We should not be responsible for accidents against which we have taken reasonable precautions. Everyone knows that driving is risky. The chance of getting into an automobile accident when driving is probably greater than the chances of getting pregnant while using properly functioning contraceptives. So if somebody gets into an automobile accident, does that mean that they should be held accountable for that, and thus we should forbid doctors from giving them medical treatment?
Note that if we used this reasoning, it wouldn’t be enough to refuse to pay for the medical treatment. You would have to actually make it illegal for doctors to treat them. After all, they knew they might get into accidents before they drove, and they should be willing to face the consequences. If they don’t want to be in automobile accidents, they shouldn’t drive automobiles. It’s a simple fact of logic. Unless you are willing to make it illegal for people to treat auto accident victims, you are going to have to accept that this inference is unacceptable and that women have a right to get abortions when contraceptives fail. People take risks all the time, and we never claim that they have no right to reverse the bad consequences that might befall from those risks.
This is a selection from a series of essays on Abortion that are all connected to this page:
