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Should a rape victim be able to take the morning after pill?

Should a rape victim be able to take the morning after pill?

  • Yes, it protects her from bearing the rapist's child

    Votes: 82 92.1%

  • No, that pill is unethical

    Votes: 7 7.9%
  • Total voters
    89
Tigger said:
For me it's about punishing BOTH parties involved for not thinking through their decision before making it. If one chooses to jump off a bridge without first checking to see what's underneath, should we really feel sorry for them when they break their spine on the rocks below?
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Here's a better analogy: someone wants to jump out of an airplane, with a parachute. You want to take away the parachute in order to punish them for being stupid enough to jump out of an airplane. Yeah, that makes sense.

Sex is other people's private business, including how they think through the decision to have it. If your only argument is that you want to punish someone for having sex, that fails.

As you have heard many times before - mind your own business.
 
misterman said:
Pure nonsense.

If abortion is considered murder, it should be murder regardless of how the victim happened to be conceived. A child of rape innocent.

If abortion is not murder, it should be the woman's right, in all cases.

No squishy, politically-palatable middle ground possible.
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Not sure why we're talking about abortion. Plan B isn't an abortion pill. This isn't directed at you specifically, but I figured it was a good place to interject.
 
I voted in this one and I voted ....YES...she should
 
Blackstone said:
You're defining "conception" differently than most people, then. The sperm has already fertilized the egg and has created a human embryo. Conception has already taken place. The morning after pill is considered an abortifacient for precisely this reason, it is aborting an already-begun pregnancy, an already-begun human life. Plan B acts to prevent the human embryo from moving down the fallopian tube and attaching itself to the uterine wall, where it is nourished and grows for the next nine months of gestation before it is ready to leave the womb. In other words, it is equivalent to preventing a newborn infant from attaching itself to its mother's breast to feed. The life already exists. The abortifacient does not prevent conception, it prevents the growth, nourishment and development of an already conceived human child. Preventing conception in the first place is quite a different thing. Plan B is a chemical abortion.

As for rape victims, while I cannot imagine how horrible a daily reminder of rape must be along with all the normal pain and inconvenience pregnancy brings, killing an innocent human life is not an acceptable way to alleviate suffering. Adoption is a humane alternative to an unwanted pregnancy, murder is not. A human life begins at conception and deserves the full protection of the law from that point on.
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People with degrees related to the use of Plan B would disagree with your assessment:

The Plan B myth - Chicago Tribune

In fact, the only links I could find to articles that agree with you have little to no scientific backing.
 
Blackstone said:
You're defining "conception" differently than most people, then. The sperm has already fertilized the egg and has created a human embryo. Conception has already taken place. The morning after pill is considered an abortifacient for precisely this reason, it is aborting an already-begun pregnancy, an already-begun human life. Plan B acts to prevent the human embryo from moving down the fallopian tube and attaching itself to the uterine wall, where it is nourished and grows for the next nine months of gestation before it is ready to leave the womb. In other words, it is equivalent to preventing a newborn infant from attaching itself to its mother's breast to feed. The life already exists. The abortifacient does not prevent conception, it prevents the growth, nourishment and development of an already conceived human child. Preventing conception in the first place is quite a different thing. Plan B is a chemical abortion.

As for rape victims, while I cannot imagine how horrible a daily reminder of rape must be along with all the normal pain and inconvenience pregnancy brings, killing an innocent human life is not an acceptable way to alleviate suffering. Adoption is a humane alternative to an unwanted pregnancy, murder is not. A human life begins at conception and deserves the full protection of the law from that point on.
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Also, what would you have done to women who eat papaya or other foods known to induce spontaneous abortions before they're aware of a pregnancy? Women for whom a fertilized egg...a "life" by your definition, never attaches? Women who miscarry? You going to charge them with a crime because an egg fertilized? I can plant a seed for an oak tree, fertilize it, and water it religiously, and it still may not grow for a multitude of reasons. Fertilization alone is a damned limited means of defining "life", and, quite frankly, opens the door to punishing a lot of women for no good reason...all on the basis of subjective morality.
 
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Keridan said:
Oops, took me a bit writing the response on the other thread.

I personally feel Plan B is different than abortion since it denies conception in the first place and I'd have to go with it being fine. I'd be much fuzzier with them having an abortion.
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i think it denies implantation, not conception.

edit: i guess i might be wrong about this.
 
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Of course she should be able to take it.
 
misterman said:
Here's a better analogy: someone wants to jump out of an airplane, with a parachute. You want to take away the parachute in order to punish them for being stupid enough to jump out of an airplane. Yeah, that makes sense.
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Your analogy is slightly flawed. I have no problem with the jumping out of the plane. I don't think it's very bright and I wouldn't do it without extensive pre-planning, but that's their choice. What I do want them to do is to pack their own parachute and put it on BEFORE they jump. Plan B is like tossing another parachute packed by a professional out with them in case the first one doesn't work. THAT is what I'm against doing.

misterman said:
Sex is other people's private business, including how they think through the decision to have it. If your only argument is that you want to punish someone for having sex, that fails.
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I don't want to punish them for having sex. I want to punish them for failing to accept the potential consequences of having sex.
 
Blackstone said:
You're defining "conception" differently than most people, then. The sperm has already fertilized the egg and has created a human embryo. Conception has already taken place. The morning after pill is considered an abortifacient for precisely this reason, it is aborting an already-begun pregnancy, an already-begun human life. Plan B acts to prevent the human embryo from moving down the fallopian tube and attaching itself to the uterine wall, where it is nourished and grows for the next nine months of gestation before it is ready to leave the womb. In other words, it is equivalent to preventing a newborn infant from attaching itself to its mother's breast to feed. The life already exists. The abortifacient does not prevent conception, it prevents the growth, nourishment and development of an already conceived human child. Preventing conception in the first place is quite a different thing. Plan B is a chemical abortion.

As for rape victims, while I cannot imagine how horrible a daily reminder of rape must be along with all the normal pain and inconvenience pregnancy brings, killing an innocent human life is not an acceptable way to alleviate suffering. Adoption is a humane alternative to an unwanted pregnancy, murder is not. A human life begins at conception and deserves the full protection of the law from that point on.
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So then you support women who are raped to violated twice. How very compassionate of you. Did you form this opinion the first time you thought you were pregnant? Or was it during your first actual pregnancy?
 
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It should be available for eveyone, just take a walk around your local walmart on a saturday and I think you will agree that chantel aged 22 doesn't need to have a 5th kid...
 
Any woman should have access to it, rape or no rape. It should also be OTC and without prescription, but I support putting it behind the pharmacist's counter so that there is some check on whether or not it is truly needed.
 
Luna Tick said:
Should a rape victim be able to take the morning after pill?
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I think that they should almost be required to take it... and any woman should be able to take it at any time regardless.
 
Blackstone said:
You're defining "conception" differently than most people, then. The sperm has already fertilized the egg and has created a human embryo. Conception has already taken place. The morning after pill is considered an abortifacient for precisely this reason, it is aborting an already-begun pregnancy, an already-begun human life. Plan B acts to prevent the human embryo from moving down the fallopian tube and attaching itself to the uterine wall, where it is nourished and grows for the next nine months of gestation before it is ready to leave the womb. In other words, it is equivalent to preventing a newborn infant from attaching itself to its mother's breast to feed. The life already exists. The abortifacient does not prevent conception, it prevents the growth, nourishment and development of an already conceived human child. Preventing conception in the first place is quite a different thing. Plan B is a chemical abortion.

As for rape victims, while I cannot imagine how horrible a daily reminder of rape must be along with all the normal pain and inconvenience pregnancy brings, killing an innocent human life is not an acceptable way to alleviate suffering. Adoption is a humane alternative to an unwanted pregnancy, murder is not. A human life begins at conception and deserves the full protection of the law from that point on.
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Humans are just animals like any other animal other than we are more evolved and more intelligent. So what if conception has already taken place. The human can't feel pain, has no consciousness, is a few cells big, can't think, can't see, can't hear, can't smell, can't eat, can't drink, can't fart, can't do anything and will face a likely situation that it will be aborted naturally anyway. do you support every woman that has sex to be constantly monitored in the event that she gets pregnant so that evry human life can be medically looked after so that no miscarriages take place? If not then you are sending mixed messages.
 
Bodhisattva said:
Humans are just animals like any other animal other than we are more evolved and more intelligent. So what if conception has already taken place. The human can't feel pain, has no consciousness, is a few cells big, can't think, can't see, can't hear, can't smell, can't eat, can't drink, can't fart, can't do anything and will face a likely situation that it will be aborted naturally anyway. do you support every woman that has sex to be constantly monitored in the event that she gets pregnant so that evry human life can be medically looked after so that no miscarriages take place? If not then you are sending mixed messages.
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I'm sorry but humans are not animals. Animals do not have a concious and that is the difference. You just defined why we should protect that life because it is so helpless. What could be more helpless than a being that can't feel pain, has no consciousness, is a few cells big, can't think, can't see, can't hear, can't smell, can't eat, can't drink, can't fart, can't do anything. And who are you to say that if will face a likely situation that it will be aborted naturally anyway? What does that even mean? What is a "natural abortion"? Miscarriages are unfortunate events that occur due to many factors. Some could be because of the mom using drugs or not taking care of herself but more often than not they just happen, especially with women who have never had children.
 
Bodhisattva said:
I think that they should almost be required to take it... and any woman should be able to take it at any time regardless.
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Where does it stop? So, first its rape victims should be required to take it. Next, lets go with women who are living below the poverty line because obviously they can't support the child and we'll end up paying for it. After that, women that have a better chance of passing along a hereditary disease because we don't want a bunch of autistic kids running around we have to support. Before long, we are breeding a perfect society. Wow, sounds kind of like Nazi Germany circa 1940ish. Keep spewing your "we know whats better for you than you do" rhetoric buddy.
 
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Blackstone said:
I understand what you mean, but I define "reasonable" as something less than ending a human life. I strongly suggest you read this article on the Morning After pill if you care about the value of human life and want to make reasonable distinctions.
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From your article, it says that plan B works in the same way regular birth control works. Are you against that as well?

The emergency contraceptive/morning-after pill has three modes of action (as does the regular birth control pill); that is, it can work in one of three ways:

The normal menstrual cycle is altered, delaying ovulation; or
Ovulation is inhibited, meaning the egg will not be released from the ovary;
It can irritate the lining of the uterus (endometrium) so as to inhibit implantation.
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I don't want to punish them for having sex. I want to punish them for failing to accept the potential consequences of having sex.
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So are you against adoption too?
 
kerussll said:
So are you against adoption too?
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That depends on the situation. In general, no. For a lot of these screw-balls who think sex is some sort of game, YES.
 
Absolutely !
I am and always have been anti-abortion. But, I also believe in reality and compromise.
 
tessaesque said:
Not sure why we're talking about abortion. Plan B isn't an abortion pill. This isn't directed at you specifically, but I figured it was a good place to interject.
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The thread history explains it.
 
earthworm said:
Absolutely !
I am and always have been anti-abortion. But, I also believe in reality and compromise.
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There is no compromise possible, I don't think. If you think abortion is murder, rape isn't an exception. If you don't, there is no justification for any restrictions on abortion.
 
Blackstone said:
I understand what you mean, but I define "reasonable" as something less than ending a human life. I strongly suggest you read this article on the Morning After pill if you care about the value of human life and want to make reasonable distinctions.
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This link makes sense, to me at least.
I remember the abortion debate/controversy of ten plus years ago, this was still a very unsettled thing.
Is it still a debatable item ?
 
I think it should be legal and available for any one to use on demand. No exceptions. Same thing with abortion.
 
Of course the answer is yes. You can go into medical reasons or philosophical reasons...the answer remains 'yes'. Aside from the fact that abortion remains legal and even if 'Plan B' were an abortion pill, best evidence indicates it is NOT an abortion pill but rather prevents the initial pregnancy from occuring in the first place.
 
lovetosing4678 said:
From your article, it says that plan B works in the same way regular birth control works. Are you against that as well?
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The use of a contraceptive is a morally acceptable way to prevent unplanned pregnancy because it seeks to limit the fertilization of the egg by the sperm. The use of any abortifacient may result in a chemical abortion of a fertilized egg, whether it has implanted on the uterine wall yet or not, a process which typically takes a week after conception actually takes place. Any post-coital act of birth control is as morally repugnant as it is irresponsible, whatever the pill is called.
 
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