Dear Marcel,

My position is that this question is too complex and too "female" to be handle by a man. In Scandinavia there are lots of couples who would like to adopt a child but also abotion rates are high; the best solution in my opinion is that these two groups of persons should meet. All women should be able to legally give birth to unwanted children and then give the child to a controlled and good home.  Decriminalization of abortion makes it a safer procedure. However health-care staff should not be forced to assist against their moral standard. BUT it would be a better choise to give birth and adopt without shame and complications. Abortion - legal or illegal - is in most cases an unwanted end of a pregnancy in an era where it can be prevented. However, if the pope would be a women all women would be allowed to prevent unwanted births.  

I think it's not a matter that concerns the law; it is a moral/religious issue or at least a medical issue. To consider abortion a criminal action is violence against women and, most important of all, an absolutely ineffective policy, therefore all women who want to do it, they will abort: if she has money, this will be done with security; if not, there is a great chance of his death - clandestine abortions are one of the principal causes of mortality among women.

Decriminalizing abortions assures that the procedure can be done in a clean, safe environment. Abortions will occur whether or not they are legal, but legally allowing the act ensures that the person receiving the abortion is cared for by a trained professional. [I say "person" rather than "woman" because not all female-bodied individuals receiving an abortion necessarily identify as women.] Insofar as reasons for getting an abortion, I don't believe the "why" should matter; it's the person's right to make that decision whether or not the doctor likes the reason why. The doctor's duty is to inform their patient of potential health risks and safely carry out the procedure if it is possible to do so. There is a lot of misinformation spread about the reasons why people choose to have an abortion; an interesting read on the moral aspects is the anecdotal "The Only Moral Abortion is My Abortion."

I don't agree to abortion, because if you engage in sexual activities you know what the outcome could be. I only agree to abortion if you were rape.

Decriminalizing abortion has its pros and cons. In Malaysia, abortion is illegal unless a woman's physical or mental state, on medical grounds, warrants an abortion by a registered medical practitioner.The issue of teenage pregnancies and unwanted and abandoned babies has been highlighted in the media lately.There were  two cases of girls throwing their babies out of windows after giving birth! These girls were then arrested and charged under the relevant penal provisions.I am not sure that decriminalizing abortion would have saved the lives of their babies but maybe these girls would have made better choices if they were able to give birth in a safe environment had abortion not been a criminal offence. Culture, religion and poverty play major roles here. I also think that as the law provides medical practitioners  the right to determine whether an abortion is warranted due to a woman or girl's mental state, abortions should be allowed when it comes to unmarried women and girls whose mental state is affected by an unwanted pregnancy.Much will depend on how the medical practitioners make that determination and under what conditions. In contrast, one may argue that a woman should have the right to bodily integrity and thus determine for herself whether she wants to go ahead with a pregnancy or not. In an Asian context, there is a paradox as some Asian societies may accept pre-marital sex but not illegitimacy, while others may prohibit both altogether.In both cases, it is women who pay the price.In the cases I highlighted above, no mention was made of the fathers of those babies nor was any action taken against them.

É melhor melhor um bebê abortado do que um bebê indesejado?

Parece que a resposta não está na questão em si. Nem é melhor um bebê abortado e também não é melhor um bebê indesejado. O melhor é um bebê desejado e nascido com todo o conforto e amor.

Ocorre que, no Brasil, exceto em alguns casos (anencéfalo, gravidez fruto de estupro) o aborto é crime. Então seria de se esperar que não houvesse o aborto criminoso. No entanto, a exemplo da utilização da pílula do dia seguinte, o aborto é uma decisão da mulher grávida, pois se proliferam as clínicas clandestinas e a utilização de remédios abortivos.

Pesquisas conservadoras estimam que 12% da população brasileira irá abortar ao menos uma vez durante todo o período de fertilidade.

Então, se o aborto é uma decisão da mãe, o aborto está acontecendo em clínicas clandestinas e, em muitos desses procedimentos, ocasionando complicações de saúde, sendo que o tratamento é feito por hospitais públicos, aumentando o gasto público. 

Saliente-se que não se trata de uma questão religiosa, pois a mãe que aborta não está motivada por causas religiosas.

Concluindo, se o aborto é inevitável, se a lei fracassou em deter a vontade da mãe em abortar, se na prática é sempre a mãe quem decide sobre o assunto, será que o crime de aborto não é apenas uma maneira hipócrita de querer fixar uma convicção religiosa a quem está imune a esse sentimento?  

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Is it better better an aborted baby than an unwanted baby?

It seems that the answer is not in question itself. Neither is better an aborted baby and is not best an unwanted baby. The best is a desired baby and born with all the comfort and love.

It happens that, in Brazil, except in some cases (anencephalic, pregnancy result of rape) abortion is a crime. So one would expect that there were no criminal abortion. However, the example of the use of the morning after pill, abortion is a decision of the pregnant woman because proliferate clandestine clinics and the use of abortifacient drugs.

Searches conservative estimate that 12% of the population will abort at least once during the period of fertility.

So if abortion is a mother's decision, abortion is happening in clandestine clinics, and many of these procedures, causing health complications, and the treatment is done by public hospitals, increasing public spending.

It should be noted that this is not a religious issue, as the mother who aborts is not motivated by religious causes.

In conclusion, if abortion is inevitable, if the law failed to stop the mother's willingness to abort if the practice is always the mother who decides on the subject, does the crime of abortion is not only a hypocritical way of wanting to fix a religious conviction who is immune to this feeling?

While I do not wish to offer a position pro- or against legalised abortion, I think this discussion completely ignores the central question here.  People who are against abortion believe the unborn child has the same moral status as the mother.  They believe a fetus or embryo is a full human being, with a right to life.  On that basis, abortion is simply murder.  The fact that murders are committed does not justify making murder legal.  The fact that someone's mental health is in danger does not justify murdering someone else.  

If you want to argue for legalised abortion, these positions need to be answered.  It seems to me there are three possible answers - one is to assign lower moral status to the unborn child than the mother.  Another is to say there is no consensus regarding whether an unborn child is a full human being, and that is therefore the decision should be left to each individual woman how to regard their unborn child.  The third is to say that abortions will happen anyway, so we should legalise them to reduce social harm of illegal abortions.

My central point is that, if you want to argue for or against legalised abortion, you must address the moral status of the unborn child, for this is where the disagreement lies.

Brandt, congratulations on synthesis and emphasize the focus of debate.

Dear Aretha Craft

What do you think of medical abortions. With better techiques we can select the sex of a fertilized ovum with better chances to survive in families with some types of congenital disorders. There are famous persons such as Christina Doctare who is the result of a rape. Is it enough for an abortion of an embryo if she/he is the result of a rape. How many rapes happen within marriages.  WE have a case for the moment in Finland, a real horror story. The mother killed 5 newborns directly after giving birth alone in the flat and deep frozed them. All of a sudden the freezer brok and the neighbores were alarmed by the smell. She is for the moment subject to mental investigation.But some men are prepared to put her in jail for years instead of mental treatment. Imagine how difficult and cimplex the life is!