What is the proper punishment for having an abortion?

[Arnold_Philips]

Should abortion become illegal, what would be the appropriate punishment for having one? Jail time? Community service? Forced conversion?

 

[Arnold_Philips]

oh hey woohoo I have an orange five year symbol

 

[Atheuz]

A warning - Though I disagree with any system that would introduce Abortion as an illegal act the law must be uphold and thus a warning should be the punishment.

 

[PassionFruit]

Hmmm......I'll try to answer this question. I kind of have to change my whole mentality.

If abortion were to be legal, in the sense in which is defined as being murder. Then I suppose that would mean punishing the doctor who performed the abortion. So in a sense, the doctor should be punished as well. What would be the punishment for the doctor? And should be the woman's punishment? Should they both get the same punishment?
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[Sycophant]

I posted a thread on this topic the other day (complete with a poll).

I was pleasantly surprised by the rational responses. Although there were a few votes for 'death penalty' that no one bothered to stick up for.

The original YouTube video I saw seems to have gone now, but this article was instesting:
Newsweek: How Much Jail Time?

The more I think about it, the less I feel the 'abortion is murder' crowd really believe their rhetoric beyond the very basic idea.

 

[Sycophant]

If abortion were to be [illegal], in the sense in which is defined as being murder. Then I suppose that would mean punishing the doctor who performed the abortion. So in a sense, the doctor should be punished as well. What would be the punishment for the doctor? And should be the woman's punishment? Should they both get the same punishment?

The most comparable situation would seem to be a person hiring a hitman.

Legally both would be charged with First Degree murder.

Also, in situations where the partner/father was aware of the abortion, it would seem to make sense that he'd be charged with (at the very least) being an accessory to murder.

Taking that further, any nurses, assistants or administrator also involved in the procedure would also be accessories to the crime.

The logical catch that really gets me is the people wanting to make abortion illegal who are willing to make exceptions for rape and incest. Extend that logically, imagine that the child is carried to term and delivered, would those people be okay with the infant being killed? What about when he was two? Or four? He is still a result of that event. And by most anti-abortionist's definitions as human as a 2 year-old as he would be as an embryo.

 

[Meep]

And what about the men in the relationship that have contributed to the embryo/fetus as well? Or is it just easier to punish the woman just because they're easier to "gain control of"? Where do the men fit in as far as judicial accountability is concerned?

I feel the abortion issue in this country is a last ditch attempt for incredibly dull & narrowminded people in power to put a stranglehold on women's rights.

I think the strain on welfare & child protective services from irresponsible "parents" are of a much greater social concern than abortion. The abortion hubbub is just bizarre to me. There are bigger issues in the world than this. If it were people actually going out & killing babies I could see it. Until it's birthed, it's a potential miscarriage, for any number of physical or emotional reasons. It's a witch hunt.

 

[Waiting for the Verdict]

Should abortion become illegal, what would be the appropriate punishment for having one? Jail time? Community service? Forced conversion?

I'm against abortion. However, I would not have any punishment for having an abortion, only for performing one.

 

[Ave Maria]

There should be no punishment for having an abortion and abortion should not become illegal. That said, I am thoroughly pro-choice.

 

[MoonlessNight]

What I am thinking (as I explained in the other thread) is that the punishment for the woman receiving the abortion should probably start with a stiff fine, and then escalate from there on repeat offenses. The father is tricky in situations like these, as sometimes he will be involved or perhaps even be the one most pushing for the abortion and in others he may be completely oblivious. He probably should be subjected to the same punishment if found to be complicit.

Abortion doctors, however, are a completely different matter because they are not in a desperate situation, nor is their decision largely situationally based (i.e. few people plan that far ahead to get an abortion, but the doctor plans ahead to perform abortions). For him I am thinking that the punishment should be more analagous to murder, because he is a threat to the community in around the same degree.

 

[Meep]

What about a case where one needs to be performed to save the mother's life?

 

[Sycophant]

The idea of punishing the doctors only, or more than the women seems absurd to me. They are contracted to perform the service. They would not be going out and enticing women to take up their services.

If a person hires a contract killer, they are charged with an equal if not greater offense (as they are the ones instigating the crime).

Seriously, if a person truly believes that a fetus is a human life for the purposes of law, then the mother and doctor must be charged with homicide. She has hired a professional to conduct a killing on her behalf. The doctor is a hitman.