Yes.

If I believed the foetus was a child, I would believe abortion was immoral. Since I do not believe a first-trimester foetus is the same thing as a child, I don’t believe abortion is immoral.

However, just as I do not support forced kidney donation, I do not support forced pregnancy and birth. I do not believe women have some unique legally enforceable obligation to deliver up our bodies for other people to use. And I do not want to see women suffer and die from illegal and unsafe abortions.

I believe in a bigger circle.

I maintain that we have the freedom to be the best that we can be, and we must strive to fulfil that at every moment. But killing helpless children is *not* the best we can be – in fact, it’s the very opposite.

I disagree with Sarah Palin on a lot of issues (especially the environment, guns, and foreign policy), but I have enormous respect for her decision to carry her Downs Syndrome child to term and care for him lovingly. It’s terribly sad that she’s in a minority on that front.

Please, remember: those of us who are anti-abortion aren’t anti-choice – we just view certain choices as violations of human dignity. Just because someone freely chooses to do something, that doesn’t make it right. Would someone who calls themselves pro-choice support my free decision to beat someone to death in a dark alleyway? I wouldn’t imagine so. So, please, try to see things from another point of view.

Personally, I am capable of seeing the point of view of those who think that abortion is okay. I mean, such a point of view is only sustainable if one doesn’t believe the foetus is a child (a belief I cannot share) – but, if one *does* believe that, then I imagine that it would seem unfair for others to try and limit a woman’s choice to do what she wants “with her own body.” Perhaps, in the extreme of such a view, abortion would have no more significance than cutting one’s hair or trimming one’s fingernails?

But, for those of you in favour of liberal abortion laws: do you ever wonder – what if the foetus really is a child? Can you face up to that question?

Let’s break out of our typical positions for a moment and try to look at things disinterestedly (a difficult and not completely possible thing to do, but we will make the attempt). Let’s imagine that we don’t know what’s right or wrong when it comes to abortion and see where it takes us.

A useful intellectual exercise when one is faced with a number of unknowns is to compare the worst case scenarios and see which one is less acceptable. (The best cases don’t matter because they’re fine and dandy.) Let’s try it here. Unknown the first: status of the child. Let’s say we don’t know if it’s just part of the woman’s body or is a person in her or his own right. Unknown the second: do we allow abortion?

Well, the two best case scenarios are thus: 1) the child isn’t a person and is aborted – just like cutting one’s hair, it is a morally neutral act – no problem; and 2) the child is a person, and the mother gives birth – wonderful, a new life comes into the world. But, as I said, neither of those matters, because no one is inconvenienced or hurt (and it’s hurt that we want to avoid). So we need to look at the worst cases in order to try and avoid the worse of the two.

The two worst cases: 1) the child isn’t a person, yet is not aborted – okay, so there would have been no problem killing it, but this didn’t happen – but, now that it hasn’t been killed, it eventually becomes a person; and 2) the child is a person, yet is killed. Clearly, the second, as it involves murder, is worse. The first, although it may cause some problems for the parent, just can’t be as bad as that (as murder is always totally unjustifiable).

And, tell me, am I now de-sexed for making this claim? If that’s what being a woman means… I’ll be happy to find another model of womanhood.

I don’t want my son to go to war either, unless he wants to. That’s pro choice. Of course many self labeled “pro choice” people want to prevent ROTC on campuses and military speakers and hold protests in front of recruitment centers to intimidate and dissuade those people who may be interested in hearing about options available to them. They would love nothing better than to have no one voluntarily join the military, to see it depleted, and are apparently willing to risk therefore having the government bring about a DRAFT again for another war (oh, yes, there will be another one, there always is). Just another way “choice” is not really an option.

Obama’s positions will make that possibility more likely. If you liked how Carter dealt with the hostages you are gonna loooooooooooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvveeeeeeee how Obama deals with Iran’s first shot…….

Any woman who supports the hatred and misogyny that fuels Obama’s supporters is either completely idiotic or completely insane.

I haven’t heard anyone call Governor Palin a skank or cow and find it hard to believe any but a very small percentage of people would be so inclined. Is there something I’ve missed?

Is there any more room under that rock?

Considering that she’s been called white trash and a redneck in the Huffington Post, a Nazi and a fascist and a dominatrix in Salon, that one of the individuals who contributed to this very comment thread has a post up referring to Palin as a “Nazi cow,” I can only envy your removal from the current media coverage.

I haven’t heard anyone call Governor Palin a skank or cow and find it hard to believe any but a very small percentage of people would be so inclined. Is there something I’ve missed? Please do tell (and show).

For that matter, I’ve never heard anyone call her a redneck or moron or refer to her as white trash either, although I wouldn’t be nearly so surprised to learn some do.

Sometimes people have a relevant point to make, perhaps not a good one, but a relevant point nonetheless, however they get swept away by their emotions and end up expressing it in terms which are coarse, mean-spirited and/or greatly exaggerated.

It happens. In fact, as I read over your post I couldn’t help noticing you succumb to that very temptation.

But just as I can see through the manner in which you’re expressing yourself and acknowledge you’re making a relevant point, whether or not I think it’s a good one, I’d expect you to be able to see through the manner in which people express their concerns about Governor Palin and acknowledge they’re making a relevant point, whether or not you think it’s a good one.

Otherwise, if you think others are “raping” Governor Palin with their words, then for consistencies sake, you’d have to think you’re “lynching” Senator Obama with yours.

I trust that given some time to reflect, you’ll agree it’s better to interpret intemperate remarks charitably. Then again, maybe not. You tell me.

Best,

Susan