1) You say you support a woman’s right to make her own reproductive choices in regards to abortion and contraception. Are there any restrictions you would approve of?
The biggest issue I have involves late term abortions. I believe that any woman with the slightest shred of common sense will be able to detect the symptoms of pregnancy and I don't buy into the "I didn't even know I was pregnant" excuse that in stories I've read about. I believe that the first trimester is plenty of time for a woman to ultimately decide whether or not she wants the pregnancy to go forward. As far as the issue of abortion in and of itself, I do ultimately support a woman's right to choose. I know some are in favor of abortion in specific cases, such as rape & the pregnancy posing a risk to the life of the mother. I don't believe in making exceptions for some & not for others in this situation. If it's legal for some, it should be legal for all.
2) In 2010, The Economist featured a cover story on “the war on girls” and the growth of “gendercide” in the world – abortion based solely on the sex of the baby. Does this phenomenon pose a problem for you or do you believe in the absolute right of a woman to terminate a pregnancy because the unborn fetus is female?
I haven't read the article and this particular issue is one that I'm not overly familiar with. I'd have to learn more before commenting either way.
3) In many states, a teenager can have an abortion without her parents’ consent or knowledge but cannot get an aspirin from the school nurse without parental authorization. Do you support any restrictions or parental notification regarding abortion access for minors?
It's a perfect example of how disorganized laws applying to minors can be. For instance, in some states, the age of consent is 16. Those states consider you old enough to engage in sexual behavior with any other consenting person of legal age & competency to have sex, but they're not old enough to buy a pack of cigarettes. When it comes to a medical procedure such as an abortion, I believe that teenagers have the same rights to medical confidentiality as adult women. I do believe that medical personnel should vehemently try to persuade a minor to inform her parents of the situation. If she refuses, however, then it's her choice & ultimately her responsibility. The fall out, whatever that may be, between these girls & their parents isn't the problem of the medical staff.
4) If you do not believe that human life begins at conception, when do you believe it begins? At what stage of development should an unborn child have human rights?
The physiological & legal definition of when life begins are often two separate questions. Because of the abortion laws, most doctors will say that life ultimately begins when the child is born and takes its first breath outside of the mother's womb. Physiologically, I do believe that life ultimately begins at conception. It might be life at it's most rudimentary form, but it's still life even if it's just a single cell. As to whether it ultimately changes my opinion on abortion in and of itself, I have to say no.
5) Currently, when genetic testing reveals an unborn child has Down Syndrome, most women choose to abort. How do you answer the charge that this phenomenon resembles the “eugenics” movement a century ago – the slow, but deliberate “weeding out” of those our society would deem “unfit” to live?
Many of those people that have those view points are fortunate enough to haven't had a child afflicting with something like Down Syndrome. They don't know what sort of toll it can take on a family as they've never endured it or haven't been around anyone that's had to endure it. The niece of one of my aunts my marriage was born with Down Syndrome. She recently turned 23 and wasn't expected to live past 12. She's one of the few that beat the odds but many others don't and have lives filled with hardship and struggle. There's a disease that afflicts mostly Jews known as Tay-Sachs disease and it's basically an ongoing degeneration of the mental & physical capabilities that results in a a painful life and agonizing death. It usually occurs in children beginning at 6 months of age and progresses until the patient dies, which is usually about the age of 4. There's no cure and it's been referred to as a living hell as, by the end, there's no way to even keep the child remotely comfortable. To me, it's ludicrous to even consider forcing a child into the world knowing that he or she is going to struggle, often painfully, through every step in life just for the sake of personal principles. In many, many cases, children are born and have no hope of a future that isn't filled with pain and ultimately loss. I don't see aborting fetuses that, once born, will know little more than struggle & pain in their lives while missing out on so much that others experience in life as "weeding out" those unfit to live.
6) Do you believe an employer should be forced to violate his or her religious conscience by providing access to abortifacient drugs and contraception to employees?
Yes I do, quite frankly.
7) Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King, Jr. has said that “abortion is the white supremacist’s best friend,” pointing to the fact that Black and Latinos represent 25% of our population but account for 59% of all abortions. How do you respond to the charge that the majority of abortion clinics are found in inner-city areas with large numbers of minorities?
Unfortunately, there's always someone that tries to make every single relevant issue about race. I do agree that, in some ways, the system still isn't 100% equal. I'm just not seeing it, however, when it comes to abortion. Nobody is forcing these black or latino women to undergo the procedures. At the end of the day, it's about choice. Members of the KKK aren't standing behind them if they don't undergo the procedure. It's about choice, plain and simple. Some will say that black & latino women don't have the same choice as white women but, again, that's just more racial bullshit in my eyes. Contrary to popular belief, not every white woman lives in a 25 room mansion in Beverly Hills or a penthouse apartment on 5th Avenue in New York with a multi-million dollar bank account & access to all the services they could ever need.
8) You describe abortion as a “tragic choice.” If abortion is not morally objectionable, then why is it tragic? Does this mean there is something about abortion that is different than other standard surgical procedures?
There's always something different about abortion because of the simple fact that it's so tied into some of the most turbulent issues in the history of the country. For instance, women have crusaded forever it seems for equality among men, including the right to vote and to earn the same wages as men. It's tied in with the whole notion of sex itself in that sex is something that, for some strange reason, has been vilified and demmonized. That's especially true in the United States as, compared to many countries, our view of sex as a society is pretty conservative. Sometimes abortion can be viewed as a "tragic choice" if it's a choice that has to be made but it's not ultimately what the mother wishes. If a woman wants to go through with her pregnancy but the pregnancy itself is a threat to her life, then that's what I consider to be a tragedy. Some would call it a tragedy and many would call it a miracle in various countries around the world where the infant mortality rate skyrockets year round.
9) Do you believe abortion should be legal once the unborn fetus is viable – able to survive outside the womb?
In the vast majority of cases, a child is usually able to survive outside the womb about the end of the second trimester. Personally, as I said in question 1, I don't believe in late term abortions as the first trimester provides ample time for a woman to weigh her options and to ultimately make her choice.
10) If a pregnant woman and her unborn child are murdered, do you believe the criminal should face two counts of murder and serve a harsher sentence?
This is basically a right wing attempt to, in some way, grant an unborn child rights that've ultimately been denied in numerous court cases. This one isn't quite so clear to me. I work as a corrections officer and I deal with men who've killed on a daily basis. Some of them are genuinely decent human beings that made a terrible choice in their lives and are paying for it. Some of them aren't worth the sweat off my balls after running on a treadmill for half an hour. I can see both sides on this issue because it's just plain tragic all around. Murder's a terrible crime no matter what and murderers should pay and pay dearly. However, not all murderers are cold blooded monsters and I'm not a fan of the way the courts often railroad people. I've seen it a lot. It's one of the reasons why prisons are so overcrowded.
