ANSWERS: 100
  • Yes. For me, a person is a person at conception - meaning as soon as that sperm and that egg are connected, that is a living human being. Many people don't agree with this idea - perhaps even most people. The question is where do you draw the line. Is the baby a person when it forms a brain? When it's mother is in her third trimester? These questions can never be answered, so I believe it's best to draw the line as early as possible. AntigoneRising: Even if you define a fetus as a person, that doesn't solve how to reconcile conflicts of the rights of the fetus (person) with the mother (person who also has rights). The question was if abortion was murder. I said that yes, it is. I chose to simply answer the question and not go too deeply into the issue, partly because I dislike people who say too much of their opinion, and partly because I still haven't formed opinions on some of it.
  • yes it is murder.. I agree with the comment before me..
  • No, I don't think it's murder. I don't think that potential is enough to make it a person. It is nothing more than a glob of cells. The line does have to be drawn somewhere, though. I believe that if a baby can survive outside the mother, it has achieved personhood. The problem is, although everyone is entitled to their own opinion, some feel the need to push personal feelings on others. You asked for opinions and that is just what I gave you. Now you have to decide for yourself what you believe and what you can live with. No one can answer that but you.
  • Yes, Have you seen pictures of a baby fetus?
  • -----you're damned right it is----
  • Yes, Abortion is murder.
  • erm... I struggle with this. I don't really think its quite on the same level as actual murder (For example- if a mother's life were at risk from carrying a child, I think forcing her to carry it is far closer to murder than allowing an abortion. Forcing a young girl who's been raped to give birth to the child of her own father I think also amounts to a far greater crime than abortion). But that's not to say I feel comfortable about it either. I think society has become very flippant about the issue- women get pregnant at inconvenient moments and have a "oh never mind, I'll just get an abortion" attitude. I think its a highly unpleasant thing that I'd really rather didn't happen- but there are situations where its the lesser of two evils.
  • An abortion is the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in, or caused by, its death. This can occur spontaneously as a miscarriage, or be artificially induced through chemical, surgical or other means. Commonly, "abortion" refers to an induced procedure at any point in the pregnancy; medically, it is defined as a miscarriage or induced termination before twenty weeks gestation, which is considered NON-VIABLE Viability means in general "capacity for survival" and is more specifically used to mean a capacity for living, developing, or germinating under favorable conditions. Other examples: In the context of pregnancy, viability refers to either: an early stage pregnancy that has a chance of reaching full-term and a live birth (as opposed to, for example, an ectopic pregnancy); or the shortest length of pregnancy after which a child born prematurely has a chance of survival. Generally, this ranges from 20-27 weeks. In an environmental conservation context, viability indicates the ability of a conservation target to persist for many generations or over long time periods. In the context of experimental biology, viability of cells and tissues refers to the extent to which those cells and tissues are living. In the context of natural selection, the fraction of individuals that survive to a given age. In the context of economic development, viability indicates the ability of benefits to cover costs in development projects.. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia! George Carlin also has an interesting take on abortion, refer to his album "You Are All Diseased".
  • Are you asking about abortion in general, or elective abortion? For instance, I had a miscarriage. The medical term for this is "spontaneous abortion." The pregnancy was aborted and terminated. In any case, I do not believe that it is. Certainly not in the case of a spontaneous abortion. Aside from whether or not abortion is murder, we have to ask quite a lot of other questions to get to any real understanding of elective abortion in society. Abortion is a complex social issue with a history dating back thousands of years. (My questions address the United States, as I am a member of that society.) What happens if we scale back government benefits for single mothers and their children, yet require women to give birth? Is it ethical to require a woman to carry a pregnancy to term, and incur the expense (not just financial expense, but the permanent changes to her body, the reaction of society, the pain and discomfort) against her will? If you are forcing her to be pregnant and give birth, does that come with an equal responsibility to share in the total cost (which, again, is not entirely financial) of that requirement? Is it Constitutional to deprive a woman of autonomy over her body without due process of law? Why do women have abortions in the first place? How can those underlying problems be solved? Simply outlawing elective abortion will not solve those underlying social issues. Will outlawing elective abortion stop it? History tells us that the answer to this question is no. It simply forces it underground to illegal practices (such as the family who recently forced a pregnant teenage girl to drink turpentine...an act that was already illegal...) that are unsafe. (This is one of the reasons people supported legalizing it in the first place.) What about rape/incest victims? Are we now saying that they had to be forced to have sex and now we are going to further victimize them by forcing them to give birth to the child of their attacker? What about the health of the mother? Does she not have equal rights to life? If the pregnancy is, purposely or not, threatening her life, does she not have a right to defend her life and health by ending that pregnancy? Is it ethical or Constitutional to require a woman to do something with her body that is not required of a man? Does defining a fetus as a live person mean that a woman has the obligation of maintaining that live person inside her own body against her will? I do not think that it does. I think this argument skips a few steps. http://womenshistory.about.com/od/abortionuslegal/a/abortion.htm
  • No I don't. In my opinion, life begins at birth. After all, we celebrate our BIRTHdays not our CONCEPTIONdays. You count how old you are from the day you were born, not the day you were conceived. Although I don't think abortion is something to be taken lightly, I am strongly pro choice.
  • It's a tricky one I have to say. I mean, there are so many different circumstances to consider as to whether it is right or wrong. I've had this argument before, in the circumstances when someone is raped. I think it might of been Bob (sorry if it's wrong) that said that the fact that the baby was concieved out of rape doesn't make it any less deserving of life. I sort of agree, that at the beginning no life is worth less than anothers. However,do you know what it's like to be raped? Imagine such an earth shattering experience, and then bringing up the rapists child? Honestly, how many people can say they could do that, really? And people make mistakes yes, and things happen we can't always control no matter how hard we try. So I believe abortion can be a good thing. This isn't answering the question, but I felt I had to say that too. In my opinion (and all you pro-life people and religious will hate this as usual) abortion is not murder. The feotus hasn't lived a life yet, it isn't born. Sometimes it's the kindest thing to do. All you people who can't see that sometimes this is the best option, and that every child should be born, are you going to adopt all the thousands of children living in misery in care?
  • Yes, abortion is murder. It is the killing of a living human being and is therefore murder.
  • Ive struggled personally with this question all my life (like many have). On one side I have religious teachings and beliefs, on the other is the understanding for a womans right to choice and their body. Murder is a very powerful word and at least in my viewpoint I believe it is murder if the abortion is performed past the medical professions timeline in which a fetus could survive if birth had occured at the time of the abortion (except if the mothers life was in serious danger). I am not comfortable with the notion by some that abortion can be used at any stage of the pregnancy (as a form of birth control) but there are many woman (in some cases girls) who request an abortion because of rape or health reasons and the title of 'murderer' is not fair to them or their immediate family. I know many will disagree on both sides of the debate but I hope my opinion was found helpful.
  • it depnds on person to persons conscience - there is nothig hard and fast rule about it. is it a worse crime to kill a full fledged living animal or a few bunch of human cells still in the stage of conception.
  • I believe that abortion is a special case. Read on completely before blasting me. I think we can all agree that the intentional killing of a being capable of surviving outside the womb is terrible. In this case, I would say, "Yes, it's murder" unless there are extenutaing circumstances such as the mother's life being at risk. Some hard-core right-to-lifers argue that the baby comes first even then but these are usually the people that sit outside Planned Parenthood with a sniper rifle, or at least support those fanatics. Some believe that using birth control is murder because sperm is supposed to meet egg and make life. This argument is only a small step removed from accusing any woman who has ever had a period of murder merely because they allowed one of their eggs to go unfertilized. Where do we draw the line? Personally, I believe that in early pregnancy when all you have is a clump of cells then abortion is no more murder than taking antibiotics to cure an infection. Once the fetus actually forms a bit more, it should be allowed to live and possibly given up for adoption. However I feel that abortion should be an option as a person desperate to terminate their pregnancy will do so by any means necessary, possibly including suicide. I know someone who nearly died from a back-alley abortion. You may say that they deserve to die for sinning. If you do, then I hope your lack of mercy just lost you your spot in Heaven. I believe that it is not murder if the child would face an uncertain life. Is it moral to let a child bounce from orphanage to orphanage, never learning to love or form meaningful relationships just because some bible-thumper wanted them to have a pulse? Is that a life? How about the desperate woman that doesn't know their options and winds up with a child they can't take care of? The poor kid winds up malnourished, doesn't receive proper medical attention... may be better off never having been born? I think so. What about the young girls that drop their newborns in the nearest trash can? I believe they should've gotten abortions, but whether due to social or legal reasons, could not and did not. Maybe if they had been allowed sex ed in school and learned about birth control... separate issue. What it boils down to is, "Is mercy killing wrong?" and ,"Where do we draw the line?". While I would like to see all unwanted pregnancies end in adoption by a loving family, I am realistic enough to know that this usually does not happen and I refuse to allow people, child or mother, to suffer just because somebody else read a book. To me, abortion usually isn't murder unless it is done solely because the mother finds the pregnancy inconvenient.
  • We've all had an opinion here, all had our say, because we have not been aborted. Unfortionately no fetus had their say.
  • I completely agree with Jervinator. This "line" between human and not human has always bothered me -- the point of conception seems totally arbitrary: where does something stop being a glimmer in the parents' eyes, and when does it become a "human" with intrinsic right to life. Indeed -- catholic cosmology draws the line all the way back to a couples intention, so they consider birth control and masturbation wrong as well. In many Catholic nations, it is common to consider a fetus' "life" as more valuable than it's mother's life, even if the mother's life is more viable. I'm all for religious beliefs -- but when religious people try to encode them into civil law -- that's wrong. Especially when comparing a glob of cells with it's mother's life. I can buy arguments that a measurable heart beat in a fetus is a sign of life -- but whether it's human at that point... who's to say?
  • it most certainly is murder.
  • Abortion is not murder, but a choice, a civil right. Americans have control over their own bodies. People may do drugs, smoke, curse-- do all types of things one may not agree with, but that is just it... you don't agree, but everyone is entitled to live their own lives and make their own decisions. You can say that you do not agree with abortion, call it irresponsible, or say that you are pro-choice and support it. Either way it is just your opinion, but still an individual's choice. Perhaps the REAL question is, why do people think they can extend their personal choices onto others? Live your own life and let others be.
  • I'm assuming that the term "arbortion" in the question refers to voluntary abortion of a viable fetus through legal means. Murder is a legal term. It describes a crime. A crime is an act which society has deemed punishable. Abortion is legal in the US, therefor it is not murder. Better questions would be: Should abortion be considered murder? Is abortion wrong? Is it a sin? I've worked in abortion clinics and I've worked outside as a clinic escort. I've been through this argument a million times. It is a pointless argument with no answer. The two sides are starting with differant, incompatable hypotheses: the fetus is/not a full human being. When you start with to differing assumptions, not logical argument will ever arrive at an answer. I do believe that if you think abortion is murder then you can not make exceptions for rape and incest. Murder is our highest crime and can not be trumped by rape and incest. A person is no less of a person because his biological father was a bad person.
  • Yes I do....Unless the mother is danger or some sort....But still....All I see on these question is most people saying that it isn't murder but what do you call it when you take a life away from something that was living? it's murder even though people seemed to have make it look as if it isn't
  • (slightly edited on April 3rd, 2008) Yes of course abortion is murder. I am the father of three boys and a girl; so I have been through the process enough to see first hand evidence. While the baby is in the womb the baby will show definete signs of emotion and thought process (such as dancing to music (my second son really liked jazz music). The baby also has moodiness (when something invades it space such as my arm resting on my wife's stomach. For example, my first son kicked my arm so hard it knocked my arm about an inch off of my wife's stomach). They will also play, one of my son's would chase the sonogram deal around the stomach and kick it. We saw my third son crying in the sonogram, and then immediately begin to such his thumb to calm himself down. The heart is beating, pushing blood through the veins. The baby is digesting food through the umbilical cord. By definition a living being is anything that is "capable of vital functions." which these most certainly are. The unborn baby is definetely a living organism. When the science of logic is applied, the support is overwhelming. Since it is a human outside of the womb, it would by all use of logic be one inside of it as well. Biology is also an overwhelming support. Since there is no genetic change in the DNA at any point in the pregnancy (or at delivery), then the unborn baby must be considered human at all times after conception. Now then, since murder is the premeditated choice to kill another human, it must be concluded that the volitional and premeditated decision involved in abortion to kill the unborn baby is in fact murder.
  • yeah, yur killing the baby, any kill is murder. Homicide=Murder; Suicide=Murder;Abortion=Murder. It's as simple as that
  • I'm very neutral on the subject. As a man, I don't think I can have a weighty opinion on the matter, ethically and socially. I see both sides. Pro-life- I can see where the 'choice' argument falls apart, I mean, everything is a choice. Giving to charity is a choice, murder is a choice, everything is. Even if the baby is born into poverty or what have you, at least it has the experience of living. If I were a fetus and I were told I could either die-not knowing what lies on the other side of that, or live in extreme poverty. I would choose to live. Pro-choice- I can see how under MANY circumstances an abortion would be not only acceptable, but ethical. Rape, incest, complications for mother/baby. There are a myriad of different scenarios. So is abortion murder? I can humbly say, I don't know.
  • Okay, the morality issue has been discussed as has the beginning of life, as has the fact that it is an unpleasant fact of life. So, please, do not respond along these lines. Let me offer a response for the sake of variety. Thanks. The legal question. If you cause by negligence or intent a pregnant woman to lose her child, you can be charged with murder. This is a crime. Just because the child/fetus lives in you, are you exempt from the law and the concept of murder? Logically, I would say that you are guilty of murder. Practically, I believe there are circumstances where abortion is justifiable. Personally, all life is to be honored and when one of us is diminished, we all suffer an insult to our humanity. How's that for fence straddling? Judging from the strength of the responses to this question, this is a passionate issue and a truly tragic one for mother, child and society. My position: If safe, legal abortions are not available, women will go overseas if they can afford it, or resort to the coat hanger solution. The law can moderate behavior, but it cannot prevent it, only punish the offenders.
  • yes i think abortion is murder!!! think about this, whould you kill you child that is 15 minutes old? i think not! so why kill a baby that is in the womb? if you dont want a baby,dont get pregnant!!!!
  • No. Sometimes not being born at all is better than to be born & live in the conditions some children live in.
  • No. I think it saves lives when used responsibly.
  • Men are obviously entitled to their opinions on this matter; but I do often feel that it is somewhat arrogant of any male to inflict that opinion on any woman in a way that suggests they know what's best. Yes, I know that men are involved in reproduction as well. But an aborted pregnancy, free of all the emotions that are understandably attached to it, is a medical procedure. Please spare me, "Yes, but it's a medical procedure that..." It's still a medical procedure. If anyone is qualified to tell anyone else what medical procedure they should or shouldn't have, it is not I. And chances are very good that it's not you either, especially - in this case - if you're male.
  • This is a channeled answer by Carol in Israel from the angels of the Tree of Life and we want to talk about abortion and what it means to murder a fetus. Most people are confused about the subject because they do not know when the fetus actually is considered a human being. We want you to know that the fetus is considered a living human being the minute it is conceived because that is when the soul enters the body. Even when it is only a few cells it has the spark of God energy in it and starts developing into a human form with all that is necessary to live its life on earth. The soul can leave the human body before it is born and does this several times before the baby actually comes into the world. Once it is in the world it is a fully developed human being with a soul. Abortion is a very controversial issue for the human race. It has caused many people regret and many people use it as a way of ridding themselves of unwanted pregnancies. We want you to know that it is not a sin to have an abortion if the mother so wishes it. She is the one who needs to decide because she is the person responsible for bringing up this child and if she is incapable to do it for any reason she has the right to terminate the pregnancy. The soul that is meant to go into this physical body will find another physical body to go into when the time comes and it is not a problem. The mother does not need to feel guilty about needing to abort a fetus and she is not murdering her child. Before the child is born and when it is in the early stages of development the soul can very easily leave this body and find another. Remember that the soul is the essence of life and not the human body. You can never murder a soul and the soul goes on living for eternity. The human body is only the vessel for the soul to incarnate into to live a life on earth to learn the lessons it needs to learn. If this vessel or human body does not develop then it can find another. This is a channeled answer from the angels of the Tree of Life
  • I would not have an abortion and I would not encourage anyone else to have an abortion. Can you read between the lines on this?
  • if its not deformed then yes
  • YES,YES,YES,YES All Abortions are murder. Did your mother murder you, NO! she kept you and loved you. So why do you want to MURDER your baby?
  • Depends on the circumstances... If a 12 year old girl gets raped in an alley and wants no memories of her attacker, yes! If a stripper had a bad night and wants to be back on the pole before it ruins her finacially, no.
  • I agree with abortion for women who have been raped, whos children would have a mental dissablity or physical disfiguement, or if the birth would threaten the life of the mother. The last two of these can be proven. The first of these however is probly the most common occurance of people who want abortions out of these three. It is the one that shouldnt be questioned as to the reason behind it. However, it is very hard to prove which causes alot of problems.
  • I feel that it is the woman's choice to decide whether or not to have the baby, of course after considering the man's opinion and the family. However she is the one who will go through the pain, experience the miracle, and live with the result, so it must be her decision and only her decision to make. IF she is not ready to have the baby then aborbtion must be made available to her, because otherwise her life could be ruined. I guess i can see the arguement "you ruin the babies life" but i do not find the "baby" a baby until well in to its development, a fetus to me is not a life. My opinion i suppose, which also sways me towards stem cell research, but anyways Also consider: What if she was raped? What if the man is unknown or has abandoned her? What if the woman will die during childbirth due to a disease, and she knows this ahead of time? What if the woman is a drug addict which will carry effects on to the baby or make child rearing nearly impossible? what if the woman plans to abandon the baby if she can not have an abortion? Such thigns must be considered EDIT-Coheed has brought up that some of my answer is not exactly clear, please read the comments below for further explanation. (yes i could change my answer right here and svae oyu the trouble, but i'd like to leave it original)
  • I agree with abortions for all the reasons given by the other answerers here and one more of my own. Women in poor countries where abortion is illegal, are dying in large numbers because they are forced to undergo illegal operations in underground clinics, at the hands of unqualified practitioners who are only in it for the money. So, it is a fact that even if you make them illegal, women will still seek to have them done, because ultimately , no one can tell a woman what to do with her own body. One way therefore leads to high risk of death or permanent injury, and the other to the best care she can get! To me, the choice is obvious.
  • This subject, as in religion and politics, is very contraversial, so with that said, I will simply say I am pro choice.
  • I do not see how I can agree or disagree with abortion, as abortion cannot hold an opinion. Do you mean to inquire as to whether or not I agree that women have a right to one? Do you mean to inquire as to whether or not I'd have one? Do you mean to inquire as to my stance on abortion? This question could be a bit clearer. I am going to answer it assuming that the question is inquiring as to my stance on elective abortion rights. I am pro-life (literally, for life) and pro-choice. I am not anti-abortion. I support a woman's right to autonomy over her own body. Copied from my answer to another question on abortion: We have to ask quite a lot of questions to get to any real understanding of elective abortion in society. Abortion is a complex social issue with a history dating back thousands of years. (My questions address the United States, as I am a member of that society.) What happens if we scale back government benefits for single mothers and their children, yet require women to give birth? Is it ethical to require a woman to carry a pregnancy to term, and incur the expense (not just financial expense, but the permanent changes to her body, the reaction of society, the pain and discomfort) against her will? If you are forcing her to be pregnant and give birth, does that come with an equal responsibility to share in the total cost (which, again, is not entirely financial) of that requirement? Is it Constitutional to deprive a woman of autonomy over her body without due process of law? Why do women have abortions in the first place? How can those underlying problems be solved? Simply outlawing elective abortion will not solve those underlying social issues. Will outlawing elective abortion stop it? History tells us that the answer to this question is no. It simply forces it underground to illegal practices (such as the family who recently forced a pregnant teenage girl to drink turpentine...an act that was already illegal...) that are unsafe. (This is one of the reasons people supported legalizing it in the first place.) What about rape/incest victims? Are we now saying that they had to be forced to have sex and now we are going to further victimize them by forcing them to give birth to the child of their attacker? What about the health of the mother? Does she not have equal rights to life? If the pregnancy is, purposely or not, threatening her life, does she not have a right to defend her life and health by ending that pregnancy? Is it ethical or Constitutional to require a woman to do something with her body that is not required of a man? Does defining a fetus as a live person mean that a woman has the obligation of maintaining that live person inside her own body against her will? I do not think that it does. I think this argument skips a few steps. http://womenshistory.about.com/od/abortionuslegal/a/abortion.htm
  • There is a point, during foreplay, when everyone would agree that there is no human life. There is another point, at birth, when everyone agrees that there IS human life. The real question is, at what point does the change occur. Conception is the only well established point that the average person can identify, so we can understand the attraction there for the black and white crowd. Interestingly enough, this is very similar to another question that divides liberals from conservatives. At a 0% tax rate the government gets to money. At 100% tax rate they get no money (Who's gonna work if the government takes it all?) So, they differ about what point on the Laffer curve produces the most revenue. I'm not trying to be difficult, but asking for a binary answer (yes/no) is usually unproductive in this perenial argument. Perhaps if people identified at what point abortion is ok, we might get somewhere.
  • I'm pro choice and think abortions done within the first 3 months are fine, but depending on the situation, if your having sex, you should know your consiquences and keep the baby. I don't really agree with Late term abortions, but if their is a medical reason then it's ok!
  • The original question asked was whether I was for or against abortion, it was moved. The below answers that question, not whether its murder or not. There were enough answers on that that I didn't originally add, just rated. But, its here now, so there ya go. _____________________________________________________________ Boy, not many pro-lifers here. I do not agree with abortion. A child, in whatever state, does not have the mothers dna and within a few weeks may not even have her same blood type. They are finder that earlier and earlier before birth children can experience pain, and I don't see how being cut into pieces and sucked out of a hose cannot be painful. (not to mention having an incision in your head and having your brains sucked out then being delivered) As for abandonment, adoption is a loving option. And for underground abortions, people are going to kill other people, its illegal and it still happens and sometimes innocent people (or those not intended to be killed) get caught in the cross-fires. Should we legalize murder? Oh wait, we already did that. Whatever the arguments, abortions past a month are just cruel. And personally, I don't agree with them at any time after conception. My opion, go ahead and rate me down and show how tolerant you are of others peoples opions. A side note, mothers have many of the same if not worse psychological issues post abortion. Ask any single mom if she'd want to kill her kids now, and I doubt you'd ever hear a serious yes.
  • I don't exactly agree with it, a better solution would be for women to not have promiscuous sex when they're not prepared to care for a child, but since that seems pretty distant, I geuss it's the best solution for the time being.
  • Just to throw another wrench into the works, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004 expands the definition of murder to include any unborn child against the mothers will. This is a very good thing. Prior to that the courts had to go all the way back to 1700's common-law decisions about whether the fetus was "quick" or not (could survive outside the womb). Since there was no medical technology back then, the rule was this: if you harmed a woman and her baby was born dead, no crime. If you harmed a woman and the baby was born alive, but then died from the wounds, you were guilty of murder. FYI.
  • If you want to be very technical, when a sperm and egg join they begin the process to form a living being. Non-living things do not undergo mitosis. There's your answer. Part of this debate has arisen because our Founding Fathers were moreconcerned about a nation and its proposed integrity. The thought of abortion probably did not come across their minds.
  • I think you have to clearify when? 7 months, 3 months, 3 weeks ?
  • It deppends on how far you are, and why you are taking one. Personly i would never take an abortion. But i can understand for example if you have been raip'd and take an abortion, and i woulden't consider that as ''murder'''. But i DONT think you should use abortion as a 'birth contrll'. i actually have a lot of oppinions about this, but i don't know the enlish term for most of them. but i don't think you should be aloud to take an abortion after week 10, if you don't have any spesial sercomstendes. When you can see the fetus fingers, and see that it's going to be a baby, i think it a kind of murder. if it's not something really spesial that makes you take one. IT'S NOT JUST BLACK AND WHITE. THERE ARE SOME GREY AREAS.
  • I am pro life.
  • not until the embryo is a foetus. honestly i think life begins in the last few months of the pregnancy, when if the baby is removed it cries. people who believe life begins at conception (and i know ill get rated down for this) should realise that an embryo is no more self aware than a cell. if you believe that abortion is wrong because it is taking a life, what about desexing animals? isnt that destroying potential lives? but it is neccessary for helping existing lives or even a better future for future dogs and cats, with the number of strays there are. this is a topic as controversial as stem cell research, which is also neccessary for helping those living in pain. but prolifers think that lives that havent even begun and are easy to replace are more important than the eight year old with cancer.
  • it is a murder and so it is the death penalty. this is a dilemma so I express my opinion without trying to impose it.
  • my opinion is no
  • i wasnt sure weather to answer this question or not because people feel very strongly about this but my opinion is that yes abortion is murder. if you really dont want a baby then i think adoption is best because then at least the baby as a chance to experience life. why should an unborn child suffer because of a mistake? i do understand there are other reasons for abortion but i still dont agree with it
  • No. To be perfectly frank, I have HAD ONE and I don't feel like a murderer. I think there are some issues that just blur the moral lines. There will never be a resolution to this debate. I don't think it's necessarily the best thing in the world to have an abortion, and I certainly felt the tell-tale guilt after mine. But to go so far as to call it murder? That's crossing a few lines that shouldn't be crossed, in my opinion. By lumping in abortion with hate crimes, cold-blooded killing, etc we instantly condemn the women who have done something to protect themselves out of necessity. Of course it's not right to go about having abortions left and right - but in dire straits, you do what you have to do to survive. Think about it. How many women do you know who say, "Gee, I feel like having an abortion. Let's kill some fetuses!" Most of them are confused, alone, unsupported and simply not strong enough to bring a child into the world. And it's not just emotional strength we're talking about here: in a situation where carrying a child could inflict actual physical harm on a woman, what do you do? Do you force the woman to continue on with the pregnancy, potentially doing irreversible damage to her body, or do you do the medically responsible thing and relieve her of her suffering? It's not up to middle-age mostly Conservative men who never have been, never will be, and never will understand what it's like to be pregnant. I think the decisions should always be left up to the woman, and not a man in an office who simply will never understand her plight. It's foolish to think that could ever be a satisfactory solution. Call me a bleeding heart liberal, a bad person, a baby-killer. Call me whatever you want. I'm just smart enough to actually stand up for what I believe in.
  • if its not a baby your not pregnant...think about that! taking a life whether its just beggining or ending who are we to play god?obviously god had a plan or that child would have never been created,we all have a purpose in life.
  • no i do not, people think that they are ready to have a baby but when they get to that point of having it, they think "i am soooo not ready", its their disicion. i hope this has answered your question, your truly, willsmith
  • Ahhh.....today's question that plagues man. I suspect this question will become a popular one on answebag. In a nutshell, i believe it is a choice. Im not pro-choice, im saying IT IS A CHOICE, no argument until it's outlawed entirely. If you wish to feel for my views, read on. Otherwise go about your business. I have before me an excert from my site, and i quote: " Hmmm.....checking my e-mail here, it appears theres some people that want to know what i think of abortion, i'm sure whatever i say will get bitched out but i'll say it anyways. It's none of anyone elses damn business if somebody got one. It's a choice that the woman can make and it's none of anyone else's concern if they want to terminate. What about rape victims? Should they be forced to have some creep's kid? I mean come on, would you rather take care of it at its roots or have the kid be born into a home where it is unwanted, put up for adoption, abused, put out on the street, orphaned, there are so many damn variables, i can't even begin. I hate these bible bastards that want to decide everything for other people. If you let some muslims have their way, women would wear headscarves and robes while men went around "not drinking" and having sex with each other. Yeah that's right, i said it. In some middle eastern countries, women are used only to reproduce while men use men for pleasure. FUBAR. As for stem cell research, im all for it. STFU george bush with you fuckin "morals". "Oh no! Don't use those cells to save lives! Throw them in the trash! Anything else is immoral!" Stupid asshole. You know down south though, people are up to their neck in bible shit and when stuff like this is vomitted in their direction, they duck. Honestly, you take a heavy southern accent, add religion and some KFC, what do you have? A classic example of an ignorant american. These are the same people that held onto slavery for dear life. Now im not saying all southerners are slave driving hicks but they allow all kinds of stereotypes to crop up and continue to live out of their mom's trailer while watching tv on the lawn with a bucket of KFC." Now i will say that abortion IS murder, no denying it, but it is a final solution to save a woman from an unwanted child. If you oppose this, great. Protest all you want but it's seriously not your business. At the time aborted fetuses are aborted they cannot think(at least rationally), they don't and won't know the difference. If you go after aborting mothers then why not go after women that "tie their tubes"? That could have produced a famous scientist or world leader! Or go to the mega extreme and go after men who have vasectomys, they could have denied many important lives. Now im not saying the "choice" should be abused. Prostitutes and strippers should be legally required to be "fixed". Each pregnancy probably just passes their mind when they can go down the street, have it taken care of and be out whoreing the next week. Every privilage is abused by someone i guess. EDIT: Here's something else to think about, aborted fetuses don't kill people, UNaborted fetuses kill people! Think of osama bin laden, he wasn't aborted and the result is over 2000 people killed! Think of the columbine kids! You could be saving other lives by preventing one single life.
  • No I don't. I think it's a terrible choice for a woman to have to make, but in some cases, it is the right choice. For example, I don't think a woman should have a government force her to have a child that was conceived in an act of rape or incest. If abortion is being redefined as murder, we should consider other forms of killing to be murder too. Let's be fair across the board. Killing prisoners in accordance with the death penalty, soldiers killing whomever they are fighting and on and on... I think the anti abortion movement is a backlash to the feminist movement and I also think that if people care so much about the unborn child, they should be some organizations where people can donate money to support that child that would not have otherwise been born so s/he has clothes to wear, food to eat and access to education. But you don't see THAT happening... My motto is 'you stay out of my uterus, and I'll stay out of yours'.
  • I think abortion is a complicated matter. I think that at the first stages, before a child is actually being formed, it is merely a matter of chemistry. But after the child has begun to form and has a developed mind, then it is wrong to abort the child.
  • No, I don't think it's murder. I think that the man and woman(more so the woman in this case but all the same) should decide. If they made a mistake, why should it ruin their lives? Why should it ruin the child's life? If it is the product of rape, why should she bare that rapist's child? If the parents are too poor too give the child it's basic needs, should the child pay? It's not just about the parents being selfish of killing a child, but in many cases its about saving a child from, what would most likely be a terrible life.
  • 1. "Personhood" is a distraction because it is defined so diversely, and IF the pre-born child were to be deemed a person, at any stage, Roe vs Wade would be nullified and void because "persons" are protected in the US Constitution. 2.Human Life begins at the first moment of conception, that is MEDICAL, scientific fact and has nothing to do with God, Bible, Faith or any Reliigous doctrine. The doctrine, Faith etc. BUILD on that fact. "Property" is what slaves were called until the Courts and the US Constitution defined them as persons in the 19th century and an amendment to the Constitution. Women do not possess their pre-born babies as "property." Neither do they "own" their own lives or the lives of others because we have las against, suicide, murder, infanticide,AND despiute the 1973 Supreme Court decision, they DO NOT own the pre-born at any stage of growth or gestation. MEN have rights and responsibilities in the genital act, so they are responsible for the welbeing of the baby and her/his mother, for her/his other expenses, which are NOT morally or legally dispensable. The whole package is important. Spouses, women, today more and more men are left to care for a child/ren without the other spouse who often will not pay even when legally bound, but always morally bound in most circumstances. The economic system has slavery IN PRACTICE by paying less than a living wage, esp. when a spouse is deserted and must pay all expenses and has to be bread-winner, parent and educator and often works two or three jobs. Therefore the question of human life and human rights for the pre-born and the born, are tied up with sexually responsible behavior, economics and the whole package which has to be taken as a whole, not isolated into "me" and "my life/body" or a narrow viewpoint.
  • I think that once the baby can "live" by its self ya know then at that point it is murder because it is not a part of the mom's body.
  • Yes. A child is born when he or she is conceived.
  • Castrate- i think your sterotypes, lack of knowledge about the abortion procedure and closed mind about the postions these women are in are what's wrong here. Very few abortions are as late as you obviously think. Not all women who have abortions are teenagers, many already have families. I doubt many of them take the decision to terminate a pregnancy lightly and I except very few can forget what they've done. How about not making judgements without putting yourself in someone else's shoes?
  • yes i do
  • Of course it isn't murder. Who in their right mind would ever equate it to such? In America, a fetus is not a person under law, which means a fetus does not have "the right to life" guaranteed in the Constitution's Bill of Rights. Murder is the act of one person killing another person. In order to gain personhood, there must be physical birth. Besides, we cannot give equal rights to two entities occupying one body. One's rights would trump the other's. By default, the person carrying the pregnancy has the right to decide what stays in or what is removed from her body. Criminalizing abortion is advocating for forced pregnancy. I love when people talk about "potential" with regard to pregnancies and call them "pre-born children." Well, if we follow that logic, we're all pre-dead humans, and since the elderly are "more" pre-dead than the young, bury the “really” pre-dead. Listen to how stupid that sounds. Nothing makes the logic more applicable to pregnancy. Logical fallacies all around. Potential should never be mistaken for the actual.
  • Murder is the taking of life without moral or legal justification. Many women in desperation allow their unborn child to be killed, often regret it later, there is an organization called Rachel's Child to help them. I I join those who prefer not to use the word murder which has overtones of more deliberate and intentional taking of life with less fear, panic and desperation. This more tolerant language lessens the guilt feelings of those who have done and regretted. The pro-death, pro-choice, pro-abortion crowd have decided that their efforts to deny that an unborn human is human life, and stopped using silly descriptions "a glob of tissue" so there has been a reasonable and realistic development in the language from earlier decades on both sides. There is no excuse for protecting life while using abusive tactics and offensive language against others, and certainly no need to dismiss all pro-life advocates as screaming protestors and clinic arsonists. Caricatures do not advance reasonable dialogue and disagreements. Reason will eventually win out as it did with slavery and will eventually with war, the current horror in Iraq and recent idiocy of Israel in Lebanon are prime examples; we will become reasonable and thoughtful consistent pro-life advocates as is the official view of the Roman Catholic Christian Community's leadership. Stupid cannot win forever, as Forrest Gump would say.
  • no...it depends.... i really dont know.... I mean sometimes you dont have any other choices... but its a horrible act....
  • yes its murder is thought through just like a homecide
  • no, if it is in the first few months of the pregnacy because it is just human tissus
  • As a christian, I do. Especially since I had my own family. I saw my girls on ultrasounds when they were still at an age they could have been legally aborted. To say they were "products of conception" was a lie. My elder daughter was sleeping when they focussed on her, but the pushing woke her. She threw a tantrum in front of us, then comforted herself by putting her thumb in her mouth...that is not a "product of conception". That is a living human being. Sorry if I am politically incorrect, but you asked.
  • Yes I do, unless it is a case of incest or rape. According to recent studies, they say that the heart actually starts beating at day 19. There are better outlets to give up an unwanted child, than killing it.
  • During the first trimester is OK to abort. The Last Trimester it should be illegal to abort unless it is necessary to save the mother's like. It is haziest during that Middle Trimester period http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fetal-development/PR00113 I bet a lot of people feel the way I do. Debate needs to focus more heavily upon what's the legality of a midterm abortion. There has to be set guidelines that define certain fetal identifications which mark a go or a no go for abortion.
  • yes, in almost all situations, I consider it murder. There are rare cases when it might be justified, but not many. There are SO many people who want children and can't have them..what would be so bad about turning a "mistake" into a miracle for someone else. I fully expect the - points, and I don't care, this is how I feel.
  • If you were to kill a pregnant mother you would be charged with double murder. If we say that abortion isn't murder can't someone who is charged with double murder in this situation say that the baby wasn't wanted and therefore they should only be charged with murder?
  • i am not sure when the baby actually becomes "a person". that is, when do they actually get their soul/spirit that makes them, them? it seems like it would be during or after birth, although i do not know. so, most likely, i would guess that it is not murder.
  • Generally speaking, an abortion is legal in the United States through the second trimester, or 24 weeks LMP. However, each state has its own regulations for when, where, and under what circumstances an abortion can be performed in the second and third trimester. In some situations, usually involving severe fetal defects or abnormalities, third trimester abortions may be performed, but these are extremely rare. ================= Up to 24 Weeks? Look below at the development of a baby at 14 weeks, 18 weeks, 20 weeks and 24 weeks. At 24 weeks, here is a baby's development: How your baby's growing: Your baby's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week, when she was just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long, that makes a pretty lean figure, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon put on more baby fat. Your baby's skin is thin, translucent, and wrinkled, her brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds are developing. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily. http://www.babycenter.com/mybabycenter/124.html Today premature babies are living as young as 22 weeks.... gestation...http://www.muhc.ca/media/ensemble/2002june/premature/ You make up your mind, based on evidence, not political slogans and say whether killing a child at or before 24 weeks is murder... My baby girl threw a tantrum, then sucked her thumb for comfort at 14 WEEKS, at 20 weeks, she was kicking and doing all the things a baby does, looking round, sucking, moving her fingers...at 24 weeks, she could still have been legally aborted...not tissue, not tissue but a baby...
  • This question is based on a false presumption. Specifically, it erroneously presumes that we have a standard definition of what life is. You can't say that 2+2=4 unless we can all agree on what a 2 is, what + is, and what = is. And even then, there are so many variables concerning under what conditions it is acceptable to take the life of another. Those who defend the unborn usually turn a blind eye to civilian casualties of war who are killed without a chance to defend themselves or to live life, yet somehow the fact that they got to walk makes their lives less sacred than a fat little lump in a cradle? What a double standard!
  • yes, it is trying to get rid of a poor, defenseless life whose parents were not responsible in the first place to take things seriously and are looking for a way out to their actions, which they must take responsibility in.
  • Yes I do, a life starts at conception and ends when you die. I don't see how anyone can say differently. I think also if a mother to is killed whoever did that to her should be found guilty of two murders. It's a shame that abortion even should even have to be discussed in these days. It's also shameful that to many women and girls are careless to have sex without even thinking of protection. I know, I know it takes two to have a child, but since it is the female who carries the child I sure would make sure I was protected even if her partner could give a flip. For those who have been rape then there are so many couples who need children out there. Even if mistakes happen there are couples out there who would love to adopted a child. There is just no need to murder a child out of mistakes or carelessness.
  • yes i do, ppl are responsible for they're own actions if they were irresponsible and had unprotected sex they should deal with the concequences, not condem a young life to death just becouse you dont feel your ready or w/e outher excuses u may have. u never know this god may have had a plan for the baby, he may have done something increadible, but insted the baby isn't even given the chance to live, what would u say if your parents told you they were considering abortion before they had you? think about it being killed before birth, u wouldn't be here, w/e dude i beleave abortion is terrible and it's just messed up, the moment the sperm reaches the egg, there is a human life, if u have an abortion it doesn't matter i feel it is still considered murder
  • yes, i agree with eleni! all the way!
  • No. An embryo is not alive in a legal sense, therefore taking the action of ending a pregnancy, which leads to destruction of an embryo, is not murder. We don't issues certificates and social security numbers to every embryo, because we acknowledge that it would be be ridiculous. We don't celebrate the moment of conception, we celebrate the day of birth. This is the only reasonable thing to do. Otherwise, what would you do? Would you charge a woman who has an abortion with murder and send her to prison? Would you charge a woman who has a miscarriage with manslaughter? What would you charge people who make many embryos for the purpose of in vitro fertilization with? Genocide? What would you charge a woman who takes birth control with? It doesn't make sense to do those things. People can make all the emotional arguments they want, but in a practical real-life sense, there is no way to enforce the legal status of an embryo without having all sorts of unintended and ridiculous consequences.
  • it depends on where u draw the line during the pregnancy period. after a few months, the fetus actually starts developing organs and humanlike shapes rather than just a blob full of unorganized cells and bone fragments. but before that period in time they r technically not human. after the process has started though, yes, sure call it murder cuz thats wut i call it. but as long as the fetus is aborted before the actual "humanization" period, then i dont classify it as murder. if u ran over a deer, wud u call it murder? or wud u call it an accident? of course not murder because its not a human being. btw im going by the TECHNICAL definition of the word murder in my entire rant.
  • NO! There are many reasons why someone has an abortion, medical forintance, too young etc. It is and should be a personal choice.
  • I think that when the fetus is still a "parasite"...it's not "morally" wrong anymore than not having sex is. If it COULD be a child, and killing it is wrong, why is it not wrong to use condoms or even to not have sex in the first place?
  • I think that when the fetus is still a "parasite"...it's not "morally" wrong anymore than not having sex is. If it COULD be a child, and killing it is wrong, why is it not wrong to use condoms or even to not have sex in the first place?
  • IN MY OPINION: It is murder & I WILL tell you all why! I was there at the abortion clinic to support a (Previous) GF while she decided to abort OUR Baby! I Pity those who have had abortions... I pity those who provide the abortions... I feel even worse for those aboorted & used in medical experiments...
  • yes it is killing human being and that is murder
  • yes! no one should get an abortion unless they have been raped!
  • most definitely. the life of the body is in the blood and like a week or two after the baby is conceived it receives blood.not only that but how can you seriously believe that abortion isn't killing a baby? it's wrong. that baby should have just as much a chance for life and you and i did.
  • In the eyes of God, you are a person before you're even concieved. He knows you inside and out before you're even born. He has a plan for your life and everything. So basically, murder is killing a person, and if you kill an unborn baby, thats murder. From a worldly perspective; if you abort a baby, thats two legs that will never run, lungs that will never breath, a person that will never love. And the fact is; At the rate we're aborting in America, we have more immigrants than born American citizens. You know why the terrorists in this country don't just come out and attack already? They're going to inherent the country. There are more of them coming in than there are of us being born. So even if you're pro-abortion or pro-choice(which is technically also pro-abortion) then you've got some consequences to pay... it may not be immediate, but believe me, your descendants will very easily see the consequences of your actions.
  • yes i think that any abortion at any sage of pregnancy is murder. i have seen photos of aborted fetues online at different sages and its extreamly upsetting as to how any woman can do this to their unborn child.
  • YES! All people have a right to be born. Did your mother try to or even think to murder you? NO! she let you live.
  • 100% yes

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