Abortion Should be Illegalized

To answer the question in your last paragraph, I never have considered it. I know she didn't, because there is a such thing as planned pregnancy, you know. And I wouldn't have thought anything, because I wouldn't be alive, nor would I have to deal with the task of answering that ridiculous question in the first place. It also, wouldn't have felt like anything. As I already explained, fetuses can't feel anything until they're 24 weeks old, which is well past the time most abortions take place. (1) (2) Also, let me stress the fact that it is in no way about convenience. Perhaps from your perspective it may seem that way, but it's more about health. Of the mother, whose physical and mental health could be put at risk, and of the fetus. Many times fetuses are aborted if they have a severe birth defect. In some cases, this is the humane thing to do for both the mother and child. Aborting a fetus with a severe defect would be sparing it from a lifetime of constant pain and suffering. Or maybe, on the part of the mother, take the example of Polish doctor Bogdan Chazan, who refused to perform an abortion or refer the patient to a doctor who would, thus breaking Polish law. The baby was destined for a slow and painful dead shortly after birth due to severe brain and facial deformities. The couple spent ten days watching the child die. Can you imagine that? Being forced to watch your child die, knowing how much pain it is in, and not being able to do anything to stop it from happening. If you care so much about how they feel, why do you not care about this? (3) (4) Saying that abortion is not 'as unfair as it gets' is not admitting anything. During this entire debate you have seemed to be obsessed with the idea of fairness, and for most of it I've chosen to go along with the idea rather than refute it. This isn't about fairness, and the harsh reality is that almost nothing in life is fair, and it never will be. Simply being 'not fair', however, is no reason to make something illegal. You know what else isn't fair? Wage gaps. Lying. Numerous other things. But these things all exist and are legal. Saying that something should be illegal because it is, as you claim "unfair" is childish, not to mention that you are clearly showing that being fair to the fetus is more important than being fair to the mother. Actually, some people do ask to die. Often times it is in cases such as terminal illness or suicidal people. But fetuses do not ask to die, nor do they ask to be born. They don't ask for anything; they can't. They lack the consciousness and thinking skills to do so. And is it moral to force something to live? Whilst it is not known when a fetus becomes sentient, 'highly unlikely' doesn't automatically mean 'wrong'. 'Highly unlikely' is basically the same thing as being 99% sure. Also, I never said that babies aren't sentient. Babies are very much sentient. They have already been born. A fetus, however, is for most of its development non-sentient, so whilst it is human it is not a human being. And just to play into your scenario, if that did happen by some astronomical odds, then it would be an accident and not be considered murder. As I responded in the comments, a fetus very much is a living thing. 'Living thing', however, is a very vague term and can apply to anything from bacteria cells to a person. In case you weren't aware, all cells are living things. That's basic 7th grade science. Seeing as this is the third round, I'd like to go over some points. Pro is saying that abortion should be completely criminalised. Pro is also a 15-year old, Republican, Christian male. Pro is unable to get pregnant. Why should he get to decide about something that doesn't affect him? Why should he even care? Abortion is a lot more complex than he may think it is. There are a lot of reasons people get abortions, some of which I've already mentioned such as rape, physical inability, and mental problems. Most of the times, people who are against abortion hold the "unless you're raped, incest, or the life of the mother is at risk" sentiment. But there are many other reasons why someone might need an abortion. One of which is teenage pregnancy. The common conservative view towards this is that it's their fault and they have to deal with the consequences. Well, it's a lot more complicated than that. One of the biggest factors in all of this is the American sex ed system. It's no secret that the US education system is lacking, but it's especially bad in the area of sex ed. In many parts of the US, schools teach abstinence-only sex ed, meaning they don't properly educate teens on how to use protection during sex. In most states with this system, it is against the law to do things such as distribute condoms or provide information on contraceptives. An example of this is in the state of Mississippi, where 1/3 of babies are born to teen moms and teen pregnancy is the second highest in the country. A sex ed teacher decided to go around this rule by making a video of "how to put on a sock". Better sex ed would greatly reduce abortion rates, but since many pro-lifers are often also anti-contraceptive, and they're basically fighting themselves here. (5) (6) (7) Even so, condoms and birth control are not 100% effective, so would it really be fair to not allow those who DID take precautions to have an abortion? If Pro is so focused on fairness, then this would certainly be unfair to the mother. And to expect people to just not have sex until if or when they want a child is completely absurd. Also, standard penetrative sex is not the only way to get pregnant. According to NHS, even getting sperm NEAR your vagina has a chance of getting you pregnant. (8) If the US were to criminalise abortion, we would live in a state much like Ireland or El Salvador. There is really so many problems with this. In El Salvador, for example, women can be arrested for having a miscarriage, something they had no control over. (9) Is that what you want? Finally, addressing a_janis1 about a fetus's "right to life", let's say for a moment that this is true. This hypothetical right does not give include the right to use the body of another human being. In the same way that one is not required to donate organs -- even if it would be saving the life of another person -- a pregnant woman should not be and is not required to save the life of a fetus by loaning out her body for nine months against her will. Why should the fetus's rights overrule those of the woman? She has the right to choose what happens to her body. A right to life would require that the fetus/person/whatever you want to call it is capable of living an independent existence. And, seeing as the fetus is not only dependant on the mother but literally resides in her body, it does not meet these qualifications. To summarise, abortion is so much more complicated than simply choosing not to have a child at a time when it is convenient for the person. To say anything otherwise would be to ignore these facts and prioritize the fetus and not care at all about the mother. If you don't support abortion, then don't get one, but don't stop other people from exercising their choice to get one, either. (1) http://www.newscientist.com... (2) http://www.guttmacher.org... (3) http://www.bbc.com... (4) http://the-elderscrolls.tumblr.com... (5) http://articles.latimes.com... (6) http://www.livescience.com... (7) http://www.motherjones.com... (8) http://www.nhs.uk... (9) http://www.bbc.com...