Often those arguing for abortion do speak of the baby as if it were an extension of the female when in reality the baby is not an appendage. Moreover, the mother is not the only parent involved, yet abortion has been treated as her dilemma alone, and indeed sometimes the woman does not inform the father--so he is denied parental rights, The bodily rights argument is wrong because the preborn baby is genetically and physically distinct from the mother. Thus, for instance, a pregnant woman is not allowed to take thalidimide because it would harm the baby (back in the 50s the drug thalidimide was outlawed because it was found to cause birth defects). The baby is a distinct human being and just because it is dependent on the mother does not give her a right to end the child's life. If anything, it increases her responsibility to take care that she does not take anything that might harm the child.

Dear FaithI,

Unfortunately ideology distorts language. You consistently use the word, baby, for the embryo or fetus. An embryo only becomes a baby when a woman gives birth. At that point a the fetus becomes a baby. It would be inaccurate to call a woman a mother who has had a miscarriage but has never given birth. She is not a mother, and the expelled fetus is not a baby. Although the embryo is genetically distinct from the pregnant woman it is still part of her body. In most cases she should have the right to decide whether it is in her interests to continue the pregnancy to term.

Language should always be used carefully. In the English language, fetus simply means: “the developing young in the uterus” [Medical Dictionary].
Fetus is the age-old name (having Indo-European roots)that recognizes the growing human being inside the pregnant woman. It is only in v. recent history, in fact just after Roe v. Wade and the sacred cow of abortion that feminists began calling abortion a reproductive right or an even worse euphemism, "health care", and rhetorical group think took over the word "fetus" in an effort to dehumanize the baby. Ask those with a fully formed conscience and children (who have not yet learned to speak group-think). Children especially immediately know abortion is wrong: they recognize human life has innate value, even at its tiniest stage.

Faithl wrote: "Children especially immediately know abortion is wrong: they recognize human life has innate value, even at its tiniest stage."

Dear FaithI,

I never knew until now that children discuss abortion. What is the evidence for your above statement? It is your value judgment that abortion is wrong. I disagree. I don't think it is wrong. I think in some cases it is the best course of action.

I feel we have made progress in providing women with the opportunity for abortion in a medically secure environment. If we were to make abortion illegal because some people think it is wrong we would regress to illegal abortions and the coathanger which put women's life at risk.

We can minimise the need for abortion by provision of contraceptives, instruction in their use and sex education. I think that is a moral way to reduce the need for abortions, but the procedure should be available when a woman feels it is necessary.

Houellebecq,

I agree 100% with you. If men are supporting a child and wish to be in its life, they should be. Obviously, there are cases where the father would be a risk to the child - but, we are not discussing this scenario.

No man should be denied access to a child just because the mother doesn't like the father. Women who do this, do it out of malice and do not care for the child's welfare; I would go so far to say, that they don't truly love their child. Every child has the right to be loved by both parents, even if the parents are separated.

I'm not ignorant of the fact that there are many women out there, who deprive both the father and the child a mutual loving relationship. This does untold damage to the child, and unforgivable suffering to the father.

Bernard Nathanson, one of the original proponents of abortion and an abortionist admitted later that he and others made up statistics regarding illegal or coathanger abortions. Their numbers were fabricated. When abortion is legalized it becomes normalized and numbers increase and so do complications and resulting injuries and deaths. Many go unreported or given a different cause of death by abortion doctors unwilling to list the abortion as the cause of death. Contraceptives fail and abortionists know this and build that into their marketing plans so that Oops! when the contraception fails, they can come solve all your problems by selling you an abortion. Unfortunately, women are reporting they do not feel their abortions solved anything but only caused a world of grief and pain (their stories are finally starting to come out). Former abortionists or doctors who once performed abortions have admitted that money was their reason for becoming abortion doctors. Currently, women die under legal abortions --about ten times as many (a Canadian source) as dies in 1972, when 39 women died as a result of illegal abortions. Add to the number of complications--such as a perforated uterus--the fact that women often attempt and commit suicide or and are at risk of violent death following abortions. Abortion hurts women and is no solution.