Bending the Third Rail
Because We Should, We Can, We Do
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
What's The Penalty For Murder?
Digby has made this point over and over, and has resurrected a very interesting video asking anti-abortion advocates the same question. (Note, the video has received an enormous amount of traffic so it may take awhile to download it.)

Atrios excerpts a discussion between Chris Matthews (aka Tweety) and Pat Toomey, a candidate for the Senate in Pennsylvania, where Toomey is caught completely flumoxed and without an answer to the question (a must read btw).

The question? What should the penalty be for a woman who has an illegal abortion? As you know, most attempts to end abortion target doctors for penalties, with the "perpetrators" having none. If abortion is "murder", and a woman aborts the child (even without a doctor), shouldn't she be tried for first degree, premeditated, murder?

As the abortion debate heats up again, this is a great question and a powerful theme that needs to be addressed by liberals. It's akin to the in-vitro fertilization paradox (shouldn't that procedure be outlawed as well?). Beating conservatives over the head with the logic of their position is a narrative that speaks clearly to the ambiguities of the issue and why government shouldn't be in the business of regulating personal, moral decisions.
Written at 9:48 AM by Greyhair.
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