Think deeper on this one. Not just the typical argument from each side: "criminals are bad, babies aren't" or "a fetus isn't a human".
Name:
Anonymous2011-12-13 13:20
Consciousness starts somewhere between 20-24 weeks after conception when the fetus has a nervous system and an active neo-cortex.
Before 20 weeks abortion under any circumstances is fine with the consent of the mother, after 24 weeks the fetus can survive outside the womb in an incubator so obviously killing it is little different from killing a newborn baby. Caesarian section or induced birth should be allowed in some circumstances but it shouldn't be optional as this may cause grievous bodily damage to the child. A situation where mothers regularly induce birth solely because they can't be bothered to go through the whole pregnancy would be unethical.