Portugal says "meh" to abortion
It's been quite a while since the last update, and I have only recently realized that the reason I found it so difficult to write another blog entry was because I was trying too hard to focus on my "definitions" series. It is much easier to write about news than about political science topics.
So, in that vein, I now bring to your attention the recent referendum in Portugal regarding abortion law. As things currently stand, Portugal has some of the most pro-life abortion laws in the European Union (and more pro-life than the United States, too). Abortions are allowed in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy to save a woman's life or to preserve her mental or physical health. That limit is extended to 16 weeks in cases of rape or other sexual crimes and up to 24 weeks in cases where the child is likely to be born with an incurable disease or malformation (as certified by a doctor other than the one who is to perform the operation). Overall, this seems to be one of the better abortion laws in the world - I wouldn't endorse it enthusiastically, but I do support it and it does seem to fall in line with Christian ethics (except for the part that allows late abortions when the child is likely to be born with an incurable disease, which comes dangerously close to suggesting that some lives are not worth living).
Now, this past Sunday - February 11th - a referendum was held in Portugal on the question of introducing a more liberal abortion law. The left-wing government of Jose Socrates proposed to make abortion on demand legal during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. The results were as follows:
Of all voters,
24% said yes
16% said no
60% did not bother to show up to the polls
The result, in other words, was a resounding "meh". This was to some extent predictable, given that abortion is simply not regarded as a major political issue in Europe (unlike in the United States, where it seems to be the cornerstone of the entire Christian conservative movement). I personally lean towards the European paradigm. Though abortion certainly is an issue, it has been blown out of all proportion in the United States.
But that still doesn't excuse people not showing up for a referendum. Jose Socrates has said he will go ahead with his plans to liberalize abortion law because the majority of the people who voted said yes.
Like Prime Minister Socrates, I am a leftist. But unlike him, I was never able to understand the left's infatuation with the legalization of abortion. It probably comes from the fact that the modern Western left has taken an overdose of liberal individualist ideology over the past few decades, and is currently experiencing a mild delusional episode. By "delusional episode" I mean the dogmatic insistence on an individual's prerogative to do anything and everything to his or her own body, even when that may have negative consequences. This kind of ultra-individualist insanity is usually found among libertarians. Leftists should really know better.
A woman's right to choose is often invoked in defense of abortion. But surely, in a developed Western society where condoms and other forms of contraception are widely available, a woman has already made her choice when she decided to have unprotected sex. Abortion has less to do with the right to choose and more to do with the right to change your mind. Now, I'll be the first to agree that people make mistakes and everyone deserves a second chance. That is why there is always the option to give up the child for adoption. So, given that you can make a choice to use contraception before the pregnancy, and you can later change your mind by giving the child up for adoption after the pregnancy, abortion can only be justified when there is some exceptional reason to make a choice mid-pregnancy (such as health issues), or when the initial choice was denied to the mother (such as in cases of rape).
Further information: The BBC has a very informative survey of abortion laws in the European Union.
It's been quite a while since the last update, and I have only recently realized that the reason I found it so difficult to write another blog entry was because I was trying too hard to focus on my "definitions" series. It is much easier to write about news than about political science topics.
So, in that vein, I now bring to your attention the recent referendum in Portugal regarding abortion law. As things currently stand, Portugal has some of the most pro-life abortion laws in the European Union (and more pro-life than the United States, too). Abortions are allowed in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy to save a woman's life or to preserve her mental or physical health. That limit is extended to 16 weeks in cases of rape or other sexual crimes and up to 24 weeks in cases where the child is likely to be born with an incurable disease or malformation (as certified by a doctor other than the one who is to perform the operation). Overall, this seems to be one of the better abortion laws in the world - I wouldn't endorse it enthusiastically, but I do support it and it does seem to fall in line with Christian ethics (except for the part that allows late abortions when the child is likely to be born with an incurable disease, which comes dangerously close to suggesting that some lives are not worth living).
Now, this past Sunday - February 11th - a referendum was held in Portugal on the question of introducing a more liberal abortion law. The left-wing government of Jose Socrates proposed to make abortion on demand legal during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. The results were as follows:
Of all voters,
24% said yes
16% said no
60% did not bother to show up to the polls
The result, in other words, was a resounding "meh". This was to some extent predictable, given that abortion is simply not regarded as a major political issue in Europe (unlike in the United States, where it seems to be the cornerstone of the entire Christian conservative movement). I personally lean towards the European paradigm. Though abortion certainly is an issue, it has been blown out of all proportion in the United States.
But that still doesn't excuse people not showing up for a referendum. Jose Socrates has said he will go ahead with his plans to liberalize abortion law because the majority of the people who voted said yes.
Like Prime Minister Socrates, I am a leftist. But unlike him, I was never able to understand the left's infatuation with the legalization of abortion. It probably comes from the fact that the modern Western left has taken an overdose of liberal individualist ideology over the past few decades, and is currently experiencing a mild delusional episode. By "delusional episode" I mean the dogmatic insistence on an individual's prerogative to do anything and everything to his or her own body, even when that may have negative consequences. This kind of ultra-individualist insanity is usually found among libertarians. Leftists should really know better.
A woman's right to choose is often invoked in defense of abortion. But surely, in a developed Western society where condoms and other forms of contraception are widely available, a woman has already made her choice when she decided to have unprotected sex. Abortion has less to do with the right to choose and more to do with the right to change your mind. Now, I'll be the first to agree that people make mistakes and everyone deserves a second chance. That is why there is always the option to give up the child for adoption. So, given that you can make a choice to use contraception before the pregnancy, and you can later change your mind by giving the child up for adoption after the pregnancy, abortion can only be justified when there is some exceptional reason to make a choice mid-pregnancy (such as health issues), or when the initial choice was denied to the mother (such as in cases of rape).
Further information: The BBC has a very informative survey of abortion laws in the European Union.
posted by Veshgard at 11:02 PM
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