Is abortion murder?

[Jed K]

There's two sides to every argument and this is, as always, highly controversial.

What is your position? How do you feel about it?

[Mike_115]

I don't think it is murder any more than amputation is, especially early in the pregnancy. Partial birth abortions and such should probably be stopped except in extreme cases, however, I don't think they happen that much anyway.

[hideip]

Indeed it is one of the most controversial issues of our time. I do believe that abortion is wrong because it is the act of taking another human (the fetus being considered as human). Instead of abortions, mothers should be looking to give their child up for adoption where people who cannot have kids can then have a child of their own. There are many new laws and regulations in our country that make it easy for a woman to give her newborn away without penalty.

[Jed K]

I think the problem with adoption, however, is that although many soon-to-be-mothers may initially plan on it, they often get quite attached to their child almost immediately upon birth and, as a result, end up changing their minds. Though not always a bad thing, many of the mothers who do this are young and unprepared women who are acting purely on emotion and thus don't they don't make very practical decisions. Point being, the child often ends up in an unstable home.

[hideip]

Jed, that is a good point that you have there is so many options out there for a mother. Its totally unacceptable to kill an unborn child because you are robbing that kid of life. Its really a horrible thing.

[Mary Catherine]

Not a loaded question at all! Here are my thoughts... While I absolutely believe that life begins at conception and that abortion is taking that life away, I am a bit uncomfortable with the term "murder" when discussing abortion. The purpose of murder in my definition, is to create pain and the ultimate destruction of another human being. I feel that the majority of women who choose abortion don't do it to be evil to the child or to create pain or destruction, but feel that they are in some way protecting the child from a life that would be unfair (or possibly even painful and destructive). The motivation may be honorable, but the outcome is, in my opinion, unfair to the innocent child and wrong. My thought is that the solution lies in education and in offering programs that will allow women in crisis situations to have hope that they will be supported financially and emotionally if they choose to keep their child. They should also be provided with counseling on adoption options which in many cases may be the best choice for the child. I think that calling abortion murder drives a wedge between people and makes it difficult for people to have compassion for women who are in situations that make abortion come to mind for them. Let's focus on solutions that will bring people together on this issue to create a world where pregnancy is the joyful experience it should be rather than a crisis, and where people who are in trouble find a safety net that will allow them to choose what is best for the children we bring into the world. Let's lift up women in crisis instead of dragging them down further with judgement and labels. Just my two cents, but my nephew (a product of a crisis pregnancy who many thought should be aborted 21 years ago) just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq and has been a constant source of joy and pride for our family. Every time I look at him I have hope for this issue.
Mary

[Lemon Jelly]

I sit in the middle on this one, although to be honest, at the end of the day whether other people think it's right or wrong doesn't even come in to it, it's purely down to the mother and father to decide what is best for their child. Can they give it all the love it needs? Do they think they are capable of looking after a child? Are they mentally and/or physically able to look after a child? Could they cope after a termination? I think these questions are more important than deciding if it is right or wrong.

[jessicabaker]

I have had numerous miscarriages, friends who have had abortions, and my husband and I have adopted, so I have given this lots of thought.
And yet, I still am unclear. No, I wouldn't call it murder but it's not something I support.
Somehow I definitely feel differently about very early abortions (within the first 12 weeks) than later ones.
I also think that before being permitted to have an abortion, the woman should be required to go through at very least one session of therapy.

[Niki L]

I agree with you, Jessica. It would be advisable to require a pregnant woman to have at least 1-3 meetings with a psychiatrist before doing a definitive decision. I have had once a meeting with a psychiatrist. The doctor was very friendly, professional and a good listener. He asked appropriate questions and tried to make a diagnosis of my condition. The meeting was a pleasant one because I didn't have to defend myself or justify my choices all the time. At the end of our meeting, he gave some advice for me and told the diagnosis.

When we think about a pregnant woman going to make an abortion, the meeting with a psychiatrist would work as an opportunity to go through her feelings and the present situation one more time before stepping inside an abortion clinic. The doctor could first ask the main reason for the planned abortion, interview the patient and try to get an overall picture of the life of the patient.

The doctor should tell about the possibility to let some loving family adopt the child. The patient shouldn't have to feel guilty for thinking about the abortion. The doctor should also give some reasons why it was better to give the child a birth, and that way let the child experience the smiles and cries among the other creatures on this planet.

[COLMustard159]

If abortion is the taking of human life, and if a human fetus is a human, then yes, it is murder. I'll accept all of the premises though I haven't looked into it too much nor have I read reports about what fetuses feel and what not.

But don't you think we put too much importance to this question? The answer to this question does not have an immediately obvious answer to the POLICY of abortions being legal.

Many believe that once abortion is accepted as murder, the pro-choice position vanishes as respectable. I will argue it does not.

There are all sorts of murder that are allowed BY LAW. Murder as defined here is the deliberate taking of human life. The state murders death row convicts. The state even allows certain kinds of murder, i.e. self defense. The state even SANCTIONS/ENCOURAGES mass murders. That situation is called war.

In conclusion, simply because abortion is murder, does not make abortion illegal. The only way that this argument would work is if the pro-lifer taking this position were to show ALL forms of murder forgiven by the state as not allowed: self defense, death penalty, war, etc.

Any takers?