The Morality of Abortion!

[Laila]

I am not a friend of analogies for real life problems, because really you can find an analogy for everything to make it sound like your in the right. And then everything gets muddled up because you forget whether you are talking in the metaphor or the real example and it creates misunderstandings... at least in my experience.

I can quote too: “Morality is the best of all devices for leading mankind by the nose” Nietzsche


The first thing I ask myself when I read your question - Is abortion moral? - is: What is morality. You first need to define this before you can ask if abortion is it or not. and Morality is one of the vaguest, haziest things to define in an international forum such as this. (You and I probably wouldn't say stoning a woman to death is moral - in other cultures it is... etc.)

For me, personally, I wouldn't answer the question at all. I think it is a question that every woman has to answer for herself and it is NObody's business to interfere. I personally wouldn't - but I don't judge others who would or have.
My own mother has had an abortion because she was pregnant with a man whom she didn't love and didn't want to stay with under any circumstances, she was basically alone with me and my brother and already felt like she couldn't handle it. I would never judge her for that - and not just because she is my mother. She did draw her consequences from that and had her tubes tied afterwards.

But even though I couldn't have an abortion - I always argue Pro-Choice. And I think the reason for that is, that those who argue Pro-Life never JUST argue pro life. Usually it comes with a religious agenda - and that agenda, while using human rights as long is it helps them, completely disregards them when it comes to areas where they are less convenient.
Its no coincidence that in this American election people always talk about Abortion AND Gay rights. I know we don't talk about that and I don't want to offend anybody, but I won't try to argue about morality with someone who doesn't want to grant gays the same rights as everybody else, just because they are gay and at the same time say 'You can't give a a bundle of cells no human rights JUST because it might not be a human jet."

Also, I feel that especially in the States, the issue is pushed to ridiculous proportions - so much so, that I feel it really isn't about the issue at all. It is about a conservative outlook and policy. If this was really about human rights and saving lives people would start where children die every day from hunger, war and genocide. Or wouldn't even start there - would make sure that kids in their own country had health care to get medical treatment if they need it.

In this world of intertwining cultures there are very few things that can definitely said to me moral or immoral - i don't presume to be in the position to make that choice for abortion.

Because where does it start and where does it stop? Is for a man masturbating wrong, because he spends sperm in waste? There are cultures where this is true.
And what about birth-control? What about the morning-after pill?
The pope says condoms are wrong and thus sanctions AIDS to keep spreading in Africa. I personally think THAT is immoral.
Another example for how easy morality is to stretch - how many people do you think I would have on my back for calling the pope immoral?

So my conclusion - the only morality that exists the the one that we have in our heart - our coincidence. And nobody can answer this question for someone else. After all, Kant says "Immaturity is the incapacity to use one's intelligence without the guidance of another."