Pro-lifers believe that abortion is not
currently a crime, due to Roe v. Wade, but it should be one. Though,
interestingly enough, they often think that abortion providers, not the women
who get the abortions, should be punished, and the punishments they recommend
are not nearly as severe as the punishments for first degree murder. Does this make sense? If pro-lifers are right about the fetus, what kinds of punishments should there be for the parties involved in an abortion?
3 comments:
OP
"Pro-lifers believe that abortion is not currently a crime, due to Roe v. Wade, but it should be one."
Partly true. Actually, abortion and fetal homicide are crimes in most states depending on the circumstances. The present situation is a state by state patchwork of laws.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_the_United_States_by_state
"Though, interestingly enough, they often think that abortion providers, not the women who get the abortions, should be punished, and the punishments they recommend are not nearly as severe as the punishments for first degree murder. Does this make sense?"
That is partly a matter of political expediency. It is much easier to advocate punishment for abortion doctors, a tiny and generally unpopular electorate, than to advocate punishment of recently pregnant women, a very sympathetic and large electorate.
In criminal homicide intent is a big factor. The doctor has clear premeditation and profit motive intent. The woman can be argued to not realize that the fetus is even a human being and therefore had no intent to kill a human being.
Ted Turner once said "Abortion is not murder and I can prove it. Nobody has a funeral for a miscarriage".
The lack of equal treatment does indicate a lack of conviction in anti-abortion advocates for the truth of their own positions.
I don't know the answer to the question in the OP, but following on from that quote of Ted Turner mentioned by Stardusty ...
In a great many cases people do indeed mourn following a miscarriage, and I imagine that there are at least a few people who have held funerals. Also, in the case of a miscarriage people generally think of themselves as "losing a child / baby" not as "losing a fetus". None of this proves much, if anything, but it seems to be more than adequate to rebut Ted Turner's "Proof". Indeed a quick Google suggests that Turner's premise is simply false. See this for example.
Back in November a friend of mine had a granddaughter born prematurely, much too young to survive more than a few minutes. She had a funeral held for her, and to this day the family is still devastated at her loss.
That some people do not care about her death proves nothing.
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