Catholic response is the usual religious based rhetoric.

*sigh* my high hopes that someone with a brain might have initiated the discussion are dashed.

Here's my next, and probably last post:

QUOTE=YADA;3583924 "the abortion is not safe for the child ...a few survive, but those that do usually suffer defects from the 'abortion' procedure .... I have a friend who adopted just such a little boy some 16 years ago..... "

To say that abortion is not safe for the child is not a response to my points and is a very bad argument against abortion given that the intent of abortion is not to produce a child at all. A few children survive traumatic births with defects and are adopted out. But I wouldn't use that as an argument against giving birth, that would be irrelevant at best.

".....and it is not true that most abortions are at 8 weeks or less ..... in fact women are usually just realizing that they are pregnant at 8 weeks ..... "

This is an example of the view that women are somehow mentally wanting. The overwhelming majority of menstruating women keep track of their cycles both in their head and on paper.. Unless the circumstances are highly unusual, it does not take a normal woman 4 weeks (a whopping 28 days) to notice that she hasn't menstruated. Forgive me for assuming that you are a bloke.

For women who do not want a baby and find themselves pregnant, the abortion is carried out as soon as possible, normally before 8 weeks, definitely before 14.

"most abortions are late first trimester early scond .... but in the US Roe V Wade and it companion decision made abortion on demand the law of the land right up to the point of birth ... also called partial birth abortion where the child is delivered except for the head and then the babies brains are sucked out ..... "

Right. More graphic descriptions please, because they help your argument - not.

In the one state of Australian where accurate data is available, 98% of all terminations were conducted before 14 weeks. That is well below the threshold for pain let alone sentience. 2% of abortions might have been performed using the method you describe - might have been. That 2% of abortions are performed that way is not a good reason for prohibiting the other 98%.

"Abortion is always a moral evil ... it leads to a cheapening of all life ..."

Actually I think that enslaving children so that the rich west can eat cheap chocolate bars is a cheapening of human life. But I'm entitled to my opinion am I not?

I was hoping for a response that addressed my points, not more of the same old sentimental religious based rhetoric. I'm disappointed.

Emervents

Grrrr. "Cheapens human life." Grrrr. Grrrr. Grrrr. As though forcing a women to give birth like some sort of breeding animal dignifies human life.

To be fair, he did say, cheapens ALL life. But given his religious views, I doubt that he includes animal life in the category of "life that can be cheapened".