John's Blog

Why is “incest” always included in the list of reasons everyone should excuse abortion? Mary is pregnant by Uncle Joe. If it’s not rape, then it must have been consensual sex. So are we saying it’s OK for relatives to have sex and then, if they get pregnant, have an abortion? Or if the reason for the abortion is that the child will probably have too many recessive genes, why is it not considered equally OK to abort a fetus that has genetic errors? Abortion should be an option certainly when the pregnancy results from rape or threatens the woman’s life, and, reluctantly, when the pregnancy was unintended. And perhaps even when a malformed fetus promises a life of medical misery and exorbitant expense. But let’s not elevate incest as a special class of reasons for abortion.