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Comment on Is the right to abortion a "negative right" or a "positive right"?

catreadingabook@kbin.social ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

I'm against forced birth, but have to point out that there is the argument, whether realistic or not, that the parent can always give the baby to the foster care system once it's born, so their obligation would be limited to 9 months total.

Personally what I take issue with is the inconsistency of forced-birth laws in the absence of comparable forced-labor laws. In a world of ideal policy, maybe we as a society might agree that a person should be obligated to sacrifice their time and health for the sake of preserving or creating human life. But then it shouldn't be applied only to adult women who had consensual sex. Why shouldn't non-pregnant people be forced to tend a farm for 9 months to produce food for those who are starving, or to spend 9 months working 80-hour weeks at an emergency call center with no pay?

I suspect the answer is that the rights themselves are not the issue here, but rather the motivation to punish women who have consensual sex.

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Unaware7013@kbin.social ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

the parent can always give the baby to the foster care system once it's born, so their obligation would be limited to 9 months total.

That argument entirely overlooks the physical and mental changes that accompany pregnancy that persist well after the baby is delivered. Forcing the child bearing person to give up 9 months of their life for something they don't want or won't keep is awful alone, but the possible complications and life long issue that can come with it should make it unreasonable to force someone to go through that unwillingly.

As you surmises, this is about power and punishment, not rights. Rights are just a convenient smokescreen for the autocratic control of women.

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- WeeSheep@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Thank you! This is a great response. The only thing I would add as a response is that the laws are not only punishing women who have consensual sex, just those who have had a penis in them in general. Proving it wasn’t consensual is a long and arduous process which can lead to career, legal, and social issues even if found true in court.
  
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