I think it is wrong for a man (or anybody elese) to force a woman to give birth. If she dosen't want to or she isn't ready yet it is only for her to decide. It is her body and she has to go through the labor so I feel it is up to her to make the decision and only her. If it is against her will then that's how it has to be.

FORCING anyone to do ANYTHING with their body or anything on or in it, is not something I would ever condone!

The only time would be if giving birth saved the life of the mother and child. I don't know if this could happen, but I would rather both live and have the woman be mad at me.

The answer to this question lies in whether or not she carries human life inside her womb. I would argue that the unborn is certainly human, and it is certainly alive. It is not HER body we are talking about because the unborn has a separate genetic structure from that of the mother. In other words, the unborn is a unique, living human. With this in mind, the question would be better put, "If a woman wants to terminate the life of another human, does she have the right to because that human happens to be in her womb?" I would invite any sincere discussion on this.

After the majority of human life has been decimated either by our own misdeeds or by an unsuccessful alien invasion. I think then whatever fertile women are left should take one for the team, you know? If not, I think it would just be selfish of her. I mean, it's like her duty then, right? Well, I guess once we get the test tubes and cloning labs back up and working, they wouldn't have to be the sole progenitors of the next phase of the human race on Earth. So, it could just be temporarily necessary. Other than that, never.

When the Power of Christ compels you! When the Voice of GOD resonates in my hollow head and tells me that ALL life is sacred (until they disagree with me). Seriously, never... unless it's a right-to-lifer that needs to know what she is trying to inflict on others and won't listen to reason. Having compassion for the unborn isn't bad, but how about some for the already-born?

What about teaching people to be responsible before they find themselves in this situation? I have written it before and I will write it again. Abortion is used as a means to escape the consequences of irresponsible behavior. Those who are most vociferous about a "woman's right to choose" tend also to be the ones that are offended if suggest that they use the power of choice to not engage in the behavior that results in pregnancy when you are not prepared to take care of a child. They want sex without consequences. Well, I am sorry people, but sex does have consequences. By putting this question in these terms you are trying to stir up sympathy for someone who has acted in an irresponsible manner and just wants to escape the consequences of their actions. Well, I am sorry, but I don't have much sympathy for them. People in our society spend too much time trying to escape from the consequences of poor choices. Parents often don't adequately discipline their children anymore. So, the children don't have to face the consequences of their misdeeds. So, they don't learn the self-discipline that is necessary to be an adult. As a result we have men getting woman pregnant and then just walking away and leaving her to deal with the situation alone. Sometimes she deals with it by aborting the baby. Sometimes she chooses to keep it and try to raise it on her own. Even rarer she puts the child up for adoption so that it can be raised by a family that can actually take care of it. I have the most respect for those who have enough love in their heart to actually put the child up for adoption because they don't simply murder it to spare themselves the hassle, but they also recognize that the child is going to be better off in a two parent home. (Single parenthood is one of the biggest predictors of poverty their is in our society.) So, I am not going to accept the premise of this question. Instead, I will close with one of my own. When are we going to start making people accept the consequences of their action rather than allowing them to walk away from them? ************** In a comment on another answer" "AntigoneRising: Ben, are there any laws requiring people to have another organism inside their body for 9 months and bear the cost (which isn't entirely monetary) of that requirement? If our society doesn't support motherhood the way it should, is abortion a failing of the mother/woman, or a failing of society?" The thing that you are conveniently ignoring with this question is that (unless the woman was raped) no one forced her to put the baby inside of her body. SHE CHOSE to engage the the sexual activity that lead to her becoming pregnant. She chose to take the risk. If she is going to engage in the activity, then she should be prepared to accept the consequences. ************** "AntigoneRising: Actually, I am not trying to stir up sympathy for those who have acted in an irresponsible manner. I'm asking people to focus on the rights of the woman. Her rights are convienently ignored by arguments that focus solely on the "rights" of the fetus. (Rights is in quotations for the fetus, as the fetus does not legally have rights.) I also think you make an unwarranted assumption that every woman seeking an abortion has acted in an irresponsible manner. (This is rarely the case, even if you exclude cases of rape.)" Engaging in sex when you are not prepared to accept All of the potential consequences IS irresponsible. There is NO SUCH THING as safe sex. No form of birth control is perfect. If you have sex, then there is always the the possibility of getting pregnant. Just as playing with a loaded gun is irresponsible, so is having sex when you aren't prepared to take care of a baby. As for the right of the woman, she has the right to choose whether or not to have sex just as I have the right to choose whether or not to play with a loaded gun. If I hurt someone because was being irresponsible with a gun, then I should not be allowed to escape the consequences of my actions. Neither should a person who was being irresponsible with sex be allowed to escape the consequences of her action. By the way, it is not true that the fetus has no rights. In many states, if a person kills a fetus in the womb when the mother wanted the child, then that person can be charged with murder. If the mother wants the child it is afford person status. However, if the mother does not want it, then it is alright to tear limb from limb in the mother's uterus and suck into a sink. Worse yet, if the mother decides she does not want the baby at a late enough stage in its development where it could survive outside the womb, it is still alright to partially deliver it and suck its brains out rather than allowing it to be fully delivered and given to someone who does want it. It is ugly, but this is what you are supporting when you put the mother's rights paramount over those of the child. You are supporting the destruction of children who could survive and be loved by people who do want them. ************* AntigoneRising, I don't know how accurate the statistics to which you are referring are. However, in my mind it does not matter. There is no perfect form of birth control. So, there is always a chance of pregnancy when a couple has sex. Likewise, there is no such thing as a perfect safety on a gun. There is always a chance of it going off if it is loaded. So, the time to think about and prevent the consequences of one's actions is before you get into trouble, not after.

I don't think it's ever right in any situation to absolutely force a woman to give birth. I do, however, think it's legitimate to attempt to persuade her to do so. I think abortion is often given as an easy option in the west- a woman gets accidently pregnant, asks for an obortion, gets one - that simple. However much I believe in an individuals right to control their own life and body, I can't help but feel this encourages us to place less value on human life. I honestly think that deciding to get rid of a baby SHOULD be a difficult and heart-rending decision. It may not be life in the same way as you or I have life, but it is still something which has potential for life, and I think slightly more value should be put on that than having your sore tonsils removed. But I don't believe we can force a woman to give birth. I would rather see the problem of unwanted pregnancy tackled at source with better sex education, teaching young girls to value themselves and their bodies and have enough self-respect not to get themselves into that situation in the first place.

If she was willing to lay down and spread her legs for some guy and she was too whatever to use birth controll properly then she's not being forced to give birth. She is, however, being made to except responsability for her actions. Just because she's irresponsable doesn't mean another innocent person should have to pay with their life. If she doesn't want the baby then she would have the resposable option of giving up the baby for adoption. At least then everyone would be happy. And think on this the abortion would give her nothing but years of guilt and regret while the adoption would give her some comfort that she did the right thing. And maybe even a knock on her door in eightteen years from a person that is very greatfull that she decided to give them Life instaed of Death for their birthday. And here's the other thing that burns me. We hear all this stuff about the mother's rights and responsabilities, where are the father's? She thought he was good enough to lay down with and then wants to totally remove him from any of the decision making in the aftermath. It may be her body, but it's BOTH their child wheather she wants to except that fact or not. And he needs to be included. Now i'm not saying he should get to force her to keep the child after it's born or force her to have the abortion, which is what happens in most cases, but if he wants the child or to have it given up for adoption than he should be given the chance to do just that. There's also a total lack of understanding of fetal developement in this country. By the end of the fourth week that fetus may not look human, but it is already a functioning ententy. The brain, spinal coloumn, heart and lungs are already present and working. They react to stimuli including sound, light, and pressure, just ask any ultra sound tech. And they show signs of intelligance because they play with their hands and umbilical cord as wall as swim around the womb. There is also a marked sleep/wake cycle. Yet we classify them as a bunch of mindless cells. Those babies are more aware than some adult animals. Let me give an example from my own life. After the birth of my first son I had made the decision to not have any more children. Some years later I meet a wounderful man who was willing to accept this fact. So, we were using birth control. On top of that he had been told by his doctor that due to his diabeities he would never be able to father a child. Guess, what? I got pregnant after we had been together for only two months together. And since neither one of us belives in abortion and I could never deny him anything we kept the child. And now that unwanted child and folded flag are all I have left of his father. And I will never regret my decision to carry that child.

If at first trying to persuade her didn't work, I do believe she should be held up to her responsibilities. The same way force is used to stop criminals, it should be used to stop abortion. Abortion is wrong, not only because it kills children, but also (this is often overlooked) it gives women a way to dismiss their responsibilities. In most cases, her unwanted pregnancy could be avoided by simply not engaging in sexual activity like she did. And in cases of rape, the man's crime is not only that he undressed her against her will, but also that he brought in something between them that is meant solely for those who are married. Interourse if that kind is for reproduction, not just "fun." Part of the man's crime is that he might contribute to the creation of a child outside of wedlock. The pregnancy is a result of the crime, and the crime cannot be erased. (Might I add, that an abortion is something that helps to cover the man's guilt. It keeps him from realizing the full gravity of his action against the woman.) I just rambled on there, writing a lot, but it is all very important stuff. I tried editing what wasn't relevant to the question, and it's still a longer answer than what most people want to read, BUT PLEASE, TAKE TIME TO READ ALL OF MY ANSWER BEFORE RATING IT. In conclusion, if a woman is pregnant, I don't think there is any other option than giving birth.