Exception
December 12, 2007On most ethical issues, I have a clear cut position. Being Dutch and all, I’m raised with a strong sense of personal responsibility and a ‘live-and-let-live’ mentality; people should be able to choose for themselves whether to do drugs, go fcuk a prostitute, to be a prostitute, to end their lives when in pain, or not. As long as your actions are not harmful to others or to society, I see little reason in the state telling me what I can and cannot do. I am responsible for myself and my own actions.
There is one big exception to all this: abortion.
I just don’t know how to feel about abortion. I consider an embryo to be a living creature, and hence, aborting it equals ‘murdering’ it to me. However, I’m not blind to the reasons behind women wanting an abortion in the first place: it’s a rape pregnancy, the mother is 14 years old, she is financially incapable of taking care of the child, and so on. In some cases, I can see how abortion is the only option - an option nobody wants, but an option nonetheless. You can’t tell me there is a woman on this planet who wants an abortion. They may be forced to by circumstances, but they do not want it.
The alternative to abortion isn’t any good either. Adoption? Heck, an abortion is most likely a heavily traumatising event, but an adoption probably even more so - not only for the mother, but also for the child. This forces me into accepting the fact that women should have the freedom to opt for an abortion when circumstances force them to. It is their child, carried in their womb, and thus it is, in fact, their responsibility.
We should, however, always be on the lookout that abortion does not become a contraceptive, something you decide over over a cup of coffee - women who require an abortion should be fully supported by the state or their health insurance, so that they get the best possible psychological care, and allowing them to make a perfectly informed choice regarding their pregnancy. We should always strive to lower the number of abortions - not by forcing women to keep their babies, but by ensuring they do not get pregnant in the first place.
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What I find odd is how late they still allow it. In Sweden up to week 18 need no special reason, and it’s allowed as late as week 24 with some kind of permit. My girlfriend work at a neonatal intensive care unit (for premature babies) and they have a very high surviving rate for babies born after week 24-25 or so.
I agree that abortion should be allowed, but only for the kind of special circumstances you mentioned. Definitely not so late in the gestation that they are practically complete babies, able to survive without life long complications.
Comment by C.M — December 12, 2007 @ 4:23 pm
“We should, however, always be on the lookout that abortion does not become a contraceptive, something you decide over over a cup of coffee”
That’s why all legal abortion-centres in Holland are required (by law) to ‘give’ all women that come in 3 days to think things over. Nothing is done in the meantime…
And the fact that no-one ever talks about it when they’ve had an abortion also signals that it is not as simple as ’sucking it out and be done with it’.
Comment by LoeZ — December 12, 2007 @ 7:40 pm
Exactly Loes, I don’t get the ‘nothing is done’ bit. These women should be supported all throughout this ordeal, because it will affect them massively. We treat people psychologically after a major car accident, or some other traumatising event, but not on something as massive as an abortion?
It just doesn’t make sense to me.
Comment by Administrator — December 12, 2007 @ 7:54 pm
My opinion is that if a pregnancy puts a health risk to the mother, then the abortion should go ahead. I know someone that if she didn’t have an abortion in 1980, she would be DEAD now, and she would have left behind a 2 year old son and a 7 year old daughter.
So unless there are legitimate reasons for an abortion, including rape and young age, then it should go ahead. Otherwise, it shouldn’t. And it’s up to the doctor to follow such a law, should such a law exist. And if it’s found that none followed the law, both should pay (mother and doctor).
Comment by Eugenia — December 14, 2007 @ 8:21 am