[Vision2020] Obama to Rescind Conscience Rule

[Garrett Clevenger]

The right of woman to be able to terminate a pregnancy she is unwilling or unable to see through trumps the right of a fetus. That may seem harsh and I would never encourage a woman to have an abortion. The fact is, having an abortion is probably the hardest decision a woman will ever make. You can make them feel guilty about that, and perhaps some will choose not to have an abortion, but there will always be some who decide to have an abortion. That being the case, it seems wise to ensure women have access to abortions that are as safe as possible.

According to http://wuphysicians.wustl.edu/dept.aspx?PageID=8&ID=35, between 10% to 50% or more of pregnancies end in spontaneous abortion. That being the case, the argument that God wants all pregnant women to give birth becomes ridiculous. Why would there be such a high miscarriage rate if that were so?

It's ironic that many of the same people against abortion also promote abstinence-only sex ed, or try to limit access to birth control, which makes me think they aren't too interested in reducing unwanted pregnancies, but mostly in promoting the idea that woman are baby-making machines.

Which brings us to the woman who recently had octuplets. Does she have the right to have 8 babies at once when taxpayers are going to be paying up to $1 million a piece for their post-natal care, particularly when she already has 6 kids, particularly when she is a single mom, particularly when she is emotionally unstable? Does the fertility doctor who implanted those 8 embryos in her have the right to do so, particularly knowing the woman's issues?

There are too many kids born into irresponsible households, leading to all kinds of problems down the road that society as a whole will have to deal with. It only makes sense that if there are some who see that they won't be able to responsibly care for that child, or that their pregnancy will lead to health issues for the woman, that they should be given a safe way to terminate their pregnancy. That is a personal decision that government should keeps its nose out of apart from ensuring that doctors are allowed to do their job.

Until all adults are given equal rights to live as they see fit, extending rights to fetuses seems hypocritical since some peoples' rights are thought by some to be a little more special than other peoples rights. 

This issue is yet again another example of religious people trying to force their views on everybody else. There is a reason it is illegal to pass religious laws, and we need to ensure fanatics don't violate our Constitution.

Saying all this, I have to wonder if the 'conscience rule' as I understand it, is a big deal. Isn't preventing people from expressing their religious views all illegal, too?

I'm not too keen on government restricting that right, nor am I keen on government forcing people to do things they aren't morally inclined to do.

gclev



g writes:

"Looks as though the right to kill the unborn trumps another's right to 
conduct their business as they, in accordance with their conscience and 
their morals, deem appropriate.

I guess some peoples rights are a little more special than other peoples 
rights."