For Pro-Life Christians - How to Legislate Protection for the Unborn

[Sketcher]

First o f all - I'm pro-life. I believe that the church's role in reducing abortion should not be limited to making abortion illegal, much good is done in the form of assisting pregnant women and young mothers to find good living situations, helping provide for them, adopting, lovingly dissuading women from getting abortions, mentoring young men to not get them pregnant or push for abortions, etc. The church should continue these efforts, and put more energy into them, absolutely. But the other side of the coin to this is pushing for legislation to crack down on abortion. Just as a moral society must make stabbing your neighbor or robbing him illegal, we must make abortion illegal. This however, has met with challenges, such as:

- Would women be punished for abortion? If so, what should the punishment be?
- Would failing to take good care of herself during pregnancy - let's say, smoking or using drugs while pregnant - constitute an assault charge?
- If a baby is stillborn, should an investigation be made into the woman's choices while pregnant to determine whether or not to charge her with manslaughter?
- Would a morning after pill as a response to a rape constitute a murder? Even if it wouldn't be known whether or not she was pregnant at the time?

These kinds of issues aren't the aim of pro-life activists generally speaking, but laws that have been considered have run into those kinds of issues. We obviously need to make good laws that do not needlessly make it harder for pregnant women to be pregnant. All many of us want to do is end abortion as a means of birth control (which is what constitutes the majority of abortions). So how do we do that?

To anyone who is pro-choice, please refrain from posting with the exception of bringing up issues with enacted or proposed laws. If you're posting here, you're helping us to make better pro-life laws, not to argue against having such laws.

If you're pro-life, I'm after workable proposals that protect the mother and baby both whenever possible. Finding examples and any positive results with those examples is highly encouraged. You're principled, I'm principled, but I'm after proposals that have a minimum of unintended consequences, zero is better. Your ideas may be civilly criticized, and that's fine here - we're looking at how to write a good law that in practice protects both women and babies.

 

[greenguzzi]

I'm a pro-life leftie. However I don't think abortion should be banned. Not because it's not a bad thing - it is, but because it will occur regardless, and if something is going to happen then it's best if it happens in the light of day rather than in the dark of night. If one wants to control something, then the last thing you want to do is make that thing illegal. Very heavily legislated yes, but not banned outright.

If women were to be punished for abortions, then men should be equally punished. It takes two to make a zygote. Just because only a woman can gestate doesn't mean that she should be unilaterally responsible for anything that happens to the life she carries.

If you live in the USA, then Roe v. Wade limits you. So you have to work within its limitations. I know that many US Christians aren't happy about this, but it could be much worse.

As far as a mother taking care of herself during pregnancy, that should be no different from her taking care of herself regardless. So universal healthcare, minimum wage, free education, and adequate welfare would be a good place to start. Vote accordingly. No, really! Voting for equality is probably the only way most people can make any real change in this mess.

Oh yes, there is also feminism. Get your head around feminism. For a man it is excruciatingly difficult, but it's worth the effort.

No, a morning-after pill as a response to a rape is not murder. See Roe v. Wade. Yes, it is a crime and a sin and a horrible thing that I would do everything to prevent if I could. But it isn't murder.