Abortion before the third trimester

1. Point A: As I stated already, this entire debate is like comparing apples to oranges. On the one side is morality, ie., law. Your grounds for debate are that the two are, in essence, the same. My view is that they are not. In the end the winner of the debate will depend on the number of individuals voting from one point of view or the other, ie., the moral side or the law side. 2. Point B: Your position is that laws and morality are not disconnected. The very fact that we are debating abortion points out that they are. From societies point of view, abortion is immoral. As a proof of that I would give the results of a Time Magazine poll. In he poll 91% of the individuals polled said they believed in the existance of a god. And, 71% said they believed that God had a part in the creation of man. But, suprisingly, 68% said they believed that aetheists had morals even though they did not believe there was a god. I am of course assuming that those morals of aethiests would normally condem abortion. I am an agnostic and I do not believe in abortion because I consider it morally wrong. Besides that, I am a very morallistic individual and my morals have nothing what-so-ever to do with the law. It is simply that most of the time the law agrees with what I believe morally. 3. Point C: First, "viability" and the Supreme Court. You say that the Supreme Court uses the gauge of viability outside the womb and that that viability is the requirement of fully functional organs. My point of view was the fact that the Supreme Court arbitrarily set that as a basis to declare abortion legal. By setting that point they could ignore the entire process that takes place before it and impose a position of acceptable morality. After all, they must bring morality and the law as close together as possible to get society to accept their decision. My point and usually the point of all those that disagree with the law, is that from the moment of conception (the actual beginning of life)the egg and the sperm are provided with all the organs necessary to provide a living, breathing, human being. If we were to ignore all that happens before the third tri-mester, we would not have a viable fetus to worry about. Second: The difference and similarty of law and morality. Many laws are not only similar to moral points of view, but, often re-enforce them. In other words, it's wrong to steal and it is illegal. It is wrong to kill and it is illegal. Most individuals agree with that Where the rub comes in is when the moral issue does not closely agree with the legal issue. (abortion is one of those issues.) What happens at that point is it becomes a political issue and in the political arena the politician sells his honor and his morals for what is most convenient to his political gain. And, again, abortion is one of those issues. Abortion is one of the most rationalized issues in our society. There is hardly any individuals you can stop on the street that will not rationalize it in one manner or another. The phrase used more than any other is, "I am against it, but I believe a woman should have the right to choose for herself." I is the position I have taken and is the position of most of the people I personally know. But that does not make it morally right. 4. When morals and laws disagree: It isn't that often when morals and laws disagree, but, when the do, morals are usually set aside for the sake of the law. If there is a small disagreement what usually happens is that the law is enforced in the courts and people protest or complain. As the issue grows and the number of people who get behind it increases, the law is usually repealed. Our laws during prohibition is an example of societal pressure although not a good example of morality. Although most individuals don't consider moderate drinking to be immoral. Even Christ created wine. And so, the more grievous the issue between the law and the moral the more likely the law will lose out. 5. Law and moral: We abide by our morals willingly. We may not like them sometimes, but, we know in our hearts that it is the proper thing to do. We obey the law because we have to. We may not necessarily believe in it, but, to disobey it requires paying a price and only those inividuals that are anti social usually disobey the law on purpose. Most of us fight to change the law while at the same time obeying it. A law requires three things: 1. Social efficacy 2. Proper promulgation 3. Permissable content A moral requires four things: 1. Understanding its benefits 2. Willingness to abide by it 3. Being taught by elders 4. Accepted and promoted by ones society