by Paul Schingle

Created on: June 23, 2008

On a personal level, I wish no young woman would choose an abortion. But that's me. What is moral or ethical to one is not necessarily so of another. With the Supreme Court's ruling in Roe vs. Wade, it became clear that the courts view this as a choice for the impending mother. What is morally right? That's for the mother to decide. There isn't really any grey area. It's the mother's decision. Any restrictions put in place now would erode the gains made when Roe vs. Wade passed. And, what would be the restrictions some would want to see pass?

The classic restriction that I've seen argued is; a girl under the age of eighteen should not be allowed an abortion without her parents' permission. The most glaring problem with this argument is that there is probably a reason the girl isn't seeking her parents' permission. Maybe dad's abusive. Maybe dad's the father. We can't know. The fact is an eighteen-year-old girl is about as vulnerable as one could ask for. If she's already scared at being pregnant; if she's afraid to tell her parents for whatever reason then forcing her to reveal her plans to her parents is the worst thing you can do to her. This restriction may force her to choose to keep the baby. Of course, this is the idea behind the restriction.

Another restriction "pro-lifers" would like to see in place is, abortion shouldn't be allowed except in the case of rape, incest or if the mother's life is at stake. Again, this is a case of a group of people who want to change existing law based on their own morality. I understand the sentiment. A young woman really shouldn't be using abortion as birth control. However, circumstances that none of us know about may have led to an unwanted pregnancy. We may view a woman's decision to have an abortion in circumstances other than those of rape, etc. as an abortion of convenience, but again that's not our call to make. And passing this type of restriction is just another step closer to ending abortion rights, altogether.

Look, I'm not "pro-abortion" as pro-lifers like to say of those who are pro-choice. But, the fact of the matter is, any restrictions placed on abortion would lead to the further erosion of women's rights, as a whole, in the realm of reproduction and choice. The pro-lifers would gain traction to taking away abortion rights completely. And the Supreme Court has already told us, we can't do that.

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