Abortions: yes or no?

[El_Machinae]

Well, I know it reads as if I'm really cold towards the topic; so I don't want to give the wrong impression (a page or so ago, Eran asked me to clarify about killing newborns - and I'm glad he did, 'cause I must have given the wrong impression).

But, saying that the aborted were our chance to solve our population crisis is kinda minimizing the problem. Everyone is having fewer babies, and holding the people who abort as responsible is not really fair to the issue at hand. It's not really their fault, it's everyone's (except for those having more than 2 children - they're to blame for overpopulatin )

 

[RedWolf]

I don't care what a woman does with her body, that is for her to decide, and she will take on the personal consequences.

The REAL issue is, that I -a tax payer- shouldn't have to pay for her 'elective surgery'.

I'm a conservative - and I'd like to see each life be given a chance. But, in reality, you can't legislate what someone does with their own body, unless you want to live in a society of fake freedom. But what does matter, is that if she wants to abort the pregnancy, it should not be paid for by ME and YOU, and a clinic funded by the gov't.

Whatever.

I don't think abortions cost you as a tax-payer any extra money at the end of the day. Carrying the pregnancy to term also likely costs you just as much (or more) as the abortion in medical costs. Abortion is probably far cheaper actually - it's an in and out procedure...

Pregnancy is also "elective". Are you not willing to pay for that as a taxpayer?

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

If cost is a factor, then I should remind you all that in the long run infanticide also ends up being cheaper than paying for all the expenses associated with being alive.

 

[El_Machinae]

Up until adult-hood, of course. Then some of us pay back the investment, with our production. There's a reason why per capita wealth goes up with population (to a point), because some people give back, over their lifetime, more than they took.

Of course, a great number of people don't ...

A quick test, though not a very good one, would be the realise that it took roughly $500,000 to get you to adulthood (paid by your parents and society). If you generate more than $500,000 in your lifetime as an adult, then chances are you're 'paying back'.

Though it's a rough figure, because the $500,000 has to have interest compounded into it, and so your 'debt' grows each year of adulthood too. Also, there are more reasons why it doesn't really work like that, but it helps paint a picture.