Abortion

[DingBat]

Abortion in Queensland is currently illegal.  In some other states and/or territories of Australia it is legal.  This is a debate which has been raging for years, as you can imagine.

It would be interesting to know (a) what the law is in your state/county/province/country and (b) what your thoughts are on the matter.

Although it's a very controversial subject, let's keep it on an even keel please and respect others' opinions.

[DingBat]

One of the issues surrounding this subject, which really irks me, is that most of these laws are made by men in the majority.  I can't think of a parliament in the world which has more females than males, hence my statement.

I truly think it's mainly a women's issue, although I acknowledge that men have an input into the debate.  However, at the end of the day it's a woman (or girl) who has to go through with a pregnancy.

A few thoughts:

What if a woman has a medical history which might threaten her life if she proceeds with the pregnancy?

What if the fœtus is discovered to be medically 'unfit', e.g. badly deformed, etc?

What if a woman has been raped and becomes pregnant as a result?

What about the scenario of very young girls (10 to, say, 16) falling pregnant due to ignorance (or just being defiant/naughty)?

What if the pregnancy is unwanted, for whatever reason?

Isn't it rather hypocritical that a fœtus is not considered (in UK and Australia at least, not sure about other countries) a baby or 'human being' until it is at a certain stage of the pregnancy (e.g. 12 weeks), yet the anti-abortion lobbyists talk about saving a 'human life'.


Now I know that I am/will be showing my ignorance on some of these issues, and I'm not totally convinced either way (whether is should be legal or illegal), but I'm inclined to think that it should be legal under certain circumstances, some of which I've raised above.

I've heard various stories (including from women who've undergone abortion) from both sides and I understand that they are various psychological issues involved for the parents and families and I really think this is an issue which cannot be generalised and made illegal under one sweeping, all-encompassing power/law.  Rather, I think it should be something which is dealt with in a more compassionate manner and on a case-by-case basis.  Who we give the power to decide to, though, I don't know: a judge (perhaps female only), a hospital head of department (again, the issue of male opinion versus female opinion is an issue), the parent of an under-aged girl, or who?  Should it be by a majority vote of a group of people?  Perhaps a hospital board or even an immediate family group?  Of course, then there's the problem of religious beliefs.

I don't think there's an easy answer to this, but it's an interesting subject which you may care to express your views upon.

[smiliekiwi]

When you hear of girls having had 2 or 3 or more,  you know something is wrong with the system!
(legal here ..  and promoted in comparason to adoption)

[Pootsie]

Abortion is still mostly legal here in the US.  There are some rules in some states, though, which have to do with the stage of pregnancy that the woman is in.  There is one technique called 'late stage abortion' or something like that, which is mostly illegal.  My personal opinion is that it should be legal for any reason whatsoever in the first trimester, and then it should be decided on a case by case basis.  I do wonder why a woman couldn't make up her mind in the first three months whether or not she wanted a child, though.

[Vixie]

I hate the idea of women using abortion as a form of birth control and that goes for regular use of the 'morning after pill' too. I have moral issues with abortion but, having said that, I wouldn't condemn any woman for having one, especially if their pregnancy was injurious to their health or came about as a result of rape.

I also think that 24 weeks gestation is far too late to consider abortion as there is scientific evidence that the foetus can feel pain from 20 weeks, being very likely that foetuses aborted beyond that stage of pregnancy feel 'excruciating pain'.