In Ron Paul's Liberty Defined, the elder statesman addresses the issue of abortion in the first chapter. The following is the first paragraph from the text:
"On one occasion in the 1960s when
abortion was still illegal, I witnessed, while visiting a
surgical suite as an OB/GYN resident, the abortion of a fetus that weighed
approximately two pounds. It was placed in a bucket, crying and struggling to
breathe, and the medical personnel pretended not to notice. Soon the crying
stopped. This harrowing event forced me to think more seriously about this
important issue."
The key point to realize from that terrible experience is that it occurred at a time when abortion was still illegal. Regardless of laws, abortions will still be performed. Morality cannot be legislated into existence.
In the event that abortion was completely outlawed in the United States, affected women would flock across the borders to get the procedure done anyway. Many that could not afford to make the journey to another country would likely attempt to self-abort at home. There would be unqualified individuals - analogous to drug dealers - performing abortions. Prohibition has been proven to be a failing tactic repeatedly.
While I disagree with abortion and would advise women against it given the opportunity, I realize that logic and reality predict that the use of government force is not the answer. It rarely - if ever - is the answer.
Please, ask yourself this question - If you walked in on a woman performing a coat hanger abortion, would you call the police on her, if a ban existed? Or, would you try to counsel her? With that in mind, is government force really the answer?
If an individual wishes to end abortion, education and activism are the most reasonable solutions.
