In our society, we simultaneously push science to its limits to help create life for infertile couples and to save the lives of children born prematurely.
At the same time, our law protects “a woman’s right to choose” at her discretion at any time and for any reason to terminate her pregnancy.
I and possibly a majority of Americans think we need to reach middle ground. To pro-life advocates, life begins with conception and abortion is murder. To pro-choice advocates, abortion is a women’s health and privacy issue.
I think both are untenable positions in their purest form. A single fertilized egg or a blastosphere is not a person. I don’t think the state should interfere in a woman’s decision to terminate an early pregnancy.
But a third trimester fetus is a person, and no one can tell me otherwise. They are born every day and we treat them the same way we treat full term babies.
The state does have an obligation to protect these children. Third trimester abortions are abominations and should be illegal, with exceptions for the life and health of the mother.
The real debate should be about the months between the first and third trimesters. I have no easy answer to that.
But we will never even have that discussion if we continue on this polarized path where babies, pregnancy and women’s rights are used to influence voters in elections and qualify or disqualify Supreme Court justices. Shame on the zealots of both sides.
Milwaukee
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