rationalskepticism.org

amok wrote:

Shrunk wrote:

Tacticus wrote:

amok wrote:
Which studies, please? Because that was what I opined would be a secular argument against abortion earlier in the thread. If this dramatic increase in fact exists - leaving aside, of course, back alley abortions in places where safe abortions aren't available - this is something people need to know.

I though it was cited earlier. It was a study out of Australia as I recall. I'll do some looking around.

Finalnd, IIRC. When you find it, be sure not to neglect to mention the several flaws in the study that rendered its conclusions invalid, as you neglected to do here....

Ah, there we go. Thought such things as "routinely" and "dramatically increases suicide and death rates" might be overstating or, um, wrongly remembered.

Thinking about it, though, even if a legitimate study found some sort of linkage (thus the secular argument), it would depend on the degree of risk and would still allow each individual patient to make an informed decision. After all, we do that all the time. I was taking oral contraceptives for decades with the knowledge about the possible increased risk of long-term medical issues. My decision, for my reasons.

Debating the accuracy of any study is completely legitimate colloquy, but we aren't really doing that, we are all tossing out largely unsupported arguments by authority which may or may not represent the whole truth. Nothing wrong with that since we are all doing it.

I agree with your reasoning in part with respect to a proven linkage to mental harm caused by abortion. Yes, it would be a secular argument against abortion, and yes it would likely be seen as a matter of degree, and yes I would personally agree that if properly informed of the risk it should be up to the decision of the mother and doctor at least until the fetus is viable outside the womb.

However, the state has a legitimate interest in the health, safety and welfare of citizens and it regulates medical practice very closely to try to prevent just that sort of thing. Laws requiring informed consent when it comes to medical procedures, regulation of doctors and clinics to ensure the best possible outcomes, and the regulating or banning of some forms of medical treatment that cause more harm than good which may affect the public in general if permitted are all legitimate matters of public concern ripe for democratic legislation.

If abortions were proven to cause mental illness and suicide in a large number of patients, the state would be justified in regulating and even banning abortion entirely on the basis that a procedure that identifiably causes such ongoing illness poses a public health and welfare risk, not to mention an economic burden in caring for indigent patients who might require substantial and expensive mental health treatment to deal with the effects of an abortion.