If a rape victim is unable to reasonably make a decision, then someone else should be making the decisions (medical power of attorney); they can make that decision in the first trimester. I want her to make the decision about going off her medication or not during the first trimester. I have considered that remote possibility that something could go wrong with the mother that couldn't be found early on, but occurs in second trimester before the baby is viable and the mother will die if she carries the baby to viability (extremely remote possibility). I suppose an exception could be granted for such a one in a billion occurrence.
Honestly, I see almost no excuse ever for middle or late-term abortions. And about every scenario brought up to justify it seems to insult the intelligence of women.
Only if she's deemed incompetent...there are variables in every case....a rape victim is not identical to any other rape victim and women are not identical to every other woman. Yes, next of kin, in the case of the woman being in a coma, can make the decision. She probably doesn't care what you want, she cares for what she wants, it's her life and her body. Oh, how gracious of you...
1. If we made abortion a crime after conception, we'd be opening ourselves & our legal system up to a total nightmare. You'd have anti-abortion zealots sticking their noses (and everything else they can find to stick you with) into your personal lives ever time a miscarriage (nature's abortion) happened. Women would be forever & constantly scrutinized to see if they did anything to cause the miscarriage, with the threat of incarceration hanging over them at all times. Mothers of young children could easily be trapped by those zealots, charged with crimes, tried, & incarcerated for years, causing the splitting of families, children with no mother, divorces, and ruined lives. I don't care how you feel about abortions, the price of enforcing legal citizenship after conception is too high. It must NEVER happen. 2. Again, laws based on detection of heartbeat, give the mother little to no time for serious consideration of what's best for her & her life. Pro-Lifers are hypocritical in caring for fetal rights but ignoring the rights of the mother. That's too unfair. 3. Best of the choices given. I'd simply say, once the fetus is capable of life with or without artificial help, then it should not be aborted except when the life of the mother is at risk. As technical instruments improve making it possible for younger & younger fetuses to survive outside the womb, then they should be transferred to the artificial womb & given to adoption if not wanted by the mother. 4. Abortion should be illegal in the third trimester EXCEPT when the mother's life is endangered or there is solid medical evidence that the fetus will be genetically afflicted with horrible birth defects or disabling illness or is already dead in the womb. In finding an answer to the abortion dilemma, EVERYONE'S individual rights as a human being & a citizen of the U.S. should be honored. I often find the goal of the misnamed Pro-Life side is to impose their pro-fetus-only views over the rest of us thru governmental abusive laws. As an American, I find that contrary to the ideals of this nation, & to humanity in general.
