Sex-based abortion divides pro-choicers on rights

bikemaul · 2012-01-21T05:06:05+00:00

Ultimately, if we allow aborting of viable fetuses based on traits, we are saying some classes of people have less of a right to life than the parent's right to not be burdened by the birth of that child. And really it's just the burden of the birth because we do have adoption and foster-care. Or is the argument that 'genetically inferior" children don't have a worthwhile existence? I have cared for too many disabled people to believe that.

Why allow aborting a fetus with down syndrome and not euthanasia after birth? What is the ethical difference?

Scott2508 · 2012-01-21T13:34:45+00:00

its eugenics , end of

chavelah · 2012-01-21T13:03:49+00:00

The Canadian Medical Association Journal this week also urged Canadian doctors to limit women’s reproductive rights, recommending in an editorial that doctors conceal the sex of a fetus from all pregnant women until 30 weeks of pregnancy to curb the incidence of sex-based abortion in certain immigrant communities.

Yeah, I'd love to have limited access to information about what's going on inside my body, because some recent immigrants to my country have not yet acclimated to the First World.

Pinworm45 · 2012-01-21T09:11:19+00:00

I am pro choice (although I'm no fan of abortion), but I have to admit, that's an interesting hypocrisy.

Clever_Ploy · 2012-01-21T17:46:19+00:00

If the law states that abortion is legal, at or before any given stage of pregnancy, and we're thinking strictly in terms of a woman's right over her own body, then she technically has the choice to abort for whichever reason she pleases, does she not? It's entirely true that some or even many of those reasons may seem innately immoral, but it stands to reason that if abortion is legal, the moral question of the woman's reasoning is no longer on the table.

Or, to look at it another way, how could the law modify this right? If a woman is known or accused to be aware of a specific trait of her child, be it gender, a disability, green eyes... could she then become tied up in court while the state attempts to prove she is trying to abort a child for an immoral reason? Under a charge of attempted Eugenics, perhaps?

Obviously not, but the proposal that any given mother must instead not be told about the gender or any other trait of her child is almost as perplexing. I imagine the idea operates based on the conclusion that after a certain point in her pregnancy, abortion has become illegal. (Or perhaps more accurately, it becomes infanticide and no clinic would perform the procedure.)

By placing this responsibility upon obstetricians or really any other medical professional, how could it be enforced? Which is to say, could a criminal charge be laid against a medical professional who, for whatever reason, let slip a trait-related detail about a woman's pregnancy to her?

Further to that, is there any way to concretely define which information is medically relevant to an expecting mother regarding her pregnancy? Could it not be argued that she has a right to know exactly what is going on inside her body if she asks?

Finally, I wonder how much of the "medically relevant information" idea is based upon the usage of a sonogram to determine a fetus' sex? If I understand correctly, there are available, non-invasive methods for women to determine the gender of their child as early as six weeks, by way of a blood test, as well as a number of other methods that may be invoked during the first trimester. I wasn't able to determine which, if any, of these methods are price-prohibitive or readily available, however I imagine it's safe to say that at some point in the future, determining the gender of your child may well be as easy as determining if you're pregnant at all. What then?

Leichenschrei · 2012-01-21T11:27:31+00:00

I'm basically pro choice. I mean, I personally believe that a fetus is a human being, but I also believe a woman or a college aged girl shouldn't have to worry about all that while they are trying to start a career or whatever it is. I don't like abortion, but I'm pro choice.

That said, in my utopia I fantasize about I would have a system set up in place which would allow a woman to abort, anonymously, for free, under these circumstances:

Under the age of 30. No questions asked
If over the age of 30 abortion would be permitted provided the parents (mother or father) had not been informed of the gender of the child and whether the child had any mental or physical issues
When medically necessary, always.

** number 2 is to ensure that abortions are only performed because they simply do not want a child. And are not basing the decision on trivial things like gender or intelligence. **

Also, I believe that social financial systems should be in place to ensure that a family should not have to worry about the costs of raising a child. I hate the idea, even if it might never happen, of a family aborting a child because they can't afford it.

Naturally as an MRA all of this would translate to the fathers of the child as well. ie. paternity tests, male paternal surrender (as GirlWritesWhat calls it if I remember right..), financial compensation if the father wants to keep the child but for whatever reason the abortion goes ahead anyway and all the other stuff I've probably forgotten about.

I got carried away a bit there. As I say, this is how I would setup the system if I had the power to do so.

Title	Sex-based abortion divides pro-choicers on rights
Author	[deleted]
Upvotes	10
Comments	41
Date	January 21, 2012 4:27 AM UTC (14 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/opuc9/sexbased_abortion_divides_prochoicers_on_rights/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/sex-based-abortion-divides-pro-choicers-on-rights.1028948 https://theredarchive.com/post/1028948

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