bocajeff

It seems to me that the only rationale in thinking all types of abortion are wrong is a predominantly religious one.

Is the pro-life movement made up of mostly fundies?

Is there a rational way to find abortion wrong from a secular standpoint?

Talulah

I am an atheist but was raised a conservative Christian. I am not sure that I agree totally with abortion, as I just can't get over the idea that you are killing a living, breathing being. My unease is almost non-existant with regards to the 'morning after' pill or even an early (say 1st trimester) abortion but my unease with the idea gets greater as I think about the child getting closer to being self-sustaining outside the womb.

I guess since I have no mandate (from a religion)saying I HAVE to believe that abortion is wrong I am free to choose for myself whether I think it is right or wrong, and in what degrees, circumstances, etc.

I wouldn't be (and am not) involved in the Pro-Life Movement because I think choice is an important right to have. I am a woman but have never found myself in the position to have to chose, never having been pregnant. I do not know what it would be like and don't feel like I have a right to judge someone's actions when I haven't been through a similiar experiance. Also, to be honest, there have been times in my life, due to my life circumstances, where I knew if I got pregnant, I would have an abortion.

I hope this is close enough to an answer to your question.

Opera Nut

I took part of the TRO hearing in 1992 (during the Rep convention in Houston) and part of the trial in 1994 of Planned Parenthood versus Operation Rescue America, Flip Benham, Randall Terry, Don Treshman, etal.

Those people are scary, right wing Xtians, often catholic or lutheran, often german.
The doctors they protest against and sometimes kill are very often liberal Jews.
It's a culture war out there.

I was terribly traumatized by having to work in that court and look at those people. Sample testimony:

Q: What does your organization think of the murder of Dr. David Gunn at a womens' clinic in FLorida?

A Don Treshman) We neither condemn it, nor do we condone it.

[Huge incredulous gasp from the jury.]

Planned Parenthood was awarded $200,000 for the extra security they had to add to their local clinic.

The female civil judge was tossed out of office for that case, and replaced by a bible toting good ole boy who can't understand why he can't put up the ten commandments in his state courtroom.

Speechless

I'm also an ex-christy, but I still can't help but feel that some of the arguments against abortion are sound. (I was actually planning on starting my own topic on this matter, but I geuss that won't be neccesary now.)

It seems like it's a question of where life begins. If human life has begun before before birth, doesn't it's right to life outweigh the mother's right to avoid the inconvenience? That's how it looks to me, anyway. Of course, I have been raised on Catholic propaganda, so maybe there's something I'm missing?

Secular Pinoy

<a href="http://www.godlessprolifers.org/home.html" target="_blank">Atheist and Agnostic Pro-Life League
Homepage</a>.

and

<a href="http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/debates/secularist/abortion/index.shtml" target="_blank">Secularist Vs. Secularist - The Abortion Debate</a>

[ November 06, 2002: Message edited by: Secular Pinoy ]</p>

Corwin

Most anti-abortion types are rabid fundamentalist religious types... but there is also a leftist and even secular argument... there are atheist/liberal anti-abortion types who still for some reason feel that a fetus is a human life. I disagree... and their deeper motivation, (or at least explanation) tends to be that they're absolute pacifists as well... (which I also disagree with.)

So no, they aren't all Falwell groupies.

That is, however, the safe way to bet.