Should the Government Pay for Abortions?

Reader Comments
Back to blog

to jeffrey w.- u r dumb

r ainn rousos of CA 7:05PM December 10, 2009

For whatever reasons, some people want taxes to pay for abortions for the poor and some are opposed to that. I am probably not the first to think of this, but why not put a line on the tax form that would allow the tax payor to specify whether or not they want to set aside $x to fund abortions (like we do with the presidential elections)? That way, those who want to fund abortions with their tax dollars could and those who do not would simply not set any of their taxes aside for that cause.

Jim Jones of CA 11:43AM October 09, 2009

i think that if you are under 18, then you can have an abortion. but 18 and up. No way! You Did this to your self!

crazyyyyyyy of ME 9:02AM October 07, 2009

Abortion is not murder because a fetus is not a person. Only a fetus is bodily parasite, not a small child or even an infant. A small child is dependent on adults but is not a parasite. Any adult can care for a small child. Only the pregnant woman can sustain the fetus within her. Thus it is a parasite. A parasites interests cannot trump those of the host. It is the host's property. End of story.
Does this mean that a pregnant woman who carries a fetus to term and delivers it can smoke, take drugs or do whatever she wants. No, because in that situation the woman's property will be a burden on others due to her abuse of it.
If I buy a car and keep it in my own garage, I am free to dismantle it. But if I drive it in public, I am not free to remove safety devices or anti-pollution devices which will endanger other persons.

Jeffrey W of CA 3:39AM September 02, 2009

These religious based arguements about Jesus and God, and whatnot aren't helping. The same Christians that had no problem committing genocide against the Native Americans? The same God that has no problem with miscarrages and stillborns?
I'm 26, and while I don't like the idea of abortion, let's fact it: abortion has existed for centuries. You all want to say that abortion is wrong? Figure out a solution for all the unwanted kids, then. What happens when all those unwanted children grow up, become violent criminals? Are you who are so pro-life willing to pay for each and every one of those children? In Canada, back-alley abortions were the leading cause of death for women of child-bearing age in 1968. So what is the solution? No really, aside from these asinine "God doesn't want you to kill your baby," arguments, can anyone ACTUALLY come up with a solution?
If a woman is going to have an abortion, she's going to do so whether it's legal or not. But pro-lifers would rather have those who are going to do so suffer even more. It's a very private issue, one that other people should nto be sticking their nose in.

Silver 8:48PM June 20, 2009

Many pro-choice advocates claim that a fetus in not a human. What is it, then, that makes you human?
Is it your size? If you were a little smaller or bigger, then would you stop being human? Do we kill a two-year old because they're smaller than a twenty year old? No. Your size doesn't make you human. Just because a baby is small when it's inside its mother's womb doesn't make it less of a human.
Is it your age? Were you less of a human when you were in Kindergarten than you are now? Of course not! Everyone was a baby at one time, so we can't say that we can kill a person just because they are young.
Is it because you are developed? Some people never develop lungs, or legs, or other organs. A first grade boy hasn't developed long legs and an adult's body at age six, but he is still a human. Just because a fetus doesn't have all the parts an adult does makes it no less a human than you or me.
Is it because you're not dependent upon anyone else for survival? Well, you certainly were as a child. Without a caregiver to feed, clothe, and change you, you would not have been able to survive. Even now we depend upon farmers to raise the food we eat, police to keep us safe, friends and family for support, and so on. We are interdependent upon one another. Just because a baby lives inside of its mother doesn't mean that it's not a human. That baby depends upon its mother for life just like we depend upon others to keep us alive.
Is it because of where you live? Would you be less human if you moved to India? If you lived in a cave, would you no longer be a person? Of course not. Where you live doesn't make you a person. Both your parents were human, and humans only make more humans.
Is it your DNA? Maybe if a fetus was just a random lump of kitten tissues, we would have the right to kill it, but a fetus has human DNA just like you do. No matter what way you look at it, a human baby is a person, whether it's inside its mother or out.
If a baby is a human, then killing that baby would be murdering a human. Just imagine someone telling you that it wouldn't be okay for someone to kill you, unless it was your mom, because she helped make you so she has the right to destroy you. Of course it's not okay for your mom to kill you! Just because a woman is pregnant doesn't mean that she has the right to kill the baby she helped create. OUR JOB IS TO PROTECT EVERY PERSON, regardless of their size, age, development, dependency, or location.
"A PERSON'S A PERSON, NO MATTER HOW SMALL."

Stephanie of OR 7:29PM February 15, 2009

I think that abortion is never right, no matter the case. Adoption is Always an option. and if you aren't ready to have a child then you should not have sex, simple as that. And if you are, or think you are ready to have a child, at least wait till you are 18 years of age. Sorry for those of you that had/have dumb parents that didn't or don't want you, but other kids have been adopted and have found a loving home. and that is a billion times better than being killed because some ones parents were too dumb to take the proper precautions. but i do think i shouldn't have to pay for some surpise.

angie of CA 6:57PM February 03, 2009

Women are dying, being mutilated, are being denied basic rights such as food, water, shelter and an education...and this new President elects instead to funnel money into something that, whether he likes it or not, is considered the most horrible of crimes in many of the cultures he wants to reach. He is very out of touch. Lets focus instead on getting women all over the world basic healthcare, running water and an opportunity to be treated as human beings.

Marta of TX 1:24PM January 30, 2009

the freedom of choice act forces doctors who are morally opposed to abortion to perform them. if that's not the definition of tyrrany, I don't know what is.

Mike of PA 12:02AM January 26, 2009

What a curious people we are. The same voices that rise in defense of the children killed in war rise to defend the right to take an unborn child's life. The same voices that cry for justice and equality for the poor and helpless ignore the pain and suffering in the death of an unborn child who has nothing and is completely dependent on her mother. Underneath all these voices calling for justice, freedom, equality, humanity and so on, there is only one value that makes sense of these differing calls - only one common vision - self-service. Selfishness. In 5,000 years of recorded human history nothing has changed. War/peace - colonization, slavery, Nazi conquest and concentration camps, racism, materialism, all the so called calls for justice: all motivated by selfishness. How can anyone take such calls serious, when deep down we all know - its about being selfish.
How can a people consider themselves just, how can we consider ourselves noble, when we would rather sacrifice our unborn on the altar of individual liberty than be moved by self-sacrifice to uphold liberty and justice for all? How we have fallen from the vision of our nation.

Dave Reedy of VA 10:49PM January 25, 2009