The Libertarian Stance on Abortion - A Rough Deal

Let me first start out by saying: Nothing divides Libertarians up more than the Libertarian stances of abortion. This has been a personal battle for myself for a long time, of which I have swayed between both sides of the argument over and over. I look at the pro-life side and I think: "That makes sense." and then the pro-choice side and also think: "That also makes sense."

It tugs at my heart strings a bit when we are actually talking about the rights of women over the rights of babies, and that as a man, I have no realistic understanding of the situation and what level of emotion a woman goes through when making such a difficult decision.

Though with all that being said, I have a sound policy that makes sense to me. Maybe this will make sense to you in some aspect, and honestly, this is a complicated subject that takes a long time of reflection to get any level of real understanding on the matter. So let me cut to the chase. I am pro-life. Short and simple. This does not come with baggage however. I am also against a government that tells you what to do with your body. This includes abortion. I am also against government subsidizing abortions. Ethically, I would encourage (only under the knowledge that the mother's life is NOT at stake) an expecting mother to keep the child regardless of where the child came from. Yet at the same time, with the emotional baggage, if a woman were to make the decision on their own to have an abortion, I don't believe it is up to me or the government to decide in such a decision.

I've come to the conclusion that women do not prefer abortion. Even uneducated women do not prefer abortion. Usually if a woman is having an abortion, it is for a damn good reason. But with that being said, I don't think the government should encourage or discourage such an action. I know this seems all wishy washy, but this is a subject that is spoken in intense debate and both sides have good points.

It only gets more complicated at the stage of abortion that is acceptable. This is only deriving further into the details and can be its own article alone as to why a specific stage in a baby's life are you allowed to abort. It is highly complicated and I really can't be spending my time talking about that. To push further into the subject, I like to think about other things that become illegal due to an authoritarian government. Prohibition is a perfect example of placing morals above supply and demand. By creating prohibition you had the mafia gain a foothold in the U.S.A. and effectively kill more people than any level of legal alcohol could.

Because of this, prohibition was ended due to the negative externalities. Same thing with the drug war, but this is still a battle being fought. If you are to make abortion fully illegal, the principle is the same where if you reduce the supply but keep the demand, then people will find a way to satisfy that demand. This seems to be a brutal and terrifying realization of a black market of coat hanger abortions existing.

Terrifying to say the least, and whether or not you want an abortion to be handled in a legal doctor's office or in the back of a truck. Yet ethically, I believe in pro life. Just not a government that would force an economy to become illegal, or subsidize. I just don't want the government involved in this complicated subject at all preferably.

If you hated this article, that's fine. You have a right to your own opinion. If you find anything about it feel free to write your own article in rebuttal. I will read it. Additionally, I post an article a day Monday-Friday. Feel free to check out this site while checking out the articles I've written in the past.