Abortion and the balancing of rights and language

Alabama's vote to ban abortion

Law makers in Alabama voted on Tuesday to make abortion illegal. The ban covers every stage of pregnancy and the only exception is when the mother's life is in serious danger. Doctors who carry out the procedure could spend the rest of their lives in prison. The ruling goes counter to the famous 1973 Roe versus Wade verdict. That confirmed women's right to privacy and therefore abortion within certain perimeters, in line with the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. So, even with the President's full support, Alabama will have problems pulling this through.

Clarity before passion

In response, Senator Bernie Sanders Tweeted:

What Alabama is doing is blatantly unconstitutional and disrespects the fundamental right a woman has to make decisions about her own body. 

Such responses are misleading. They give the impression that pro abortion means that a woman can decide to have an abortion at any time, even at nine months, if she so chooses. Such an interpretation is incorrect. 

There comes a point...

There comes a point when an embryo becomes a foetus with rights. Though there may be some grey areas as to when this happens, it does, and this fact cannot be ignored. Carrying a child past this stage becomes a commitment. It is a bit like adopting a child. I have the right to decide who lives in my home, but if I adopt a son, I cannot then throw him into the street because I decide that I should not have adopted him in the first place.

I am sure Sanders did not intend to say that women should  have the right to have late abortions, but when dealing with such a delicate subject one must measure one's words very carefully.