When does life begin? Boy, that is a hard question mostly because it is so very open ended. When does a group of cells become a person? Again, still a very open ended question. When does a group of cells earn all the rights and privileges of being a U.S. citizen? At 21 years of age I guess.
Abortion is such a tricky topic. So many views on either side that bring such passion and yes even some extremism. But the recent move to define a ‘person’ to include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the equivalent thereof smacks of the very same kind of extremism that kills abortion doctors (isn’t it ironic that a movement based on life goes around killing people?). First of all, I really do not understand the rationale behind telling someone who was raped or who suffered incest or who could die from trying to carry to term that they cannot get an abortion if they wanted to. In this day of IVF, that could also mean a lot more dangerous multiple pregnancies too or maybe no more IVF.
But in the end, I think that the debate is pointless. A women has the right to choose. Women have the right to choose when they get pregnant and the right to choose to stay pregnant or have an abortion. It is not a medical issue or a population issue or a religious issue. It is the same kind of right for a women as to vote, to get an education, own property, etc. Even the right to wear a veil if they so choose (I am against the law in France that says otherwise).
