Isn't it a woman's right to do what she wants with her own body?
If infringing on our personal liberties for the sake of human life is wrong, then we need to change some laws that clearly infringe upon the liberty of women. Laws of neglect clearly fall under this category. Neglect’ means failure or refusal to:
• Prevent abuse of the child when the person knows or has reasonable cause to know the child is or has been abused
• Provide necessary food, clothing, shelter, and education required by law, or medical treatment necessary for the child’s well-being
• Take reasonable action to protect the child from abandonment, abuse, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, neglect,
or parental unfitness when the existence of the condition was known or should have been known
• Provide for essential and necessary physical, mental, or emotional needs of the child, including the failure to provide a shelter that does not pose a risk to the health or safety of the child
• Provide for the child’s care and maintenance, proper or necessary support, or medical, surgical, or other necessary care
• Assume responsibility for the care and custody of the child or to participate in a plan to assume such responsibility
• Appropriately supervise the child that results in the child being left alone at an inappropriate age or in
inappropriate circumstances creating a dangerous situation or a situation that puts the child at risk of harm
‘Neglect’ shall also include:
• Causing a child to be born with an illegal substance in the child’s bodily fluids or bodily substances as a result of the pregnant mother knowingly using an illegal substance before the birth of the child
• At the time of the birth of a child, the presence of an illegal substance in the mother’s bodily fluids or bodily substances as a result of the pregnant mother knowingly using an illegal substance before the birth of the child
An ‘illegal substance’ is a drug that is prohibited to be used or possessed without a prescription.
A test of the child’s or the mother’s bodily fluids or bodily substances may be used as evidence to establish neglect.
--OBLIGATION--Notice these laws do not allow the person with a child to just do what they want with their own bodies. There is an OBLIGATION on their part to (physically) do things they may not want. Therefore, their liberty is limited. And if limiting the liberty of a woman for the sake of her defenseless child’s life is wrong, then these laws are wrong and need to be removed from every state in our country. On the other hand, if limiting the liberty of a woman for the sake of her defenseless child’s life is right (as with these neglect laws), then it follows logically that laws against abortion (limiting the liberty of a woman for the sake of her defenseless child’s life) are equally right.
To paraphrase what Abraham Lincoln said to Stephen Douglas, You do not have a right to do what is wrong. Neither do we.
A law against abortion (except when the life of the mother is at stake) would limit the liberty of a woman’s body to protect the LIFE of her defenseless child; therefore, this law would be just—as our negligence laws are.
The inconsistent and incoherent sense of justice our society has regarding the “liberty a woman has with her own body” can be summed up by the following argument:
Premise 1: If the laws of negligence (which limit the liberty a mother has on her own body for the protection of her defenseless child) are just, then abortion laws that would limit a mother’s liberty on her own body for the protection of her defenseless child’s life would be just.
Premise 2: The laws of negligence are just laws.
Conclusion: Therefore, laws against abortion that would limit the liberty of a mother’s body to protect the LIFE of her defenseless child would be just laws.
• Prevent abuse of the child when the person knows or has reasonable cause to know the child is or has been abused
• Provide necessary food, clothing, shelter, and education required by law, or medical treatment necessary for the child’s well-being
• Take reasonable action to protect the child from abandonment, abuse, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, neglect,
or parental unfitness when the existence of the condition was known or should have been known
• Provide for essential and necessary physical, mental, or emotional needs of the child, including the failure to provide a shelter that does not pose a risk to the health or safety of the child
• Provide for the child’s care and maintenance, proper or necessary support, or medical, surgical, or other necessary care
• Assume responsibility for the care and custody of the child or to participate in a plan to assume such responsibility
• Appropriately supervise the child that results in the child being left alone at an inappropriate age or in
inappropriate circumstances creating a dangerous situation or a situation that puts the child at risk of harm
‘Neglect’ shall also include:
• Causing a child to be born with an illegal substance in the child’s bodily fluids or bodily substances as a result of the pregnant mother knowingly using an illegal substance before the birth of the child
• At the time of the birth of a child, the presence of an illegal substance in the mother’s bodily fluids or bodily substances as a result of the pregnant mother knowingly using an illegal substance before the birth of the child
An ‘illegal substance’ is a drug that is prohibited to be used or possessed without a prescription.
A test of the child’s or the mother’s bodily fluids or bodily substances may be used as evidence to establish neglect.
--OBLIGATION--Notice these laws do not allow the person with a child to just do what they want with their own bodies. There is an OBLIGATION on their part to (physically) do things they may not want. Therefore, their liberty is limited. And if limiting the liberty of a woman for the sake of her defenseless child’s life is wrong, then these laws are wrong and need to be removed from every state in our country. On the other hand, if limiting the liberty of a woman for the sake of her defenseless child’s life is right (as with these neglect laws), then it follows logically that laws against abortion (limiting the liberty of a woman for the sake of her defenseless child’s life) are equally right.
To paraphrase what Abraham Lincoln said to Stephen Douglas, You do not have a right to do what is wrong. Neither do we.
A law against abortion (except when the life of the mother is at stake) would limit the liberty of a woman’s body to protect the LIFE of her defenseless child; therefore, this law would be just—as our negligence laws are.
The inconsistent and incoherent sense of justice our society has regarding the “liberty a woman has with her own body” can be summed up by the following argument:
Premise 1: If the laws of negligence (which limit the liberty a mother has on her own body for the protection of her defenseless child) are just, then abortion laws that would limit a mother’s liberty on her own body for the protection of her defenseless child’s life would be just.
Premise 2: The laws of negligence are just laws.
Conclusion: Therefore, laws against abortion that would limit the liberty of a mother’s body to protect the LIFE of her defenseless child would be just laws.
Resources
http://www.prolifeinfo.ie/abortion-facts/issues/legislating-for-morality/
http://www.midwestoutreach.org/journals/legislating.html
http://prolifetraining.com/resources/five-bad-ways/
http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/bureau/research/Publications/Task%20Forces/Legislative%20Task%20Force%20on%20Abused%20and%20Neglected%20Children/Exhibits/Exhibit%2038.pdf