Abortion compromise?

A family member and I were discussing abortion, and this is what I came up with.  He, even being anti-abortion, thinks it is a reasonable middle point.  Most Christians will not agree.

I certainly am as concerned about abortions as you are. It is unfortunate there have to be any, but so long as there is limited sex education in the schools (and at home) there will be young pregnant girls. And there will be pregnant women who don’t want any more kids. And the rare rape case. And those who are economically unable to support a kid (or more kids).

Sex education should be at home, but all too often it isn’t, so it is  needed in the schools. If parents or schools don’t teach birth control (at the appropriate age) those youngsters raging hormones will overcome “just say no”, as you know!

Then there is the issue of when is a pregnancy a life that should be protected? Here is where the differences are problematic. I know the Christian perspective is when the sperm hits the egg – that’s a human. Some of the most aggressive pro-choice folks say abortion is OK anytime before the woman is dilated 10 cm. Neither position seems to make sense.

But there is a fuzzy middle ground (isn’t there always?).

Most scientists would say it is not a human life at conception, or even at the early stages of growth as an embryo. The courts say when it is “viable” to live outside the womb maybe it is a human life, but Drs. can always justify abortion to “save the mother”. Viability, of course, keeps getting earlier and earlier as medical procedures get better. I don’t know how early a preemie can be kept alive and has a chance at a healthy life, but I think it is now somewhere around 6 mo. of development.

I, being a devotee of science, certainly think an early abortion, morning after pill, etc., is OK. (Did you know that a fertilized egg takes about 4-5 days to implant in the wall of the uterus? And that something like ½ never implant and are just flushed out even after a certain number of cell divisions? Therefore, is God / nature the biggest abortionist according to the Christian definition of when life begins?) And abortion is fine with me during the early months when it is a tiny ball of cells, or even a fetus, that has no chance of survival outside the womb. It may sound callous, but to me that is just a group of cells no bigger than a wart or a boil – not human life worthy of being preserved.

So maybe a compromise can be made, and has been tried, where an early abortion is OK (of course, you have to define “early”) and after a certain point it is not OK except to save the mother. Then encourage birth control for all, start early for teens who are going to have sex anyway, make birth control easy, cheap, and not stigmatized, so the number of pregnancies is way reduced. As a back up encourage pregnant teens / women to come in early to get a preg test, find out the genetics of the fetus if they are concerned about some genetic abnormality, and if an abortion is what they choose, do it very early.

As we all know, some women will still be in denial about their pregnancy. Some will get late abortions illegally even if outlawed. Or go to Mexico. Or do it themselves at home. Great risk but the desperate will break the law whatever it is.

So, should I be king?