I believe viability is important because, up to the that point, the fetus is totally dependent on the mother. There are many choices a mother could make that would affect both the wellbeing and viability of that fetus. An extreme decision is abortion, no matter the reason. Other decisions are how the mother accepts prenatal care, and if she avoids activities that could potentially damage the fetus.
If we don't accept that the mother has a choice up to that point, we'd need to consider restrictions on things in addition to abortion. Medical experts believe women shouldn't abuse drugs, drink, or smoke. They should avoid certain activities, and certain foods. I've even heard advertisements for certain ED drugs that pregnant women shouldn't even handle for fear of birth defects. Are we prepared to ban abortion, and then face the next legal and moral step of regulating womens' prenatal activities?
The plain truth, from my point of view, is that women make many choices about bringing a life into this world. I can't see how these choices can be legislated.
It is a very difficult discussion, because of the emotions involved. I rarely get into specific arguments, not just because of the emotions, but because I understand the emotions. I put myself in a situation of this: what if someone decided to pass a law that the mother could decide if the baby could be killed, for whatever reason, in the first month of life? Some tribal societies did just that, because a baby that was burdened with some defect could be a serious drain of resources on a village scratching to survive. So, although I don't agree with their reasoning, I think I understand the emotion of the anti-abortion side. |
