Does legal abortion make everyone happier?

[CplFerro]

Dear All,

One of the premises of legalised abortion is that it reduces the number of unwanted children. Given that abortion is now legal, shouldn't that mean that the typical happiness level of children, perhaps everyone, is higher than it would be were abortion still illegal?

Cpl Ferro

 

[Kid Eager]

Dear All,

One of the premises of legalised abortion is that it reduces the number of unwanted children. Given that abortion is now legal, shouldn't that mean that the typical happiness level of children, perhaps everyone, is higher than it would be were abortion still illegal?

Cpl Ferro

Your question is invalid. As you stated "One of the premises is that..."

As framed, your questions seeks a conclusion arising from a single premise, where in actuality a set of conclusions of differing amount arises from multiple premises.

In addition, there is an unproven premise that unwanted children are unhappier.

Moreover, the assertion requires that abortion-attributable "happiness" can be measured, is measured, and a comparison of before and after is possible.

Finally, abortion has been legal for quite some time, so where, exactly, is your strawman residing?

 

[John Jones]

Dear All,

One of the premises of legalised abortion is that it reduces the number of unwanted children. Given that abortion is now legal, shouldn't that mean that the typical happiness level of children, perhaps everyone, is higher than it would be were abortion still illegal?

Cpl Ferro

Look what you posted. It does not follow from what came before.

WTF is wrong with this argument?

 

[CplFerro]

Look what you posted. It does not follow from what came before.

WTF is wrong with this argument?

How would you express the question, John Jones?

And, how would you answer it?

Cpl Ferro

 

[Cainkane1]

Dear All,

One of the premises of legalised abortion is that it reduces the number of unwanted children. Given that abortion is now legal, shouldn't that mean that the typical happiness level of children, perhaps everyone, is higher than it would be were abortion still illegal?

Cpl Ferro

It might make a rape victim happier.

 

[Cainkane1]

Dear All,

One of the premises of legalised abortion is that it reduces the number of unwanted children. Given that abortion is now legal, shouldn't that mean that the typical happiness level of children, perhaps everyone, is higher than it would be were abortion still illegal?

Cpl Ferro

While I believe abortion should be legal I'm not sure if I agree with a woman aborting a fetus if she has consentual unprotected sex. Even then it should be legal but if my daughter did this I woud not be happy wth her.

I divorced my wife after she told me that if she got pregnant with a girl shed have it aborted.

 

[Joey McGee]

It would make me happier if my wife got knocked up by the pool boy.

 

[Pope130]

For myself, I can say that I am happy that I have friends who did not die in botched illegal abortions.

 

[Kid Eager]

How would you express the question, John Jones?

And, how would you answer it?

Cpl Ferro

Try mapping the 20 happiest countries against whether abortion is legal there, or not. Who knows, you may be able to glean a partial answer from your poorly framed question:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2013/10/29/the-worlds-happiest-and-saddest-countries-2013/

 

[Loss Leader]

Dear All,

One of the premises of legalised abortion is that it reduces the number of unwanted children. Given that abortion is now legal, shouldn't that mean that the typical happiness level of children, perhaps everyone, is higher than it would be were abortion still illegal?

Cpl Ferro

Your question assumes that unwanted children would be less happy than planned children and would report it.

I'm not sure that an unplanned child knows enough to be glad to be alive. And, since his experiences inform who he is, he used to the way his life is now.

The question might be whether planned children are more successful than those who otherwise would have been aborted. Identifying the set of children who would have been aborted if the mother had a choice might be difficult. Now that there are some areas of some states where it is virtually impossible to get an abortion, it's at least vaguely feasible.

 

[Jrrarglblarg]

One thing for sure -- legal abortion kills a lot less women than illegal abortion.

 

[fuelair]

I have been unhappy that abortion was illegal anywhere since I was 9 or 10- 1955-56.
I have believed it should be since the first time I heard of it - just as I felt I should be able to read any book/periodical I wished to and thought prostitutes were ill treated as were gays (admittedly I had very limited knowledge of gay, but in concept /reading sources it appeared to me that way. Remember Blue Denim and (later)Sherri Finkbine???

 

[mike3]

Your question assumes that unwanted children would be less happy than planned children and would report it.

I'm not sure that an unplanned child knows enough to be glad to be alive. And, since his experiences inform who he is, he used to the way his life is now.

The question might be whether planned children are more successful than those who otherwise would have been aborted. Identifying the set of children who would have been aborted if the mother had a choice might be difficult. Now that there are some areas of some states where it is virtually impossible to get an abortion, it's at least vaguely feasible.

I'm curious about this: Is there any data that might shed some light on the relative happiness levels of unplanned/"unwanted" children vs. planned/"wanted" ones?

 

[John Jones]

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9792759&postcount=3

I hope that answers your question, Corporal.

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

I'm curious about this: Is there any data that might shed some light on the relative happiness levels of unplanned/"unwanted" children vs. planned/"wanted" ones?

You could do no better than to read the Wikipedia article Legalized_abortion_and_crime_effect^WP. I think the conclusion is that there is no correlation. But possibly this is another thread.

 

[Langis]

I think the only unhappy people in this scenario are people soooooo mad that women get to choose for themselves.

 

[Cain]

One of the premises of legalised abortion is that it reduces the number of unwanted children. Given that abortion is now legal, shouldn't that mean that the typical happiness level of children, perhaps everyone, is higher than it would be were abortion still illegal?

No. You're failing to account for all of the aborted children who are unhappy they were never born.

 

[angrysoba]

"Happier" is probably the wrong word, as is "everyone"; maybe you mean "less miserable" and "people who want abortions".

 

[angrysoba]

It would make me happier if my wife got knocked up by the pool boy.

But why would that make you happier than legal abortion?

 

[catsmate]

Does legal abortion make everyone happier?

What a ridiculously stupid question.

One of the premises of legalised abortion is that it reduces the number of unwanted children.

Hmm, do I detect some agenda pushing here? Has your "unwanted children" argument ever been a mainstay of those campaigning for legal abortion? Or have the arguments been based on personal sovereignty, justice and health?

Given that abortion is now legal,

Gross and parochial over-generalisation

shouldn't that mean that the typical happiness level of children, perhaps everyone, is higher than it would be were abortion still illegal?

Have you compensated for other factors causing unhappiness?

One thing for sure -- legal abortion kills a lot less women than illegal abortion.

And less than continuing pregnancies.