Compulsory Abortion

[Shinobi]

"Compulsory abortion for all pregnancies before the age of 21 would do more good to society than a total ban on abortions."

Compulsory abortion probably sounds horrifying and wrong as soon as you hear it, but a total ban on abortion should sound equally (or almost as) wrong to a lot of people. Does anyone think a case could be made for the above statement?

This question appeared in my head the other day, and I couldn't make a convincing case to myself that it is obviously wrong, so maybe you guys can.

Do you think your answer is influenced by the strangle hold which religion has held on abortion laws for the past two millennia?

[I realise that compulsory abortion would be impossible and indeed very unsafe to implement, just as the ban on abortion was in previous centuries. This is a highly hypothetical question.]

[billygrippo]

as a non-child bearing dude, i stay away from abortion debates.

[bunny]

I think it would be bad for society from a moral viewpoint - it's bad to make people do things they dont want to do so the society would be worse than a total ban under this criteria.

It's hard for me to understand how to answer if you mean in a more pragmatic sense - the thought experiment is too difficult for me to meaningfully predict the difference in the two societies.

[chezlaw]

sounds horific to me, far far worse than current society.

chez

[tolbiny]

Who is paying for the abortions?
To quote the ACers of this forum, you get more of whatever you subsidise.

[billygrippo]

another flaw in this is that unprotected sex will likely jump up, assuming the gov't pays for the abortions.

[vhawk01]

[ QUOTE ]
another flaw in this is that unprotected sex will likely jump up, assuming the gov't pays for the abortions.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think the point of the experiment is that the exact opposite would happen. Maybe I'm wrong, but isnt the OP saying that if you knew you would be forced to get an abortion if you were unfortunate enough to get pregnant, this would act as a stronger deterrent towards teen pregnancy than being told you could NOT have an abortion?

Emotional outrage aside, its an interesting question. Negative versus positive reinforcement....sort of.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Compulsory abortion probably sounds horrifying and wrong as soon as you hear it, but a total ban on abortion should sound equally (or almost as) wrong to a lot of people.

I agree. I am as pro-choice as you can get, but have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with pro-life folks protesting forced abortion in China.

[hmkpoker]

[ QUOTE ]
Compulsory abortion probably sounds horrifying and wrong as soon as you hear it, but a total ban on abortion should sound equally (or almost as) wrong to a lot of people.

I agree. I am as pro-choice as you can get, but have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with pro-life folks protesting forced abortion in China.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow, they actually HAD this in China? That's crazy.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Compulsory abortion probably sounds horrifying and wrong as soon as you hear it, but a total ban on abortion should sound equally (or almost as) wrong to a lot of people.

I agree. I am as pro-choice as you can get, but have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with pro-life folks protesting forced abortion in China.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow, they actually HAD this in China? That's crazy.


[/ QUOTE ]

Boston, but that philosophically almost China. /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[MrMon]

[ QUOTE ]
"Compulsory xxxxxxxxxx for all xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx would do more good to society than xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx."

[/ QUOTE ]

Substitute anything you want for the xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. It will almost always be a universally evil idea, no matter how well intentioned.

[madnak]

"Compulsory food for all poor would do more good to society than mass genocide."

I like mad libs.

[MrMon]

[ QUOTE ]
"Compulsory food for all poor would do more good to society than mass genocide."

I like mad libs.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's pretty good. But trust me, even something like that can evolve into something evil. Who provides the food? What if those who are required to provide the food refuse?

Try looking up what happened in Ukraine in the 1920s and '30s. Not an exact parallel, but you can see how that sort of thing can develop. Compulsory food for the poor became mass genocide.

[BCPVP]

[ QUOTE ]
but a total ban on abortion should sound equally (or almost as) wrong to a lot of people.

[/ QUOTE ]
I don't think even the vast majority of pro-lifers believe that there should be 0 exceptions for abortion.