TRTL writes

'Now observe that silent majority attempt to dictate their views as being the only moral one, never mind the immorality of forcing a woman to give birth against her will.'

Just happens that the vast majority of journalist and writers on this topic impose their pro choice views on anyone they can.

TRTL speaks of the 'immorality of forcing a woman to give birth against her will'

No mention of the immorality she has often committed and then tries to cover it up by murdering her a baby. On top of that the shame is suppose to be on the one who calls this wicked act of murder wrong. Unbelievable!

The religious right are, in essence, no different from Al Quaeda. And they should be treated in the same way.

I wondering if routine or freely available abortion (paid for by the tax payer of course) will eventually lead to more women or men deciding that it is their right to choose whether or not they use contraception.

GP “some things are simply so wrong they cannot be allowed no matter how many people want to do them.”

Babs: “It comes down to woman's personal choice - not the state, not God or their own belief system [sic] - their own choice.”

I think GP has summarised this issue in a nutshell. Before we decide this comes down to “personal choice”, we must determine whether it is an issue where choice should be overriding consideration. Many people (Babs is an example) go straight to that conclusion, and you often hear this stated as if the primacy of choice was inarguable.

In fact, there are many situations where we do not allow choice to be the decider. I cannot “choose” that my schoolfriend is less than human, and bully them; that I have a right to torture my pet; that I can racially abuse or discriminate against someone of different nationality just because, in my opinion, they are not equal to me. A moral society considers mere “choice” or “opinion” is not sufficient to give me free rein.

The issue with abortion is – is a fetus human, and deserving of human rights; or is it not? If it is human, abortion should not be allowed; if it is not, maybe it can be. But the question must be addressed, and should not come down to individual women choosing that their fetus is human or not (which in any event would be a nonsense – how can some be human and others not? Humanity is not a matter of opinion), any more than the right of an immigrant to walk down the street without being insulted should come down to other individuals’ views on their “humanity”.

Forget the demonisation of pro-lifers as the “religious right” (come on everyone: Boo! Hiss!) – that’s just stick and stones. I pride myself I argue against abortion for the same reasons as the abolitionists argued against slavery – to protect those that cannot speak for themselves, against those who feel they have the right to decide who is human and who is not.

Runner - you (and many others) overlook the fact that pro-choice includes the choice not to have an abortion. That is why pro-choice is so widely supported, as it allows you and yours to make decisions based on religious beliefs, and leaves everyone else to make their own decision too.

Thanks for the timely article Anne O'Rourke.

ScienceLaw the decision to proceed with a pregnancy should be the woman's alone. After all she is the one left holding the baby. Our society holds the parents responsible for feeding, clothing, housing their children and teaching them how to behave. If you won't pay the kids medical, education or food bills then you have no right to tell people how to live.

As a grateful taxpayer you might resent medicare funded abortions, which should cost from $60 for RU486 to $700 for a D&C.
The alternative if the pregnancy proceeds at a minimum is
7 monthly antenatal gyny visits @ $120 per visit $840
delivery of baby $2000
hospitalisation of mother, 2 days $1000
standard run of neonatal tests $500

You can add on the costs of caring for the baby through infancy then the costs incurred in childhood until they are capable of earning enough money to keep themselves etc. If the child is not healthy then the child will cost more to rear.