again, more illegal abortions will happen. abortion will happen no matter what, no matter what you think of it.
In other words legal prohibition of abortion would work just as well as legal prohibition of alchohol - it’ll still happen, just with a lot of avoidable deaths.
And when you consider that a lot of pro-lifers are anti-contraception zealots as well, the situation goes from comic to criminal.
Consider the following: women are losing access to reproductive care, costs of birth control are rising, there are no bankruptcy exceptions for medical bills caused by pregnancy, delivery, and follow-up care, and there is also continued efforts to limit access to abortion. The message: don’t have and abortion and don’t have a healthy pregnancy… Will Pawenty’s budget cover pregnancy costs for low and middle income women? The very poor qualify - those struggling to keep financially afloat do not.
Your answer still does not explain why believing abortion is immoral or evil is a non-sequitur of the act occurring regardless if it is illegal. It is logical for an individual to hold an individual belief that the act of abortion is an immoral or evil act even though others may engage in the act despite it being illegal.