Nic-Syd

I think you misunderstand (Both the moral status of abortion and the Bible)

The chief question in the abortion debate is what 'is' the unborn. At law there are only two options...it is either a person or it is property. If it is property, then there is no grounds for saying abortion by the mother is immoral in any circumstance. If it is a person, then abortion is immoral (on the grounds that Judith is talking about anyway). There is no middle position.

A caveat is in the case of the life (not just the health) of the mother being in imminent danger (because there you have the right to life of one person conflicting with the right to life of another...of course, many people don't even define this situation as abortion). But in this case, it is expert medical opinion that makes that judgment, not the mother (although the mother, as the risked person, can make the decision to terminate the pregnancy in this situation, once these circumstances exists). But this isn't what Judith is dishonestly arguing for....

A very Troethful article, Judith, you make absolute sense.

Like CJ Morgan, I think that an embryo/foetus has no right other than the host is willing to bequest it.

Even without having to discuss everyone's ethicts and morals, the fact is that if we want to reduce the abortion rate, we should legalise abortion.

Countries with the most liberal abortion laws have the lowest abortion rates, while the opposite is true for countries where abortion is illegal and banned. Go figure.

Fractelle, well said. It is all too easy for anti-abortionists, usually men, to tell women what to do with their body.
Like HRS, 100% of all male anti-abortionists will never be pregnant.

I also figured out during my last abortion debate last year, that the priority of the religious anti-abortion brigade (who call themselves ‘pro life’) is not the foetus (which they call an ‘unborn child’) but the social and sexual control of women.

Laws should defend women who are being bullied into abortion by selfish partners and the pro-abortion lobby.

BR, what kind of law are you picturing that would protect women from that? At the risk of sounding ignorant, I can't see how a law can prevent people from influencing a woman's decision.

I would agree that it is sad when women are pressured into having an abortion which they otherwise might not have needed had they found sufficient support from partners and family, but I'm not sure how a law can prevent that.

The best we can do is to offer all options to pregnant women including abortion, adoption, discussing the kind of help that would be available to them if they'd choose to keep the baby after birth...

But ultimately, it is the woman who has to make the ultimate decision.