Posted by
Jake on Sunday, July 09, 2006 6:53:54 AM
Why is abortion such a large issue for the FEDERAL government?
Whether you are pro-life or not, should the Supreme Court be legislating our reproductive "rights"? In my opinion, abortion legislation should be handled at the state or local level. The Federal government has no Constitutional right to get involved.
Of course, if the Feds were to step out, this would mean that some states would outlaw abortion; others would put severe restrictions on abortion; and a few would probably endorse abortion as a method of birth control.
Abortion is a complex topic....and it's oversimplifying to say that you're pro-life or pro-choice. Anyone with a modicum of common sense understands that there are times when an abortion makes sense (to save the mother from death, for example)...and that there are times when it doesn't. Abortion as birth control is wrong - if you're going to have sex for fun, then at least have the foresight to take precautions if you're not ready for the natural "byproduct" of having sex. Once conceived, the "byproduct" is a human life.
By trying to legislate these very personal decisions (pro-life or pro-choice), we're legislating morality. And, you can't enforce morality - it's something that has to come from inside a person. They have to believe that they're doing the right thing. How many women who have abortions think they're doing the wrong thing - but have no other choice? How many women who have abortions think that they're doing the right thing? If the children of these women were not aborted but these mothers couldn't care for them, where would the children go? Into the homes of gay couples who can't have kids of their own for obvious reasons?
I'm asking questions. For the record, my opinion is that abortion legislation should be at the state or local level...not the Federal level. That assumes, of course, that legislation is required. A solution better than legislation would be to improve the moral beliefs from which such decisions are made. That's probably very unrealistic, but if the country can't find common moral ground, legislation won't solve the fundamental problem.