I was brainstorming today. I'm hoping I can get some input on this, so if you have an opinion on this, please let me know.
One of the things that bugs me is that my children never had any rights of their own in the womb. If they had been killed in the womb by an attacker, their deaths would have never been acknowledged by society.
So I'm thinking: there should be a way for moms to sign up for rights for their unborn children.
At 12 weeks after the last menstrual period (or gestation) the mom should be able to fill out a form so that the government can acknowledge her unborn child has some kind of right.
So it would give some unborn children some rights, but the abortion issue wouldn't be touched.
I think a lot of people could go for this. It would also bring to the forefront the moral dissonance between loving one's own unborn child, but not loving them enough to give them rights, or loving other unborn children to give them rights.
We could make it worth people's while by creating a child tax benefit from 12 weeks on, payable at birth (because some women will abort and change their minds).
And oh yes, even though these children would have rights, the women could still abort. I know that can sound harsh, but I think it makes the proposal even more feasible. If women continue to have the right to abort, then the poor-choicers can't say we're taking away rights. We're just giving them to unborn children.
What say you?
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
A possible fetal rights spin on "Reproductive Choice"
A possible fetal rights spin on "Reproductive Choice"
2006-05-02T22:27:00-04:00
Suzanne