[DTguitarist99]

I think it is only justified the first few weeks after conception.

[smashthestate]

Excellent poll. I like the number of options which are accurate to most of the commonly held opinions on abortion.

[naked_turk]

Very short time after conception... If they cant be bothered to use protection, if they don't take the time to take a morning after pill, and they're too lazy to have the abortion within a couple weeks... then fuck them.

[The American Lion]

There is no way to get rid of Abortion. But, I'll ban all abortions except for rape, incest, or health of the mother.

[Comrade Nicolae Ceausescu]

There is no way to get rid of Abortion. But, I'll ban all abortions except for rape, incest, or health of the mother.

wow.If you don't like abortions,think its evil,etc,then don't get one.But don't be so selfish as to shove your individual opinoin down the throats of millions of women.Its their decision,So leave it to them.

[Comrade Ogilvy]

It's their decision.....to in his mind kill babies.

He'd be morally suspect if he DIDN'T try to get them banned.

[Comrade Nicolae Ceausescu]

In his mind.Notice the italics.You can't totally understand the issue unless you are a woman.So instead of making loud statements,just leave it up to the women.

[smashthestate]

In his mind.Notice the italics.You can't totally understand the issue unless you are a woman.So instead of making loud statements,just leave it up to the women.

Tell me, since none of us can really understand. Can she have an "abortion" after the baby is a month old?

[walkingbeard]

I voted with rape, incest and harm to the mother. Hmmm. Not sure about incest. Depends on the society (ancient Egyptians anyone ). Ideally, no.

On a subtly different note, I want to stand up for the rights of a (potential) baby's father. Excepting in the case of harm to the mother and in the case of rape, regardless of other conditions, the mother has no right abort her baby without the consent of the father. Ooo, it's her body, blah, blah blah. It's her body. Yep, for nine months. Nine months! Are you telling me, that you'd kill my child, who I am quite willing to take care of without you, just for the sake of nine months of comfort, out of your whole life? That attitude is seriously, seriously sickening!

[Comrade Ogilvy]

You can't totally understand the issue unless you are a woman

By that theory women should have never been allowed to vote in this country. Nor for that matter blacks. Because what do they know about government? They never took part.

People are either all equal and capable of understand all human experience, or they aren't and we can legally discriminate against groups we don't like.

[Maxim Litvinov]

The poll is OK, but has one drawback - there are four 'pro-abortion' and two 'anti-abortion' answers.

This means, that although the majority so far seem to favour abortion, even without it being an extreme case, it looks as though the 'never, except in extreme cases' answer is more popular at a cursory glance because the 'pro' vote is split into various categories.

If the question was 'Do you think that abortion is ever justified?' (Yes/No), then you would have about an 80% yes vote.

[Boris]

meh

[Comrade Ogilvy]

If the question was 'Do you think that abortion is ever justified?' (Yes/No), then you would have about an 80% yes vote.

But it wouldn't tell you anything. The fact that the majority think it should only be legal for a very short amount of time if at all says more than "80% for it.". If it was a question of "All abortions legal" or "No abortions at all" which side do you think the "Very shortly after conception" crowd would fall on?

Maybe they'd split. Some deciding "Pro-Abortion" and some "No abortion". That'd make it just about 50/50.

Which is just about how the "Pro/Anti" abortion stance plays out in this country.

Which I find amusing.

It's also nice to see which one choice has a commanding lead.

[Maxim Litvinov]

BobSally - my point exactly. If you just took a cursory glance at this survey, you'd see a big bar next to "only in extreme circumstances", when in fact, there are more people combined who think abortions are justified even *without* the need for 'extreme circumstances'.

If you want to get technical, 100% of those who have voted thus far believe that abortion is not absolutely wrong, if their answers are to be believed. So, it seems we are a bunch of pragmatists.

Of those who have voted, more than 50% believe that there are circumstances outside danger to mother, rape, etc. where abortion is perfectly OK. Which implies that while even those who oppose abortion generally recognise there are extenuating circumstances in some cases, those who are in favour of abortion overall don't even need such circumstances to say it's justified.

[Vivisekt]

those who are in favour of abortion overall don't even need such circumstances to say its justified.

Especially those of us who bristle at words like "justice" altogether due to the extreme relativity of the concept.

That being said, i voted "only until the fetus can survive outside of the womb". Not because i need to cater to a sense of justice as an emotional crutch to prop up my logical reasoning on the subject, assuming that selection provided me with one (it does not), but because to this point i've not been presented with a strong logical argument that would sway my opinion from the logical utilitarian default on the issue. That being, generally; abortion for any sane pregnant woman who wants it unless the baby can be instead removed and economically cared for, in which case that proceedure is performed in place of the former. Other factors might be relavant as well, on a case by case basis (rape, danger to the mother, et all).

The way i am currently inclined to see it, there are times when the situation warrants the termination of an unborn child which, at that point, makes the classificatory transition from symbyotic life to parasitic life. The potential emotional reprocussions of an abortion are of course relavant to the question as a factor eaqual to any other primary factor under consideration, but at the same time, outright emotional pandering is conductive to neither objective debate, nor responsible decisionmaking - and that is close to the entirety of what i have been presented by most anti-abortion people whom i've talked with over the years. In a sea of pandering and assumptions about the mechanisim of birth and the fundamental intellectual development of the fetal growth, i have not personally seen much in the way of solid counterargument.

Abortion seems to be a fundamental maternal action as it appears to have been taking place for thousands of years - our modern surgical technology only makes this process safer for the mother.

[David]

You didn't cover my position and the official teaching of the Catholic Church. I realize not everyone who calls himself Catholic accepts all of the teachings of the Church, but at least some of the billion Catholics worldwide do. That means me.

When is abortion justified? Never. Period.

The belief is that one can NEVER intentionally kill an innocent human being, even to save another one. The Church allows for the extremely rare procedures to save the mother which have nothing to do with abortion which might INDIRECTLY end in the death of the child. But it's difficult situation with lots of consultation needed.

I voted for the closest option since mine wasn't listed.

[Der Freiheitsucher]

The belief is that one can NEVER intentionally kill an innocent human being, even to save another one.

How about to save more than one?

[David]

How about to save more than one?

No. Not to save anyone or everyone.

EDIT: Capital punishment is not seen as murder, because the person has forfeited his right to life by his crime, therefore it is a different case. The Church still opposes it as unnecessary in modern society.

[Der Freiheitsucher]

How about to save more than one?

No. Not to save anyone or everyone.

So you're saying that the killing of an undeveloped fetus doesn't justify the lives of millions?

[David]

So you're saying that the killing of an undeveloped fetus doesn't justify the lives of millions?

An undeveloped fetus is just as human as you are I, in my belief. And no, one cannot do evil in order to accomplish good. Even if it were billions. Yes, that is what I am saying.