Abortion Defiles the Unspoken Rights of an Unborn Baby

Thank you for a prompt response. The point made about equality on the part of abortion rights is not about different interest groups but about the nature of equality itself. In our strive for equality you state that certain interest groups are disregarding those who are apparently at equal risk for inequality. It's interesting because you mention the men and heterosexuals in the same group as unborn children. The interesting thing is that men and heterosexuals are often those that disregard the rights of women and sexual minorities(1)(2)(3). You group unborn children with men and heterosexuals. For all you know these unborn children could be lesbian women. They are undetermined as an interest group. They are not yet born and cannot have any interests. You also talk about how supporters of abortion rights want freedom and equality to make decisions with their body. The real question is why shouldn't they have this basic right? The fact is that they do, It is enshrined in the constitution in the Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Although this applies only to the United States, this is one of the places where the abortion debate is heated. Prior to viability the rights of the fetus are null. It is up to the mother to determine what she wishes to do with her baby. You are correct in that some of the abortion clinics permit abortion to happen up to the 28 week mark. With that data aside, what of those who do it previous to this time? It is well within their rights as autonomous individuals to have an abortion previous to the time in which a child is viable outside of the womb. A mother should not be required to have a child she does not want. Definiton: person - one who is able to attribute to their own existence some basic value such that being deprived of this existence represents a loss to them Regarding the implication that at the time of birth a newborn child's "quality of life" is no different than that of an unborn fetus's. This is exactly the implication. At the time of birth there is no difference between that of the baby and the fetus in terms of their personhood. They are human, but not yet persons. If we take the example of children who are born with a crippling disease such as down syndrome, then we have one who is a burden on not only the family but on society itself. Especially if the state provides for their care. The moral standing of the child outside of the womb is equivalent to the child inside the womb. This means that even after birth abortion isn't reprehensible, accordingly with these guidelines, as the child has not developed to the point where it can experience a loss. You say, "the only reason that a woman is guaranteed a certain amount of rights that the fetus is not is why abortion is legal." There are other reasons beyond the rights that the women gets. There are also economic and social reasons as to why a woman may not want to have a child. Perhaps she is too poor, or doesn't have the time to take care of a child. There are a myriad of reasons why a woman may not or should not have a child. Perhaps they are inept as a person and not responsible enough to have one. I have already affirmed that simply because the child is out of the womb, does not mean that they have any right to life. Thus it can be said that abortion is within the right of the mother and is unrelated to the child itself. This means that the child should have no say in this argument. It has no right to life if the mother wishes not to give it. (1)http://en.wikipedia.org... (2)http://humanrightshouse.org... (3)http://www.dw.de...