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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Here's what I don't understand about the pro-choice talking points, coming from someone who has no particular religious beliefs:

When I see a fetus, I know it looks like a baby.  It has a head, a torso, arms, etc.

When I'm pregnant, I can feel the fetus.  That isn't a ghost kicking me.

When I look at a sonogram, I know I'm looking at life. A heartbeat.  Bodily organs that will never be mine.

The pro-choice movement would have me believe that it's all about "my body, my choice."  I agree with that, so I exert control over my body...my hair, my teeth, my fingernails, etc.

That fetus inside of me that looks like a baby, acts like a baby, and will eventually be a baby...why do you believe that it's just "part of my body?"

Yeah, I get that it's growing in me, and yeah, I get that it's dependent on me, but it's still something separate from.  That fetus will always have separate DNA from me. How do I justify that my fetus with its own DNA is just "part of my body?"

I appreciate the desire for independent liberty and bodily autonomy, but why should a fetus with its own DNA, its own organs, its own veins, etc. have no rights, and no liberty?

Ironic to me that in many jurisdictions, a pregnant woman's killing will result in 2 counts of murder.  I guess that's because it was assumed that any mother carrying a baby wanted that life to live, so we are supposed to mourn, and the law provides justice for mother and the unborn life.  However, the minute that the mother decides she doesn't want the baby, we're supposed to support her decision to terminate, and not emote.  I don't get that at all.[/quote]

The vast majority of abortions take place in the first trimester. When I was pregnant the first time, I didn't feel any kicking until I was almost 20 weeks. At 12 weeks, I didn't look any different than I did at -12 weeks. We weren't able to find a heartbeat until 8 weeks. On the ultrasound, the fetus that would eventually become my daughter didn't look like a human baby any more than a pig fetus looks like a human baby.

As for your questions about individual rights, I will point out to you that individual rights exist on a sliding scale. There are lots of situations in which an individual has fewer rights or different rights than another individual. Children, for example, have fewer rights than adults, and their parents are allowed to make all kinds of decisions about what happens to those children without the child's input. For a "child" that is wholly dependent on another person for absolutely everything - unable to live outside the woman's body until 24 weeks - those distinctions become even more dramatic. I understand that you are questioning to what extent the fetus's rights should be protected, and I would extend that question further to other issues related to situations where a parent is permitted to make decisions regarding their children. Do you support a parent's right to discipline a child as they see fit, even if that discipline is harmful to the child? Do you support a parent's right to make medical decisions for their children, without input from those children, even if those decisions are harmful to the child? At what point do you believe it is appropriate for the government to dictate what decisions must be made in what circumstances? The example of organ donation has come up numerous times in this thread. If your child requires a kidney and you are a match, is it appropriate for the government to require you to donate that kidney, without regard for what you want or whether it will be in your best interest to donate?

As for your questions about how we feel about ending pregnancies in various ways, I think the distinction you're missing is that the grief that surrounds the termination of a planned, wanted pregnancy is often different from the grief that surrounds the termination of an unplanned, unwanted pregnancy. Not always, but a lot of times it is very different. I have had several miscarriages of planned, wanted pregnancies. In those situations, I was grieving the loss of a life I'd planned to bring into the world. I have also had an abortion, and while it was an emotionally difficult time (NOT MADE EASIER BY THOSE "PRO LIFE" PROTESTERS AND THEIR SIGNS, I might add), the sadness I felt was very different from the sadness I felt during the other times pregnancies I had ended. As for what YOU are supposed to do when someone else experiences a pregnancy loss - whether by miscarriage or elective abortion - I truly don't see why your feelings are relevant. If someone you care about tells you that they've had a miscarriage and are sad, you say, "I'm so sorry for your loss. Is there anything I can do for you?" If someone you care about tells you that they've had an abortion and are sad, you say, "I'm so sorry that you experienced that. Is there anything I can do for you?"[/quote]

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