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I'm of two minds about abortion. Always have been. On one side, the personal side, I do not like abortions. Glad as hell that my wife never had one and if she got pregnant again I would hope to hell that she didn't have one even knowing that she does not want another child. On the other side, the political side, I am pro-choice because I feel that women have a right to privacy in all things medical. I also do not believe in forcing people to do things to their bodies that they do not want to do. That is just as bad as slavery or rape in my book.
So after thinking about it for a long while I think I may have come up with a solution. One that doesn't seem to be talked about all that much, if at all. If I were President, or someone that could get a bill/act passed through congress/senate this is what I would propose be done.
First, keep abortion legal. But I would also encourage and fund technology that would advance the ability to take an embryo just conceived and raise it in a vat until maturity and then put the child up for adoption. Once such technology is achieved then I would make abortion illegal in the sense of killing the ZEF, but make it legal to transfer that ZEF into a vat. Once transferred that woman no longer has any responsibility what so ever for that child. (except of course where normal taxation occurs) It would essentially be "aborted" for that woman, yet it would also still save that child.
I suggest the above because I know that abortion as we know it will never end and will never be fully made illegal. Not in our society which has such a strong affinity for Rights. And even if it were to somehow be made illegal it would not stop abortion. This to me is the best solution that will ever be made when it comes to abortion.
Thoughts?
I'm of two minds about abortion. Always have been. On one side, the personal side, I do not like abortions. Glad as hell that my wife never had one and if she got pregnant again I would hope to hell that she didn't have one even knowing that she does not want another child. On the other side, the political side, I am pro-choice because I feel that women have a right to privacy in all things medical. I also do not believe in forcing people to do things to their bodies that they do not want to do. That is just as bad as slavery or rape in my book.
So after thinking about it for a long while I think I may have come up with a solution. One that doesn't seem to be talked about all that much, if at all. If I were President, or someone that could get a bill/act passed through congress/senate this is what I would propose be done.
First, keep abortion legal. But I would also encourage and fund technology that would advance the ability to take an embryo just conceived and raise it in a vat until maturity and then put the child up for adoption. Once such technology is achieved then I would make abortion illegal in the sense of killing the ZEF, but make it legal to transfer that ZEF into a vat. Once transferred that woman no longer has any responsibility what so ever for that child. (except of course where normal taxation occurs) It would essentially be "aborted" for that woman, yet it would also still save that child.
I suggest the above because I know that abortion as we know it will never end and will never be fully made illegal. Not in our society which has such a strong affinity for Rights. And even if it were to somehow be made illegal it would not stop abortion. This to me is the best solution that will ever be made when it comes to abortion.
Thoughts?
First, keep abortion legal. But I would also encourage and fund technology that would advance the ability to take an embryo just conceived and raise it in a vat until maturity and then put the child up for adoption. Once such technology is achieved then I would make abortion illegal in the sense of killing the ZEF, but make it legal to transfer that ZEF into a vat. Once transferred that woman no longer has any responsibility what so ever for that child. (except of course where normal taxation occurs) It would essentially be "aborted" for that woman, yet it would also still save that child.
take an embryo just conceived and raise it in a vat
Thoughts?
Do you really think that is a right? Why does it only apply to a woman's vagina and not other things to would seem obvious like medical marijuana or non-FDA approved drugs for terminal patients?
That sounds like a win win to me. What do you mean by 'normal taxation'?
It's an interesting concept and I would not oppose a woman choosing to go that route, but I really don't think most women (or men) would choose to do so because an abortion stops so much more than just a beating heart. It stops the evidence that a man had illegal sex with a minor. It stops families from fighting over who should raise a child. It stops evidence that a wife had an affair with someone other than her husband. Abortion stops a lot of things and those things would not stop if a fetus was transferred to a vat and one day DNA testing was performed.
But, we may one day (almost assuredly) have that medical technology, and then it will be very interesting to see what becomes of it.
Sounds absolutely wonderful. Nothing wrong with that at all. Nothing.
I hope if something like that ever becomes viable, it'll be long past my time on this planet.
Also, I won't be supporting your campaign.
The fact shown in bold seems to escape so many people.That’s not really a solution. The technology to do what you describe safely and routinely would be a long way off even if there was significant investment in research now. Even if it were achieved, there’d still be controversies over things like funding, morality, parental rights (particularly fathers rights), the child’s rights to know who their genetic parents are. You’d also be introducing a significant increase in the number of children requiring adoption in to a system that is already struggling.
Yes, it is a Right.
The FDA does not need private info in order to determine whether a drug (be it marijuana or not) is harmful or not. As such it is not a privacy issue.
That’s not really a solution. The technology to do what you describe safely and routinely would be a long way off even if there was significant investment in research now. Even if it were achieved, there’d still be controversies over things like funding, morality, parental rights (particularly fathers rights), the child’s rights to know who their genetic parents are. You’d also be introducing a significant increase in the number of children requiring adoption in to a system that is already struggling.
I still do not understand why the same people who would move mountains to save an unborn human constantly vote to cut funding aimed at helping those humans who are already born.
You seem to misunderstand. The right to privacy between a person and their doctor, gave the ability for a person to have a medically valid treatment done even though the there was a law against it. How can the right to privacy allow a doctor to prescribe birth control banned by law but not marijuana?
I would imagine that a huge funding increase
A much better use of the "huge funding increase" would be:
1) a much better, more comprehensive, and totally honest sex education program for kids starting years prior to the onset of puberty
2) an actual long term, highly effective prescription/implantable birth control for men
3) health insurance coverage for all birth control
4) ease of access and easily affordable "morning after" protections
5) safer and more effective long term prescription/implantable birth control for women
All of those (except #3) are pretty good alternatives. We SHOULD be doing that now.
There are plenty of ways to determine if someone was raped other than through the woman or child getting pregnant. So it wouldn't stop those things at all.
The rest would more than likely be something that needs to be figured out. But imo those are minor things that can actually be figured out and it probably won't take 60+ years to do so, unlike the way that the abortion debate is currently.
A much better use of the "huge funding increase" would be:
1) a much better, more comprehensive, and totally honest sex education program for kids starting years prior to the onset of puberty
2) an actual long term, highly effective prescription/implantable birth control for men
3) health insurance coverage for all birth control
4) ease of access and easily affordable "morning after" protections
5) safer and more effective long term prescription/implantable birth control for women
None of that would stop abortion.
Should, but we're not.
And #3 should not be an exception.
Currently, DNA is not collected from aborted fetus material of underage girls, so abortion (today) really does remove the physical evidence of statutory rape. Of course there are other ways to determine rape -- but I wasn't talking about that. I was just mentioning the reasons why women abort, and why I feel many are unlikely to go the route you suggest, although it will likely be possible someday.
In the OP, you mention that while you hope your wife would not abort an accidental pregnancy, that you would support her. So, I have to pose the hypothetical question of whether your wife would want her child "out there" somewhere, even if she didn't have to gestate the child. Would she be peering into baby carriers in the supermarket, trying to see if a particular baby had features similar to her other children? When I've heard women give reasons for not carrying a child to term and putting it up for adoption, many say they can't stand the idea of a child of theirs being out there but not knowing about that child.
But, your solution would offer women one more choice - so in that aspect - it could be beneficial.
Were you thinking of your solution in that way? As one more choice? Or, were you thinking that it would be mandatory for women who wanted to abort?
I think your answer will determine whether the public, in general, would accept such a solution.
Nothing will.
Even your nutty sci-fi plan wouldn't stop it.
The BEST option is to work towards preventing unwanted/unplanned pregnancies as much as possible.
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