Mrs. M wrote:
First trimester seems reasonable...12 weeks - certainly a woman would know in that amount of time that is pregnant and has decided for an abortion. Seeing some of the previous pics posted of 11 week old fetii (sp?) I'm moved to argue 4-8 weeks should be a sufficient amount of time.
Aside from these logistics, no one has touched on the issue of the the mother's MENTAL state after an abortion takes place. I'd be curious to hear if any of the women on the board have gone through an abortion. I have two good friends who did in their teens and early 20s and it had a profound emotional impact on them. How then does this impact the fact that a non-human bunch of cells has formed a bond with its host?
I think having an abortion is a traumatic experience for most women, but I do not think that is a reason to ban it entirely. I think Scalia said something along these lines (although he said it WAS a reason to restrict it). Lots of things that will have long-term negative consequences are legal. As an adult, I can choose whether to partake in those activities or not, and I don't need the government telling me I'm not allowed to make the choice because I might regret it down the line.
I do have two friends who decided to have abortions, and it did affect them. But no more than my uncle's decision to take up smoking affected him, or my other friend's decision to drive while the roads were very icy and unsafe and he ended up causing an accident that maimed another person. All of these things have negative consequences, but all are perfectly legal.
Interestingly, although I have not had an abortion, I was nearly aborted. My mom had a lot of miscarriages before becoming pregnant with me and was ecstatic that she was finally going to have a baby. Then some initial tests came back that I was severely deformed, had all sorts of problems, and likely would live one very difficult and traumatic year full of suffering before I died. She told me she went home and laid in her bed and sobbed for three days straight, now facing this situation and decision that nobody should have to face. Ultimately, further testing revealed that I would be perfectly fine, and I am, but the agony I see on her face when she talks about those few weeks today reveals how difficult that decision would have been for her. She told me that if those initial tests were confirmed, she was going to abort me. And to be honest, as a grown, 23-year-old person, I am very comfortable with that decision, and I am glad that she would have had the courage to that.