bilby
Fair dinkum thinkum
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2007
- Messages
- 40,321
- Gender
- He/Him
- Basic Beliefs
- Strong Atheist
We typically don't grant full personhood until 18-21 years AFTER birth, so denying it completely up until birth seems perfectly reasonable; Most people have no recollection of their existence before about the age of 3 years, and it is highly doubtful whether a 1 year old is any more of a person then is say a cat, or a dog, so setting the limit at 'birth', while arbitrary, has the advantage of being both clearly defined and conservative.
Personally, I oppose abortion due to its cost (both financial and emotional), and believe that it should be minimized by the provision of good quality sex education at an early age, and by the free availability of contraception to all. That won't eliminate it (and doesn't justify its removal as an option), but it would MASSIVELY reduce the demand for abortions - and yet the people who are most vocal in opposition to abortion are the most vocal in opposition to sex education and to contraception. Until they start lobbying for these simple and effective measures to reduce its incidence, I shall continue to presume that they are being deceitful, and don't oppose abortion at all - but rather oppose any steps that might lessen the worry and suffering of any woman who dares to have sex without their express permission.
At the end of the day, each case needs to be assessed separately, ideally on the basis of as much good quality information as possible, learned long before hand by the woman involved; And it is her decision to make. The fetus's rights need be considered if, and ONLY if, the fetus itself is ready, willing and able to consider them and indicate its preference.