Re: Texas Senate passes sweeping new abortion restrictions
Correct me if I'm completely wrong on this, but it seems like both of you wouldn't necessarily find it a bad thing for an earlier elective cutoff if 100% of medical/deformity situations could be exempted, correct? It seems far more that you are concerned about abnormal conditions.
My plan would be such:
- Any elective abortions up to 12 weeks completely legal
- Any abortions after 12 weeks must be either for major fetus deformities or for real medical danger for the mother. The applicability in these situations would be determined by doctors bound by a loose legal framework.
What would be the problem with this? Any extraneous situations would be covered, and normal elective abortions would be limited after 12 weeks. Is there any reason why a perfectly healthy woman with a perfectly healthy baby needs to wait 12-24 weeks to make a decision?
RA...I hope you don't mind if I inject a bit more in our exchange...but related to your suggestion above...
Obviously...this isn't a black or white issue. And you know that. It's not a one-shoe-fits-all-sizes situation. Not all women's bodies respond to conception exactly the same way. Actually some women don't even know that they're pregnant at 12 week. And actually there's other mitigating situations.
I know that you are a reasonable, logical, compassionate person. But I feel compelled to ask you: Do you "honestly" believe that the remaining 15% of abortions performed outside the most common stage of pregnancy (12 weeks and under)...that most of these women get abortions simply out of convenience...or just abortion on demand, which involves terminating a healthy fetus?
We already know that 1.5% are 20 plus week abortions which are due to defective fetal issues and health/life of the woman.
Given your feelings and beliefs on the matter...I suggest that the only real number to look at with any genuine scrutiny is the 3.8% of abortions between 13 weeks and 19 weeks. There are so many reasons that can be involved in this matter and things that we can't imagine as men. But even for women, this has to be one of the hardest decisions ever.
I think it would be, by far, the exception, and not the rule, that women just have no feelings or self-regard as to the seriousness of abortion and means no more than like getting their nails done.
But...we realistically know....that for the vast majority of women who have abortions...don't frivolously abort mature fetuses... according to publicly available information.
Yes. Anything is possible. Anything that can happen will happen, but when we've looked at legitimate forms of information that tells us women aren't having late term abortions who have healthy fetuses. Why assume otherwise?
Why assume that anything that anybody does in our laws or hospital/doctors/clinic policies would stop "the exception - the woman who would abort a health fetus 20 weeks and up". Just like all other human behaviors...regardless of laws, if someone is determine to do something they will.
In the case of abortion...while it could happen...it's just not the norm.
Women who don't want to have an unwanted pregnancy don't delay anymore than they have to. Most women take this matter with a heavy burden to consider... and with great stress and concern.
I am not charged as keeper of my brothers and sisters for good reason. I can't control what anybody else does with their lives. But...MOST IMPORTANTLY...I have to trust that all women have the capacity to make sound choices and decisions for themselves. And they have to trust us as men to do the same.
Thus far...humanity as a whole...hasn't created even the beginning of what might be the impetus for the extinction of humankind caused by reproduction, much less abortion. Thanks...
