Using abortion to achieve a specific gender birth

[reality_hammer]

Utterly disgusting.
The board has now responded that such requests and thus abortions can not be refused and that it is not possible to deny a woman an abortion up to the 18th week of pregnancy, even if the foetus's gender is the basis for the request.

"Designer children" can't be far behind.

Comments

[anolinde]

Not that I really agree with terminating a pregnancy because you don't like the fetus's gender, but denying abortions should be illegal anyway...

[julietvalcouer]

So a doctor should be forced to perform a medical procedure regardless of whether they feel it's medically justifiable? There is no medical justification for terminating a pregnancy because you don't like the gender of the offspring.

I on the other hand would like to see it a law that someone requesting an abortion demonstrate a medical necessity or extreme circumstances (as in they're eleven and were raped by their own father.) Failure to use birth control and being too dumb to pick up Plan B (which if you're over 17 is available OTC at most national pharmacy chains in the US) is not a medical necessity.

[anolinde]

If a doctor doesn't want to perform a legal medical procedure... then maybe they shouldn't have become a doctor.

Unfortunately, birth control doesn't always work. Mistakes happen, unwanted pregnancies occur. You can't force someone to have a child. I don't care what pro-lifers say, that's a flagrant violation of human rights. No matter how stupid you are, you're entitled to those.

[psychomatt]

So a plastic surgeon who doesn't want to give a woman 50 pound boobs shouldn't have become a doctor??? How about a doctor who won't give in to those who have a fetish about having healthy limbs amputated? Those procedures are both perfectly legal, but that doesn't mean they should be done. Doctors are entitled to the basic human right of holding their own moral beliefs, too.

[anolinde]

So, if doctors are entitled to the basic human right of holding their own moral beliefs, what's to stop a doctor from withholding chemotherapy treatments from a cancer patient because he believes that death is preferable to suffering?

[sinanju]

Nothing is stopping him. And as long as he doesn't have the power to forbid any _other_ doctor from providing the treatment you seek, what's the problem?

[anolinde]

...I'm not even going to dignify that with a response.

[sinanju]

Ooookay. Whatever.

I thought the idea that individuals should be free to choose with whom they work was fairly noncontroversial.

[psychomatt]

And what's to prevent said patient from finding a different doctor, just as if they have any other complaints about the doctor?

[julietvalcouer]

What about the rights of the completely genetically distinct offspring? It's not just her body. The existence of emergency contraception means THERE ARE NO EXCUSES.

Plenty of doctors will not perform frivolous procedures. They're morally obligated not to if they feel it's detrimental--you can't do a gastric bypass on someone who is not morbidly obese or obese with comorbidities. Well, you CAN, but a doctor who takes their job as a healer seriously does not. Doing a D&C on an oopsie because someone can't face up to spending nine months' pregnant because they can't show a little responsibility is not responsible medicine.

There is Plan B. There are safety 'drop spots'. There are 1001 adoption attorneys. If you are physically healthy you have no moral excuse for a convenience abortion and doctors should not be obliged to provide one, any more than they should be mandated to do any other unnecessary procedure. If your life isn't at risk, you should have thought of the consequences before flipping up your skirt.

[anolinde]

It's not just her body.

...Actually, it is. Her body, her choice.

If your life isn't at risk, you should have thought of the consequences before flipping up your skirt.

That's like saying, "You wore a skirt, so you were asking to be raped." Could we possibly be more ignorant here?

[julietvalcouer]

Oh, bullshit. If you have sex you accept the consequences. If you weren't raped, you made the decision to risk pregnancy, AIDS, herpes, a boring sexual experience, sleeping in the wet spot, whatever. If you are too stupid to realize these are potential consequences and you should be taking all necessary precautions, you should not be doing it

[anolinde]

What point of yours am I supposed to be answering? All I'm reading is "If you're pregnant, it's YOUR FAULT and you deserve to have a child you might not be ready for, because YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN the consequences." That's bullshit. Most people don't find out that they're pregnant until weeks after the fact, so there goes your theory about the morning after pill making a surprise pregnancy inexcusable.

By the way? Countless medical procedures aren't medically necessary, and yet are performed every day. Few people really need their wisdom teeth taken out, they can deal with horrible teeth for the rest of their life. That woman on the news recently didn't really need a face transplant, she can deal with children running away from her for the rest of her life. (To say nothing else about cosmetic surgery.) Doctors do provide these services and if they don't want to, they shouldn't have become a doctor.

Oh, and one thing that really bothers me about pro-lifers such as yourself? The attitude of how dare anyone not want a child, what a

[baka_neko314]

Not meaning to be rude at all, but what are your thoughts of if the condom breaks, the pill doesn't work and Plan B fails? I know the chance is highly unlikely, but granted, there's still a chance yes? Again, curiosity

[julietvalcouer]

You can buy it here at Walgreen's, CVS...never asked at Hannaford's or Wal-Mart

[baka_neko314]

*nod* Ok, I'm still led to believe that Planned Parenthood is the closest you can get to OTC Plan B here. Where is here for you? I'm over in Salem, OR