Punishment

[MJS]

This topic stems from my reading of many of these forums. It seems that abortion is probably the biggest issue that gets brought up. This made me think of this question....

If abortion was illegal, how would the criminal justice system punish offenders?

How could this be regulated or controlled? How would you know who had abortions? Who would be responsible for intervening?

[Winchester]

The Catechism clearly demands that abortion be illegal and that offenders of said law be punished.

It is murder, but of a specific and unique kind. A doctor and mother are violating their duties. I advocate prison for both, but am loth to push for the death penalty, except perhaps for the doctor, who exists under no possible duress to perform such an act. Fear may well often motivate abortions, and such motivation should be considered in any judgement. Also a trust in the intelligentsia who promote abortion as a moral and inalienable right might mitigate some the the responsibility of the public.

Illegal abortions are very hard to control because they are performed under the cover of legitimate medical practices. "Back alley" abortions are pretty much an urban lagend and Dr. Bernard Nathanson who helped push through Roe v. Wade will quickly admit that; it is an expression for illegal abortions provided by doctors. An analogous practice (in a medical sense) is illegal plastic surgery, which is perfored under clinical conditions, but outside of the law.

Depending on the nature of the ligslation against, it could be local state or federal authorities, but I'm pretty much counting on supernatural police to do the real clean up...

[Kilroy the Ninja]

To answer that, perhaps we should look back to the time in our history when it was illegal, and see how people were "discovered" and how they were punished...

[MJS]

To answer that, perhaps we should look back to the time in our history when it was illegal, and see how people were "discovered" and how they were punished...

I think if we looked at history, we would probably find harsh punishments which would probably not be considered moral today. They probably all involve death, but more than likely the consequesces would also only be for the woman who had the abortion. I do not know this for a fact, but I think we could speculate such a thing.

[Kilroy the Ninja]

Was the death penalty imposed for having an abortion? Guess I'll have to look that one up....

[MJS]

I found this, it seems to give a brief history.

http://womenshistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/...ng%2Fabortl.htm

[BLAZEr]

It would seemt to me that Doctors who perform abortions would have to lose their license to practice medicine.

And should probably do a jail time.

Women who procure an abortion should be fined and given court supervision that would include counseling. (Most women don't go around having abortions just for convenience).

Places where abortions are performed (if they are clinics, doctors offices, etc) should be closed down.

[Sojourner]

BLAZEr's punishments sound really fair to me.

Nurses who assist on abortions would also need to lose licenses and do jail time.

And in addition to the counseling and fine for women who had aborted, I think there would also need to be some sort of services so that women wouldn't feel as though they were without options and needed an abortion in the first place.

[PhatPhred]

Bishop Paul A. Zipfel of North Dakota testified against imposing a criminal penalty on a woman who has an abortion.

[God Conquers]

I'd agree with Blazer about mandatory counselling for the mother. The doctor should DEFINATELY lose his/her license and should go to jail for murder. Repeat offenders should be locked away and the key thrown out.

[BLAZEr]

Here is the question . . . if it is murder (which it is) why do we seem to agree that the mother should not be tried as a murderer . . .

[Sojourner]

I was wondering the same thing myself.

[God Conquers]

Because of insanity.

What mother wants, of her own volition, without mental illness or strong pressure from outside, to kill her own child?

The answer should be none.

But how do we decide if one is truly malicious? Mandatopry counselling.

[MJS]

I think murder seems to be a pat answer. The situation is obviously not that simple. There are various people involved. Are prison and the death penatly the only ways to deal with this? Why must we use a lex talionus (eye for an eye) type of theory?

What about mercy and forgiveness?

[Don John of Austria]

Well lets see both have forfieted there rights to freedom and even to life by haveing MURDERED an innocent person, More than that they have violated their most sacred duties as mother, and as a doctor( who is supposed to preserve life) I would have very harsh penelties for both just like you would for anyone who murdered there Children or someone elses Children for money( in the cases of the doctor) as the Doctor will almostassuredly be guilty of more than one abortion they should be treated like any other mass murderer of Children and executed. The women, should be imprisoned for a very long time until she is no loger capable of becomeing pregnant without divine aid.

If a women has had Multiple abortions she like the doctor should be executed.

And Blazer I beg to differ with you about wemon haveing abortions because its convinent and that is the primary reason-- most abortions are by women in the middle class. And frankly of the women I have known who have had an abortion they all did it for convinience.