Abortion Should Remain Legal

"the prevention of harm to the woman is the only valid legal reason" That is not true, an abortion could be performed for any reason, if the woman wants it. And even if it is made illegal for a woman to have the right to an abortion for birth control reasons, then the laws should be changed. This is a bill that will probably be signed to ensure the rights for women to get abortions. http://en.wikipedia.org... 'A fetus with deformities? Which deformities? What's a "life of suffering? People with disabilities aren't all wallowing in misery.' A fetus can have plenty of deformities, such as permanent mental or physical disabilities. Sure, some people with disabilities aren't all wallowing in misery, but that's not true for all handicapped people. It should be the choice of the woman whether she wants to bring the baby out into the world to live a non-normal life, or not let that happen. 'I'm saying that when an abortion is no longer necessary, because of alternative treatments, there is no longer a compelling interest for abortions to be legal.' Even if we develop alternative treatments, there could still be reasons for abortion. Such as using embryonic stem cells from aborted fetuses - which have the potential to replicate themselves into any type of tissue - could be used for huge advances in medicine, and even save lives. Also, even if alternatives to abortion and other ways of getting embryonic stem cells are developed, then we could stop having abortions then. But right now we don't have those things now, so abortion has to remain legal for the time being. 'The point is that human life exists along a continuum, and along that continuum there exist stages where, as you said "a fetus could be considered human." I am not arguing that conception is such a stage, but I don't need to because the morning after pill fixes that problem without abortion.' Morning-after abortion pills don't work if the woman finds out she's pregnant later than a day after. I don't advocate abortion as the only means of birth control, but it should never not be an option. 'A fetus may, in fact, have rights, because it may be human, and not merely a potential human.' How could you consider a fetus equal to a human being? I already stated how it is NOT a human. It is a potential human because it is only alive because of the mother's body, and is incapable of many human functions. It also does not have rights because it is part of another human's body. The woman should be in control of that fetus because it's part of her own body. 'Sure. I like people more than things. But seriously, she could have the child adopted, or be required to seek potential adoptive parents before birth. There are certainly enough people who would like to have children.' Just because you're willing to, doesn't mean everyone is. Many people couldn't afford to pay for the millions of unplanned babies born if abortion was made illegal. Also, why should that woman have to carry that baby around for 9 months and endure labor and pregnancy, just to give that child away? There are still going to be many planned children put up for adoption. Also, would you really deny a rape victim from having an abortion? 'Yes. Potential should not be thwarted because of origin.' Seriously, what's your problem? You value embryos over a grown person's control over their own life? You're okay with women getting raped and having to be pregnant and care for a kid, just because you don't agree with the decisions they make over their own bodies? 'I am positing that a procedure may exist to remove the child safely from the mother and incubate it so that she can get on with her life. When this happens, labor pains can no longer be taken into account as an ethical concern.' What don't you understand about us not having those advances yet? 'The "genes of a rapist" argument is eugenics speak. Many children of rape are adopted and go on to live 'normal' lives. Rape is borne out of the effects of certain experiences on those organisms that develop as a consequence of their genes. ' That's not completely true, actually a lot of actions in humans have some hereditary factor in them. Even suicide is part hereditary. Sure, some kids born from a rape victim turn out okay, but it's the woman's choice whether she wants the kid or not. 'This is an argument for better birth control, not abortion.' You still don't understand that we don't have all the advances in birth control that we'd like to have. Currently, abortion is the only type of birth control necessary in a lot of situations. Even if anti-choice people make abortion illegal, that won't stop abortion. Plenty of women will get back-alley abortions which are much more dangerous than the regular abortions legal today.