Solving the abortion question without politicians...

By Bruce David Cohen

How Libertarians would address the abortion question:

I have a powerful message to the pro-life folks as to why they should take a non-governmental approach to this question.

I ask: Under what system will there be less adoptions? Illegal or legal abortions?

I further ask: Under what system will there be more or less abortions?

In both cases, you can clearly make the case that the GOAL desired is best served by abortions being legal and unregulated.

One should instinctively and intellectually know that when politicians get involved in just about anything, regulating abortion included, the situation gets worse.

When abortions are illegal, the number of abortions doesn't decrease, but the number of adoptions do. The danger to the health of expectant mothers goes up as well.

The capstone of the argument to have government stay completely out of most regulation of abortion is this: When abortions are illegal, they are done in secret. This reduces the opportunity for outreach to the pregnant mother, and hopefully to the father.

In a free world where the whole thing is out in the open, where women don't have to seek abortions in secret, or leave the country to get them, the opportunities for outreach are much, much higher.

If 'pro-life' people are sincere about protecting pregnant women, if they are sincere about reducing abortions and having adoption used more often as an alternative to termination, they must keep government out of it.

I would like to see abortions reduced. I would love to see more childless parents have the opportunity to adopt. I'd also love to have more opportunities for people to share ideas and solutions to this problem that will never go away.

We can only address the problem in such a fashion as to make the situation better. Prohibition doesn't make beer or whiskey go away. And just like with alcohol, keeping it legal, allows us to be involved as caring private individuals.

The details of when and how they should be legal need to be clarified certainly. A simple and fair solution the founder of the LP offered in a discussion one time makes a lot of sense. First trimester, voluntary. Second trimester, only for health issues for the mother and/or child. Third trimester, only in cases of an imminent threat requiring it to save a life. And, no partial birth abortions.

I agree with the above solution. However, I further think that states individually ought to make these choices without the Federal Government getting involved.

Let's not spend tax money paying for or promoting abortions. Let's also not spend tax money preventing them, or putting people in jail for having them, or providing them.

Copyright Bruce Cohen February 2004 http://WWW.GetBruce.Com