Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
From the outset of this debate I have always wondered why anyone on either side thinks its the government's business to stick its nose into something that should be a private decision between a woman and her doctor.
and I agree with you on this. As much as I might feel abortion is wrong 90% of the time, the only time I think the government should have the say so, one way or the other is 3rd trimester..To me, aborting a baby that is close to full term is outright murder, the same as delivering the baby and dump it in a trash can to die.
I don't think a first trimester fetus (which is actually an embryo) is a baby but, at some point during pregnancy, the law should protect the fetus IMO. I think after the first trimester - with exceptions for extreme circumstances - would be a good place. That is the situation in most of Europe (countries that are more liberal than the US generally) and abortion isn't an issue there like it is in the US.
The vast majority of people (even most hardcore liberals) do not feel that elective third trimester abortions should be legal.
I'm pro-choice, and I agree with you. I think once a fetus is viable--a point which I know varies, but is usually agreed on as the third trimester--then elective abortion should no longer be legal except in extreme situations. I see no hypocrisy there with being pro-choice.
The hypocrisy for me is pro-life supporters who will make an exception for incest or rape, which are the usual exceptions that are given. If they truly believe a fetus is a baby, how can they punish the child for being conceived that way through no fault of their own? Is that "baby" worth less in their eyes? I'm not being facetious--it's an honest question. I could never understand this. It seems to undercut what they claim to believe.
So do pro-choice people after the point at which they think abortion should no longer be allowed (which varies from pro-choice person to pro-choice person).
Because THEN it becomes viable as a human .
It has to do with that thing Republicans are so terrified of...science.
Back to the topic....obviously Santorum believes abortion is OK.
I'm pro-choice, and I agree with you. I think once a fetus is viable--a point which I know varies, but is usually agreed on as the third trimester--then elective abortion should no longer be legal except in extreme situations. I see no hypocrisy there with being pro-choice.
The hypocrisy for me is pro-life supporters who will make an exception for incest or rape, which are the usual exceptions that are given. If they truly believe a fetus is a baby, how can they punish the child for being conceived that way through no fault of their own? Is that "baby" worth less in their eyes? I'm not being facetious--it's an honest question. I could never understand this. It seems to undercut what they claim to believe.
I agree that there is some hypocrisy when it comes to exceptions for rape and incest. I think it stems from the idea of the lesser of two evils and from the idea that even pro-lifers cannot stomach the idea of forcing a woman to carry a fetus when she literally had no say over becoming pregnant.
I am pro-life in the sense that I think second and third trimester abortions should be illegal unless the life of the woman is at risk, there is a risk of significant health issues to the woman if she continues the pregnancy, or there are significant fetal abnormalities.
I'm also pro-life in the sense that I don't like abortion and I support doing what we can to reduce the number of abortions - through things like comprehensive sex ed in schools and making contraception more available. I am conservative, but I don't care about my tax money being spent on contraceptives. It would not only reduce the number of abortions but also reduce the number of people on welfare, thus saving money in the longrun.
I'm pro-choice in the sense that I ultimately feel that it should be up to the woman in the first trimester even though we should do what we can to help women never have to make the choice in the first place.
It has to do with that thing Republicans are so terrified of...science.
You said that it was even hypocritical for pro-life people to support exceptions when the life of the woman is at risk. I merely pointed out that pro-choice people support the same exception after the point at which they feel abortion should be illegal and, thus, you can't call them hypocritical without acknowledging your own hypocrisy as well.
I agree to some extent that it is hypocritical to support exceptions for rape and incest, as I mentioned in my response to HeyJude.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Who?Me?!
Back to the topic....obviously Santorum believes abortion is OK.
His wife had the abortion - at least supposedly - because her life was at risk. I believe that Santorum thinks abortion should be legal when the woman's life is at risk.
Don't get me wrong...I don't like Rick Santorum. But, at the same time, I think saying that he thinks abortion is OK only for his wife isn't correct. Regardless, he has no chance of winning the nomination, so I think any hypocrisy coming out of him is moot.
His wife had the abortion - at least supposedly - because her life was at risk. I believe that Santorum thinks abortion should be legal when the woman's life is at risk.
Don't get me wrong...I don't like Rick Santorum. But, at the same time, I think saying that he thinks abortion is OK only for his wife isn't correct. Regardless, he has no chance of winning the nomination, so I think any hypocrisy coming out of him is moot.
Well, the article in the OP regarding the Pledge Santorum, Bachmann and others signed was that no exceptions should be allowed, including if a woman's life is in danger.
Well, the article in the OP regarding the Pledge Santorum, Bachmann and others signed was that no exceptions should be allowed, including if a woman's life is in danger.
It was a little vague. It said "health"; I assumed that meant situations where her health was in danger, but not to the extent that her life was. I made this assumption because I didn't think that there were more than a very, very few pro-life people who believe abortion should be illegal when the woman's life is at risk.
That said, I did a little googling to try and learn about Santorum's stance on abortion. As best as I can figure out, he does think it should be illegal even when the woman's life is in danger.
Yeah - he's a big hypocrite if that's the case. Not to mention absolutely disgusting.
Last edited by afoigrokerkok; 12-29-2011 at 07:48 PM..
Reason: typo
It was a little vague. It said "health"; I assumed that meant situations where her health was in danger, but not to the extent that her life was. I made this assumption because I didn't think that there were more than a very, very few pro-life people who believe abortion shoudl be illegal when the woman's life is at risk.
That said, I did a little googling to try and learn about Santorum's stance on abortion. As best as I can figure out, he does think it should be illegal even when the woman's life is in danger.
Yeah - he's a big hypocrite if that's the case. Not to mention absolutely disgusting.
In one of the later '08 debates between McCain & Obama, during a discussion on abortion, McCain made sarcastic air quotations when he mentioned the health of the mother as being a legal reason to have an abortion. That was extremely condescending, and how any woman could support him or his party after that display is beyond me.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
