Poll: Abortion legality belief spectrum

[Kiyoat Husker]

Why not look at the most polarizing topic first?  There are other ways of looking at Abortion legality, like trimester, contraceptives, planned parenthood, etc.  But I thought I would just get down to brass tacks.  What do you believe should be legal?  These categories align with how the United Nations defined national abortion law categories in this 2013 report:

https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/policy/WorldAbortionPolicies2013/WorldAbortionPolicies2013_WallChart.pdf

What I find interesting is how other developed and developing countries compare to the United States.  Wikipedia has a nice sort-able spreadsheet and map:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_law#cite_note-UN2013info-1

 

[Nebfanatic]

I don't believe in abortion morally, but its not the laws job to dictate the morals of America to that extent. It should be a personal decision, not something the government should have a say in. 

 

[NM11046]

Ditto to Neb.  My body my decision.   

 

[Nebfanatic]

Ditto to Neb.  My body my decision.   

100%. I just can't understand the religious and moral motivation behind the politics in this issue. At the end of the day, we are a country of diverse beliefs and forcing beliefs on one person for the sake of others is entirely unamerican.

Its funny because i feel like if this were an issue for men they would be allowed as much freedom as possible with little to no backlash in the public eye. 

 

[funhusker]

I would rather have our government look for ways to reduce the number of abortions due to unwanted pregnancies by promoted sex education, family planning, adoption counseling, and birth control.  Actually pragmatic solutions.

Stupidity:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/07/07/colorado-iud-long-term-birth-control-success-teen-pregnancy/29818499/

Although, I think the funding was secured again (not 100% sure).  But the fact it was even up for debate and its positive outcomes weren't celebrated by all is absolutely ridiculous. 

But hey, it's more fun to argue about what our version of God wants us to do....

 

[NM11046]

100%. I just can't understand the religious and moral motivation behind the politics in this issue. At the end of the day, we are a country of diverse beliefs and forcing beliefs on one person for the sake of others is entirely unamerican.

Its funny because i feel like if this were an issue for men they would be allowed as much freedom as possible with little to no backlash in the public eye. 

NO doubt!

The irony of the conservatives who want little government regulations on most everything in the US wanting to regulate a persons' medical decisions is too much.

 

[Danny Bateman]

I think the government should have a say insofar as they already have. We long ago entrenched the matter into law & abortion is legal. They can chip away at it as much as they want, but Roe v. Wade is politically untouchable at least for now. They'd have to have a strongly conservative Supreme Court before even considering a real challenge to it & if you thought the backlash to the GOP now was on full tilt, they'd be annihilated if they actually followed through on their rhetoric about reversing it.

I think they rather prefer it as a wedge issue to mop up single-issue pro-life voters, myself. 

Personally I voted for #6 but I'm very sympathetic to the arguments thus far for #7. I agree with NM very much. As I've evolved on the subject as I've gotten older, I eventually adopted the belief that if I had bee part of an unplanned pregnancy, I would support carrying the baby to term & giving it up for adoption if the mother didn't support raising the child, but ultimately it's her decision. 

I'd like to see as few abortions as possible, which means supporting effective birth control education & access. But there are people who are not well-equipped to raise a child they weren't planning on, & if they instead choose to terminate the pregnancy, I wouldn't fault them. I'd rather the child never exist than be raised in a home that can't (or won't) raise it in a healthy manner.

 

[Landlord]

100%. I just can't understand the religious and moral motivation behind the politics in this issue. At the end of the day, we are a country of diverse beliefs and forcing beliefs on one person for the sake of others is entirely unamerican.

The response to that is, "But it's MURDER! Shouldn't murder be illegal?"

The thing is, though, that nobody really actually believes this deep down. You take the most conservative fundie right-wing pro-rights person you can find and sit them down across from a woman who has had several abortions and they won't gag or scream or convulse or whatever they would do if they were actually sitting across from a serial killer.

 

[NM11046]

I'm waiting for Moiraine ... she's got a good statement on the validity of the conservatives that "care" so much about human life that they want to take away healthcare and other support mechanisms for the very same people that would potentially choose to terminate a pregnancy because of the cost, responsibility etc.

 

[funhusker]

The response to that is, "But it's MURDER! Shouldn't murder be illegal?"

The thing is, though, that nobody really actually believes this deep down. You take the most conservative fundie right-wing pro-rights person you can find and sit them down across from a woman who has had several abortions and they won't gag or scream or convulse or whatever they would do if they were actually sitting across from a serial killer.

This is true.  I saw a meme on Facebook (sorry, don't remember the author.)  That basically proved your point through thought experiment.  If you were to ask anyone to put themselves in the following scenario, their answers would be the same:  "You find yourself in the middle of an infertility clinic that is on fire.  A young nurse is passed out on the floor.  You only have time to carry her out of the flames, or to grab a case full of hundreds of embryos to keep them from being destroyed.  Whom do you save?"

A lot of people will claim this is a crazy analogy and doesn't deserve an answer.  I only think they respond like that because they can't honestly answer out loud....

 

[Kiyoat Husker]

Black = Option 1 (not legal)

Red = Option 2 (mother's life only)

Orange = Option 3 (mother's life /health)

Brown = Option 4 (mother's life/health or rape/incest)

Yellow = Option 5 (life/health/rape/ or fetal defects)

Green = Option 6 (life/health/rape/defects/ or socio-economic factors)

Blue = Option 7 (legal)

 

[knapplc]

I voted "Other."  That's a bit of a copout, but the fact is, I'm a guy, no baby will ever grow inside of me, and I won't have to be personally involved in any decision. 

 

[Kiyoat Husker]

I think they rather prefer it as a wedge issue to mop up single-issue pro-life voters, myself. 

This, I think is the crux of the issue.  It has become politicized and entrenched with rhetoric as an ideological divide.  A way to demonize the "other" group as either unconscionable baby killers, or proponents of a Right-wing Christian theocracy.  Of course, neither side fits that description very well. 

 

[BigRedBuster]

I had to vote "other".

I personally can not imagine having a woman I'm involved with and is pregnant with my child....have an abortion.  It is just beyond comprehension as to how I could do that.  So, in that sense, I have a pretty conservative view of the issue.

As for the legality of it.  I don't support further efforts to make abortion illegal or even limit their access to the vast majority of the abortions that occur.    I believe late term abortions are disgustingly reprehensible and I think (correct me if I'm wrong) there has been bipartisan support in either making them illegal or limiting greatly their use.  I do support that.

My views in my last paragraph is because by arguing these points, I believe, totally misses the issues at hand.

I am completely against greatly politicizing the issue.  For me, the issue lies in that we need to be doing what is necessary to greatly reduce the NEED for abortions.  This is in:

Education

Birth control

Empowering young women

Supporting women who find themselves pregnant

Increasing (not decreasing) access for women to healthcare

Promoting adoption as a major option and stop stigmatizing a woman who gets pregnant and gives the child up for adoption

Supporting young moms who find themselves raising children by themselves because of dead beat dads

Finding more ways that force dead beat dads to support the children they help produce

....etc.

If we would all concentrate on those issues, the need to debate legality of abortion is GREATLY reduced.