It’s interesting the abortion debate has been revived in Australia after the Coalition’s re-election. The conclusive victory has emboldened social conservatives in the government to speak openly about their ideas and agenda.
I’m opposed to aborton, except in circumstances of rape or where the mother’s life is at risk.
I can empathise with those who extend the right of aborton to situations where it’s known the infant would be disabled. I can even accept the principle of a woman’s right to choose, but within certain limits.
Constructive elements of the current debate are those surrounding the cut-off point for abortion and whether procedures should be government funded through Medicare.
It’s ironic the government wants to boost population on one hand, by paying couples $3000 to have babies, and funds the termination of lives on the other. You can’t be funded for IVF or laser eye surgery through Medicare, but you can have an abortion.
I’ve heard the arguments about safety risk from backyard clinics if the abortion rules are made tighter, but what price do we as a society think is reasonable in exchange for saving the lives of innocent human beings?
This is an emotive issue, of course, but that doesn’t mean we should avoid discussing it.
The fundamental question for people who care about this matter is whether the foetus is a human being, and I believe it is, and if so, whether the mother’s prerogative to choose is ethically stronger than the baby’s right to live.
I’m not writing these comments to win favor with the religious right or to provoke feminist reaction. These are my personal views only.
