rgr22j

There have been an estimated 40 million abortions performed in the United States since 1973, so 0.25% of that would still be 1 million late term abortions, a monstrous amount. I define late term abortions as ones performed later than the 20th to 22nd week of pregnancy out of a normal 36-40 week pregnancy.

Late term abortions (a.k.a. partial birth abortions) are actually fairly unpopular amongst the general American population. It's not a "Democrat" issue or a "Republican" issue, merely a fringe of the far left wing. Most Gallup polling puts support for abortion in all cases (include late term) at 15%, some of which is in part due to people fearing the repeal of Roe vs. Wade. Support for the ultra-right position, no abortion in any case (including rape, incest, and saving the life of the mother), is less than 10%.

The two issues most ignored in the abortion debate is that first, while 47% of American identify themselves as pro-choice and 45% as pro-life, when specifically polled, the support for the general pro-life position (no abortion except in case of rape, incest, and saving the life of the mother) is something like 65-70%. Only a small amount of Americans support what I call "abortion on demand" or "no abortions, period."

Which brings me to the second ignored issue, which is the weakness of Roe v. Wade, of which the original plaintiff "Jane Roe" (Norma McCorvey) has since recanted her lawsuit and is a strident pro-life campaigner. It is one of the weakest precedents in the 20th century, up there with Bakke v. California and Bush v. Gore. The former being the invention of "diversity" and the latter being the "this applies to this instance only" ruling (which kind of violates the whole idea of precedence).

The best thing for pro-choice advocates would be the repeal of Roe v. Wade and the substitution of a stronger law, one not crucially relying on the invention of linking the right to privacy with a a married couples' right to use contraceptives. From there, Justice Blackmun asserted that thus, the 14th Amendment and thus due process is invoked and a woman can have an abortion up until the third trimester (late term abortions were not originally included in Roe v. Wade). I have yet to discover the logic behind it. Neither did 36 states, who suddenly found their 10th Amendment constitutional rights trampled when they saw the Supreme Court, and not the federal government, overrule their existing abortion laws.

Unfortunately, due to the first issue, popularity of the general pro-life position, it is fairly certain that were Roe v. Wade repealed, the reach of abortion would be severely curtailed; more, the Gallup organization posits that pro-life voters are generally more reliable. And this is why extreme pro-choice advocates fight so fiercely against any restrictions on abortion, including ones that encompass such a monstrosity as late term abortion.

Having once been in a position to have to seriously consider my own stance on abortion, I can tell you two things. One, I was recklessly stupid. As teenagers nowadays say, "Worst decision EVER." Two, in no way is this only the woman's decision or that my opinion doesn't matter because a woman has a "right to privacy." It takes two to tango. We can't say that men don't have a right to cut-and-run and then turn around and cut their opinion right out of the whole abortion decision. My opinion matters; half of the situation is my fault.

How can I so uncaringly destroy my own flesh and blood? Would I be able to live with myself after evoking a wanton dismissal of my own child? Fortunately for me, I didn't have to make the decision. She was just very, very, very late. I don't know about her (we broke up shortly after), but I am still scarred many years later.

-- Alvin