A cutoff point for abortions could be about 19 weeks, when a fetus demonstrably can experience pain. Some might argue it should be when a fetus can survive outside the womb, 24 weeks. Religion can be applied to,personal choice, but should not be a guide in democratic policy making in a secular nation (and all nations should be secular states).
I don’t have a specific view on this. But I think the boundaries we set must be such that they both protect abortion rights but also pregnant women against violence. For instance if we are too strict about what we consider a child then we give weak protections for the fetus of a pregnant woman subject to e.g. domestic violence causing her to loose her child.
I think if we ask a mother there will be different feelings about her fetus at different stages of development.
Few will think of an early embryo as “their child”. But once you feel someone kicking inside and having a very visible bump many will start feeling this is their “child” and as such afforded more protections than earlier stage.
In my native Norway there is not a single boundary. 12 weeks is no questions asked. Later you apply. Vast majority get their application accepted. But the later you apply the stricter it will be.
Yet very late applicants will get accepted when there are clear medical reasons.
I cannot remember any newspaper story where a pregnant woman who really wanted an abortion didn’t get it or felt unfairly treated.
Of course here it is not politicized and it is done at regular hospitals, not abortion clinics.
A cutoff point for abortions could be about 19 weeks, when a fetus demonstrably can experience pain. Some might argue it should be when a fetus can survive outside the womb, 24 weeks. Religion can be applied to,personal choice, but should not be a guide in democratic policy making in a secular nation (and all nations should be secular states).
I don’t have a specific view on this. But I think the boundaries we set must be such that they both protect abortion rights but also pregnant women against violence. For instance if we are too strict about what we consider a child then we give weak protections for the fetus of a pregnant woman subject to e.g. domestic violence causing her to loose her child.
I think if we ask a mother there will be different feelings about her fetus at different stages of development.
Few will think of an early embryo as “their child”. But once you feel someone kicking inside and having a very visible bump many will start feeling this is their “child” and as such afforded more protections than earlier stage.
In my native Norway there is not a single boundary. 12 weeks is no questions asked. Later you apply. Vast majority get their application accepted. But the later you apply the stricter it will be.
Yet very late applicants will get accepted when there are clear medical reasons.
I cannot remember any newspaper story where a pregnant woman who really wanted an abortion didn’t get it or felt unfairly treated.
Of course here it is not politicized and it is done at regular hospitals, not abortion clinics.