Criminalizing abortion won't stop it!

Reply to a comment at http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/court-ordered-abortion-sterilization-of-catholic-woman-in-mass.-overturned




You're right; making something illegal will not completely eradicate the practice. Making theft, murder, rape, embezzlement, and EVERY OTHER ILLEGAL THING illegal has not stopped them either. The purpose of making an act illegal is not to completely stop it from happening--no one expects that to happen with abortion any more than it has happened with nearly every law ever passed. The purpose is to limit the action by attaching negative consequences. Pro-Life laws will not stop the truly determined from finding a way to do away with their unborn children, but they will give most mothers pause when considering abortion and encourage them to seek other alternatives. 

I agree with you about gun control--I own a gun, and I'm registered for a concealed carry class this weekend. As you say, no legislation will keep criminals from carrying firearms, and will instead leave the rest of the populace unarmed and defenseless should (God forbid) someone come at them with a gun or other weapon. 

However, the purpose of a gun is very different from the purpose of abortion. A gun is intended to protect law-abiding citizens from criminals who consciously, deliberately broke the law and/or are about to harm someone. Abortion is viewed two different ways depending on whom you ask. Pro-lifers see abortion as an attack by the mother/doctor on the child, which can be compared to the criminal attacking the law-abiding citizen. Just as criminal attacks are illegal, so should abortion be. On the other hand, pro-choicers see abortion as a self-defense measure by the mother, protecting herself from an invading parasite, the fetus. The flaw here is comparing the fetus to an attacking criminal--the criminal has consciously chosen to break the law, whereas the fetus was a product of the actions of others. In over 95% of cases, those "others" were the mother and a consenting partner. How can a mother claim to "defend" herself from something that never chose to attack her?

Introduction

Hello!

I know there are countless abortion blogs out there, for and against, and maybe there's no real reason to add yet another to the mix. This is really a place for me to think through all the various complicated and challenging questions about abortion, euthanasia, health care, and education: anything that relates to promoting life over death. I welcome comments and discussion; however, I will be judicious in deleting comments that do not contribute constructively to an intellectual conversation.

I'd also like to try to fight some common pro-choice misconceptions regarding pro-lifers. First of all, "Get your rosaries off my ovaries" may be a great slogan, but it disregards the fact that even religious pro-lifers can and do promote secular arguments as well. That's exactly what I will do here. Although I am religious, and my religion is a factor in my views, the secular evidence against abortion and other related issues is more than enough to make a convincing case in support of life. Therefore I will not make arguments based on my faith, but only on science and moral ethics. Second, pro-choicers often accuse those in support of life of complete indifference to those outside the womb. This is a simple falsehood born, I suppose, of willful ignorance. Religious and secular pro-life organizations both provide help and comfort not only to babies, but to mothers, families, single men and women, and the elderly. Being pro-life means supporting the intrinsic value (some say sanctity) of life at every stage.

Looking forward to it!
--Kelsey