Abortion/Consciousness/Life

[Chas]

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We discuss them as we are now. And of course we have to take reality into account.

Cool.
I'm guessing you are saying my question was valid after all. Yet you didn't opt to answer it.

I believe I did.

No matter. I'd like to rephrase it anyway:

In Holland we have/had an obligation for women who want an abortion to go to a 'therapist' to talk about 'alternative options'.

Would you agree with me that at least some teen pregnant girls are swayed by this into keeping the baby too long?

I'm sure that some may be depending on the 'therapist'.

I don't agree with that law.

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So, no protection for the rights of that child?

Nope. I think I'll trust the person to whom the uterus belongs to protect it and decide what's best for it.

Seriously, Chas, do you have any idea how low the statistics are for late-term abortions? No woman is going to decide, without some sort of trauma, to abort a baby at 8 1/2 months. Late term abortions are decided on almost exclusively because of a health risk. Why are you even trying to argue this when it's a non-issue?

Look, I know that and I am not actually arguing about late-term abortion.
As I have stated elsewhere, I am seeking a rational postion on abortion that can calm the debate.

The approach I am taking is to get a rational legal definition for personhood. Traditionally, live birth has been the boundary. Given that we know a fetus is typically viable quite some time before that, it is arguable that personhood starts there, somewhere after 7 months.

A woman's right to autonomy is not absolute once another person's life is at stake. Realistically, no one's right to autonomy is ever actually absolute.
All of our rights are negotiated and limited by other persons' rights.

The taking of human life is society's business.