[Faunus]

Throwing my two cents in here... I have to say I agree with Goddess. One bad decision does not always equal a lifetime of punishment. Sometimes it does, but sometimes, we can also fix it.

I also want to point out that abortion is NOT a new thing, not even a 20th/21st century thing. Women (and sometimes men) have been performing abortions for a thousand years. Midwives used to be taught the right kind of herbs and techniques to get rid of unwanted babies. I wouldn't go so far as to say that abortion was considered okay, but most governments didn't actively go around hunting down doctors and midwives who performed them.

Making it illegal isn't going to stop abortion. There will always be rogue doctors out there to stick their necks out. And there will always be women (and their men) who are also equally willing to take matters into their own hands. Ever wonder why some people make clothes hanger jokes when they talk about abortions? Because girls used to do it. And some of them died.

Abortion is not something I could ever do, but I would never EVER think that it was okay for me to tell the girl next to me that it wasn't right for her either. It's not my body, and it's not my child, and it's not my decision.

Yep, people will be finding ways to do it... far more dangerous ones without a doctor, especially if they are young, desperate and surrounded by oppressive relatives. An innocent teenage girl could kill herself. I don't want to come across that I think it's always wrong, it's case-sensitive. But if we make hasty decisions we pay for it, either with a lifetime of guilt or sacrifice. On one side, it's a spiritual decision, on the other, a quality of life/species decision. We must respect people's right to use their own judgement, even if they regret it.