[lbo-talk] ABORTION

[John Thornton]

C. G. Estabrook wrote:
> The discussion of the ethics and politics of abortion doesn't seem to me 
> to depend on theism.  There are of course many theists who consider 
> abortion ethical, and there are opponents of abortion who are not 
> theists (e.g., Nat Hentoff of the Village Voice).
>
> Probably the most influential non-theistic argument against abortion was 
> set out in an article by Donald Marquis, "Why Abortion is Immoral," The 
> Journal of Philosophy (86:4).  It's not online, but you can find it if 
> you have access to a library with JSTOR; here are a couple of summaries:
>
> http://jme.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/27/6/363
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ethics/abortion/philosophical/future.shtml
>
> I must say that friends who've had abortions have almost always said 
> that they couldn't afford to have a child, either literally or 
> career-wise.  Their experience was that they had no choice, even though 
> they were relatively privileged people.
>
> A corollary of Marquis' argument would therefore seem to me to be 
> support for universal health care (not just insurance, of course), 
> guaranteed annual income, housing, eduction, etc.  In fact, if you're 
> opposed to abortion (as I am), then you have to be a socialist.  --CGE
>   

Marquis is so full of crap I can smell him from the next state over.
Perhaps the people who claim they cannot afford to have a child are 
simply parroting a social norm that says this is an acceptable reason to 
have an abortion rather than stating their true feelings that they 
simply don't wish to have one at this time because they don't wish to 
take on the burden of parenthood.
It is a necessary precondition for people to be free to be able to state 
the reason they wish to have an abortion is no ones business and 
correspondingly not be socially ostracized for stating. Only then will 
women be really free in their choice to procreate or not.
It's quite possible and rational to oppose abortion and oppose 
socialism. Millions of people do exactly that.

John Thornton