ABORTION “RIGHTS” CAN THREATEN THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS

It’s Not as Simple as We Think

At one time, I worked for Planned Parenthood as a pregnancy counselor.  As such, I had to refer people who wanted abortions to local doctors.  I was and am pro-choice, but I understood why we had so few doctors listed who were willing to do 2nd trimester abortions.  Fortunately, most of my clients didn’t wait that long.  But I understood the reluctance of OB/Gyns to perform a procedure that might require them to actively kill a viable fetus. 

Changing Laws

Overturning Roe v. Wade was correct legally and constitutionally.  I expected, as did most, that each state would now implement actual laws to protect some right to abortion, but with limits.  Instead, states appear to go one way or the other:  ban abortions or allow them up to (and perhaps after) delivery.  Though there are other countries with those laws, it is hard to justify the practice of delivering a live child and then taking action to kill it.  Most of Europe (who the Left admires) opposes abortion after 13- 15 weeks.

Having sex is (and should be) an adult act, and with adult acts and freedoms comes responsibility.  In this case, the first line of defense is adequate birth control for both partners.  Failing that, sexually active women should be monitoring their periods carefully, so that they can make a choice within a limited timeframe.  Requiring the ability to wait 7-9 months to decide is morally ridiculous.  I would say, “Get your act together, ladies.  You should have considered how you felt about child-bearing before you had sex.”

One challenge is that some genetic testing still takes a bit too long, so exceptions for severe genetic disease, rape, incest and the health of mother or child should always be considered. Another challenge is that it seems that each year, we find ways to keep premature babies alive even as they are delivered earlier and earlier.  But California is now trying to push Proposition 1 which allows abortion on demand and regardless of viability of the child.   This is a bridge too far and deserves rejection.

Unintended (or Perhaps Not) Consequences

Along with the “right” to an abortion is now an obligation on doctors to perform the procedure, regardless of views. You might have felt it okay to force a baker to create a cake for a gay wedding, regardless of his religious views.  But how crazy is it to tell a doctor he must perform a late-term abortion or lose his license?

Governor Nuisance loves the idea of having power over medical professionals in this state.  He wants to pull licenses if they wish to practice independent medicine, i.e., try off-label medicines, perform procedures they feel will help the patient, i.e., bring the art into the science of medicine.  Such efforts have cured many people of complex diseases more effectively than what the FDA or other governmental agency would demand.

For myself, the off-label use of an asthma drug, montelukast, worked to stop my 5x/yearly severe sinus infections.  I also used ivermectin against Covid, which worked extremely well.

Do we want the government to control doctors in this way?  Do we risk losing medical professionals by curtailing their freedom and overriding their judgments?  Sure, it might be hard to find a doctor to do an abortion at eight months, and that’s just fine with me.  Don’t tell people what they must do, or you enslave them.  And no one works as well as a slave.

Negative Rights

I’ve spoken about this before.  Our Constitution only protects negative rights, which means rights that do not impose a burden on anyone else.  Freedom of speech doesn’t guarantee you an audience.  Freedom of religion is limited in that you cannot perform human sacrifice even if your “religion” requires it, as it violates other peoples’ rights.  As such, a “right” to abortion is a positive right, implying that someone else must be willing to perform it for you.  The only right you should have is the right to try to find someone willing, not to force them to do it.

Final Thoughts

Even as I’m long past worrying about pregnancy, I still feel I am pro-choice.  But that means you have the right to choose and the responsibility to do it reasonably quickly.  Then, you have the requirement to find a willing professional to prescribe an abortion pill or later, to do the procedure.  But if you can’t find a doctor, your “right” to an abortion doesn’t put a legal or moral obligation on anyone else.  It’s time we realized how rights work and stop invoking the word as if it can be used for anything we desire.

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