It seems to me a fairer way to enact the Texas abortion law would be to spread it among all the stakeholders, not just the breeding-age women. A woman does not get pregnant by herself. If the law would allow the man to be sued for impregnating a woman who chooses to have an abortion, it would help even things up. We could even allow the third-party vigilante to collect the “reward” for turning in the man.
Imagine if a man were held accountable for his part in the conception. He may not have to carry the fetus for nine months, but he certainly is as responsible as the one with the egg that can be fertilized. He could be sued for the cost of raising the child to 18, plus pain and suffering if he doesn’t want to help raise the child.
Also, a pro-life advocate could be charged with murder, if a woman was forced to carry a fetus to term and then she died. Or she reverted to a clandestine back-alley coat hanger abortion and died because she didn’t have access to a safer medical option.
Childbirth is much more dangerous than abortion. Even if the woman carried the fetus to term, she could sue a pro-life advocate for the cost of raising that child, plus the mental pain and suffering, not only of her, but of the child.
Imagine how tied up the courts would get with litigation. Men trying to prove the baby isn’t theirs. Pro-life advocates saying the woman had alternatives (such as adoption, keeping the child or ???), so they aren’t responsible.
Maybe it should be the woman’s choice? And doctors could be free to help if they choose. Certainly, it would be less costly.
Marilyn Marshall, Magna
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