The diary below-thread about therapeutic abortion was chilling to me, I recommend the article.
It brings up a question which I consider now and then.
Say Kerry wins the election and Democrats win the senate. If it were realistically possible, would you be willing to accept a political compromise of accepting tighter controls on abortion in exchange for a viable universal health care system?
Here's my thinking- I understand the moral objections to abortion, and though I am pro-choice all the way, I am also disappointed by the pro-choice advocates' refusal, even fear, of admitting to the difficult moral choice that abortion is. This is a complicated, profound decision and I am pro-choice in large part because the Pro-life camp has framed the debate in terms that make the decision to have an abortion more traumatic than it needs to be. This should be the most private and respected decision a woman makes, period.
However-
If there was a garaunteed support structure in place for all children, pre- and post- natal, and thier parents, meaning they would never need to be concerned about health care, would women be less likely to opt for abortion, for either financial/ quality of life reasons, or because they knew they could put their child up for adoption and it would be taken care of?
There's lots of possible contingencies- for example, let's say that universal health care covers emergency contraception, so no woman would be forced to carry a pregnancy to term if she did not wish to.
The question is purely academic, but I find it interesting because it forces me to consider where my true values lie- and I think the Left suffers from a debiltating lack of clarity as to what precisely it stands for. I believe the ascention of the Right in America has more to do with their ability to project a definitive identity. I believe the Left holds the more morally positive positions, but we suck at projecting ourselves that way.
So- in very crude terms, the question is, would you trade abortion for universal health care?
Please feel free to "nuance" your response as much as you like.
