//They don't seem to be that prevalent or supported.//

They do seem to be mostly a developed world thing, and even then only in a few countries, although the tradition of leaving foundlings is as old as the hills. I think you kind of missed the point though. The point is that they do exist in some places... and women in those places still have abortions.

//If adoption was as affordable (it isn't)//

No, and it never will be. Children are expensive. Even if the government cover the costs of processing etc., people will still be left with the staggering expense of raising the kid. Government ain't gonna pay for that.

//then the worry about what life the child would have would be lessened//

Would it though? You have no idea where the child will end up. What if they get adopted by some paedo?

//and many of the arguments for abortion would lose weight.//

Yeah, I have my doubts about that.

//The only reasons why abortion has reasons is because we've distanced ourselves from recognizing the fetuses to be alive. To be unborn babies.//

Well, if it bothers you that much the best advice I can give you is to never have an abortion, then you won't have to live with the stain of that guilt on your conscience. Tell you what: if it makes you happy, I promise that I too will never have an abortion. I can't presume to make moral choices for anybody else, though. Not my place to do so.

I mean really, is there anything more pointless in all the world than a bunch of fellas sitting about discussing a medical procedure we're not anatomically equipped to undergo? You'll notice that the womenfolk seem to have better things to do with their time than devote page after page to futile debate on the morality of vasectomies. Sometimes you really have to wonder how we stayed the dominant sex for so long.

But while you're considering the morality of abortion, I invite you to consider the real-life, historical case of Romanian Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his Decree 770 banning abortion.

"The direct consequence of the decree was a huge baby boom. Between 1966 and 1967 the number of births almost doubled, and the number of children per woman increased from 1.9 to 3.7. The generation born in 1967 and 1968 was the largest in Romanian history. Hastily, thousands of nursery schools were built.

...

In the seventies, birth rates declined again. Economic pressure on families remained, and people began to seek ways to circumvent the decree. Wealthier women were able to obtain contraceptives illegally, or bribed doctors to give diagnoses which made abortion possible. Especially among the less educated and poorer women there were many unwanted pregnancies. These women could only utilize primitive methods of abortion, which led to infection, sterility or even their own death. The mortality among pregnant women became the highest of Europe during the reign of Ceausescu. While the childbed mortality rate kept declining over the years in neighboring countries, in Romania it increased to more than ten times that of its neighbors.

Many children born in this period became malnourished, were severely physically handicapped, or ended up in care under grievous conditions, which led to a rise in child mortality."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decree_770

Is that really what you want?

//Just because abortion is chosen doesn't make it a moral and good choice.//

Yeah, you've said already. But obviously the women who choose abortion feel that it's the right choice for them or they wouldn't choose it, would they? And it is their choice, not yours.

I know that bothers you. I know you'd like to make their choices for them because you're obviously so much wiser and better and more knowledgeable about their lives than they are. But hey, what can you do? We live in modern liberal democracies. Women get to make their own choices. Not much I can see that you can do change that, short of fomenting rebellion and establishing the Republic of Gilead.

I mean, I guess you can just keep trying to persuade them to make different choices by ranting and raving about killing babies, but people have been doing that for ages and it doesn't seem to have had much effect. I dunno, it's like these women think for themselves these days and just don't care that much about your opinions. Somebody oughta put a stop to it.

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Dear Not_Now.Soon,

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I have noticed that you are particularly fond of the use of metaphors in explaining your opinions. Allow me to do likewise on this occasion.

If we were to liken the production of a human being to the production of a brand-new model of a Formula I racing car for the forthcoming 2019 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, the process would proceed more or less as follows :

1 A good deal of time, money and effort would be spent in the preparation, before launching the actual production, i.e., conception and design.

2 Drafting of the manufacturing specifications

3 Production of all the constituent parts of the automobile

4 Reception of all the components from the various suppliers

5 The chassis : The car is constructed from the ground up (and out). The frame forms the base on which the body rests and from which all subsequent assembly components follow. The frame is placed on the assembly line and clamped to the conveyer to prevent shifting as it moves down the line. From here the automobile frame moves to component assembly areas where complete front and rear suspensions, gas tanks, rear axles and drive shafts, gear boxes, steering box components, wheel drums, and braking systems are sequentially installed

6 The body : The floor plan is the largest body component to which a multitude of panels and braces will subsequently be either welded or bolted

7 The paint : After the shell leaves the paint area it is ready for interior assembly

8 Interior assembly : After passing through this section the shell is given a water test to ensure the proper fit of door panels, glass, and weather-stripping. It is now ready to mate with the chassis

9 Mate (final assembly) : The chassis assembly conveyor and the body shell conveyor meet at this stage of production. Once the mating takes place the automobile proceeds down the line to receive final trim components, battery, tires, anti-freeze, and gasoline.

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(Continued …)

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(Continued …)

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10 End of production : The vehicle is complete (but remains to go through a long series of trials and tests before final delivery and green light).
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This is a very carefully planned and prepared operation. Abortions typically take place for unplanned, accidental pregnancies. Women – many of whom are single – find themselves, alone, in the process of producing a “formula 1 racing car” which they had not expected.

It is not surprising that many of them seek to abandon the process before it is too advanced.

Formula 1 manufacturers, using their cars from the previous season as a basis, can produce a new racing car in about the same time as it takes a woman to produce a human being, i.e, 9 months – which is why I chose this metaphor.

It seems difficult to imagine that they can produce anything resembling a racing car until they reach stage 5 of the manufacturing process.

That indicates that there can be no racing car (or “baby”) for the first 3 months (one third of the manufacturing process or gestation period). Prior to that, there is nothing there except manufacturing specifications and material to make a car or “baby”.

There is neither car nor “baby”.

In Europe, the limit varies from 10 weeks from the woman’s last menstrual period, in countries such as Slovenia and Croatia, to 18 weeks in Sweden.

The average time limit in Europe is 12 weeks (3 months).

In the UK abortions are permitted up to 24 weeks of pregnancy if there is a risk of “physical or mental health” for the woman or her children.

The limit in Australia varies per state and territory. Abortion is a criminal offence in NSW. Queensland is currently preparing a 22-week limit.

In my opinion, all states and territories in Australia should adopt similar limits.
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There is absolutely nothing immoral about having an abortion within the first three months of pregnancy, nor within the first 24 weeks if there is risk of “physical or mental health” for the woman or her children.

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To Banjo Paterson.

I appreciate your outline of building a formula 1 race car to being pregnant. However there are some differences to note. In the first phase of building the race car is the preparation. If this is like a pregnancy, then this can be compared to people trying to have a child. Even the struggle of multiple attempts, and seeking pregnancy kits, or doctors visits to see if there is an issue. As well as parenting plans to make sure they are prepared before they try to get pregnant. This could overlap phase 1 and 2 of the race care comparison.

However there is one significant difference between the race car, and a similar phase of abortion (instead of planned pregnancy). Many of the instances of abortion aren't about a change of heart to have a baby, but that it was unplanned. Thus the first step in preparation might be compared to receiving in a will the plans for building a formula 1 car and being asked to build it in the will of someone who's passed on. From this point on it might be considered similar to an abortion passed on the intention of phase one.

(Continued)