Quote:
Originally Posted by her_beautiful_mistake
dr2005 - I have been thinking about the comparison between drinking alcohol and abortion and it just doesn't quite work.
When you are pregnant, you cannot simply choose not to be pregnant. That act has already taken place - you either have a baby or you have an abortion. It is a decision about what to do with your body yes, but arguably birth is more traumatic than an abortion (especially at the early stages). Childbirth is also, even today, a considerable danger to the mother (potentially one of the most dangerous things a woman will do). Yes you are choosing what to do with your body, but either option has dangers and negative aspects. With regards to age, you cannot simply wish away a pregnancy because the mother is 13. That is a situation that has to be dealt with -- and the potential complications of continuing the pregnancy at a young age are actually higher.
With the drinking ages, you are helping to avoid irresponsible drinking. Alcohol has a more detrimental impact on younger people. You are attempting to prevent people from causing harm to their body by not drinking alcohol. Choosing not to drink alcohol avoids harm. Choosing not to have an abortion does not.
You cannot choose to not have an abortion because then your body will not be put at risk. Both abortion and childbirth have considerable risks and dangers.
I don't know if I've really explained myself properly but in a nutshell, I think the argument is hugely flawed.
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Interesting response and thanks for that. I guess I should clarify that I wasn't actually trying to draw a direct comparison - it was more a case of putting something out to provoke thought and gauge how far people are prepared to take the "people should be able to do with their bodies what they wish" argument. Part of the reason for it is that I feel, in the overall scheme of the debate, this is one of the weaker arguments in favour of abortion because by simple logical extension you can extend that to scenarios where such an approach is not desirable (like the alcohol one as you correctly pointed out). I think the issue of harm is a more difficult one, because how you define harm can take any number of different forms - physical harm, emotional harm, psychological harm, harm to prospects, harm to lifestyle choices - and trying to apportion weight and importance to them is always an arbitrary process by definition. There is also conflicting evidence on the subject of the harm caused by the abortion procedures, so it's an area I've tended to steer clear of in such debates.
As an aside to the above, I would be curious to know whether you would apply your aforementioned points regarding alcohol to drugs as well, in light of your earlier statement regarding their legalisation. I'm not trying to trip you up in asking - as before it's just to gauge the "own bodies" line.
