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A. Yes, because abortion is morally wrong and the government should legislate based on our morals
B. Yes, but abortions should still be legal under certain circumstances
C. No, it should be an individual’s right to choose
D. No, even though abortions are wrong, government should not be able to legislate on such issues
E. Other
Follow up questions:
What or who has helped shape your views on this topic? e.g. family, friends, school, church, personal experience, etc?
Science Buzz is supported by the National Science Foundation.
Copyright © Science Museum of Minnesota, 2004-2013, except where noted.
Should a federal or state government have the right to ban abortions?
A) Yes, because all abortions are morally wrong
B) Yes, but abortions should still be legal under certain circumstances
C) No, it should be an individual’s right to choose
D) No, even though abortions are wrong government should not legislate on such issues
E) Other
Follow up question:
Where do your views on this topic come from? (e.g. church, community, family, personal experiences, etc.)
A) 1
B) 2
C) 11
D) 4
E) 4
I'm very disappointed in this question. I thought the Science Museum questions were going to be fun and community builders. I think this question is divisive. We all know we'll never agree as a nation about abortion rights. Perhaps it's my age - I'm 49 - but baby boomers know how each of our associates feel about abortion rights. Heterosexual men have had the conversation with each woman they've shared intimacies. The topic of birth control is a topic that's discussed before the first date: responsible men carry condoms everywhere. And anyone with a political bone knows the political affiliation of his associates.
For those younger than 40 -
HIV redefined the sexual and political landscape. All responsible human beings engage in safe sex. I'm a sexually active heterosexual man. Condoms are more common than courtesy on a first date. Men open the foil more often than they hold open doors. Abortion now is the resource for the teenage, the victim, the sot, or the irresponsible.
Today, this exercise wasn't fun.
Mark, I think your response to this question is interesting. When I wrote the question I did not see it as divisive because to me it wasn't really about abortion. I saw it as a civil rights question and what we believe the government can legislate on or what they cannot.
The question could just have easily have been, "Should a federal or state government have the right to... ban interracial marriage, require mandatory health care coverage, allow capitol punishment, etc."
The real question behind this was, what powers do we allow our elected officials? How far is their reach and do you think we should allow them to make decisions for us based on "moral arguments?"
Yes because under the constitution every human is promissed life liberty and the pursuit of happiness
My answer is C.
I don't plan to post on fb. I don't feel comfortable asking people who didn't officially sign up for Experimonth such a personal question. I also felt that way about the divorce question. Both questions have the potential to stir up emotions. I agree with Mark T. These types of questions are not fun.
I've noticed fewer and fewer of my fb friends are even answering the questions. I think they feel I am prying too much. I feel I am anyway.
Deb, I appreciate your response to a difficult question. The last thing I want to do is to ask questions that alienate you and others. The fact that you found this question not fun is duly noted. I will stick to more fun questions in the future.
Should a federal or state government have the right to ban abortions?
A. Yes, because abortion is morally wrong
B. Yes, but abortions should still be legal under certain circumstances
C. No, it should be an individual’s right to choose
D. No, even though abortions are wrong, government should not be able to legislate on such issues
E. Other
Follow up questions:
What or who has helped shape your views on this topic? e.g. family, friends, school, church, personal experience, etc?
i am at C. i was raised in a strict catholic household and community (attended catholic school 1-12 grades), and used to be at an A, but as i grew older changed the way i felt. i think it is a difficult decision for someone to make, and i am not in any place to judge.
i don't feel comfortable polling this question, because of people's strong opinions on this.
Fazzie, did you know that just this week voters in Ohio defeated a measure that proposed to limit the collective bargaining rights of public workers?
If we reframed the question around the government's right to restrict or abolish collective bargaining rights, would you ask friends and family?
if the question was reframed around collective bargaining then i would feel okay asking people. it is the topic of abortion that made me uncomfortable, because of the complexities around that conversation.
private decision...
Abortion is wrong, you still take the life of a human being and if murder of a human is against the law, why isnt abortion. Inside a pregnant persons stomach is a baby, and think of your kid, or ur sibling, or someone as a baby, a newborn baby. Would you kill them? So yeah it is wrong!
Question 12: Should a federal or state government have the right to ban abortions?
Me: C, it is a woman's right to choose.
Friends: 6 friends: C, a woman's right to choose.
My thinking has been shaped by the women's movement, by the experiences of friends, and by my belief that the government does not have control over a woman's body.
I disagree that we all know what our friends, family, colleagues would say in regards to Question 12. Proof of that can be found in the results of the Mississippi Personhood Amendment that was rejected by voters just this week. Who would have thought that one of the most conservative states in the U.S. would vote against banning abortion?
Here's a quote from the article, "But some would arrogate that decision unto the state under the guise of moral clarity. The Mississippi vote, then, is instructive. It finds the nation's most conservative state essentially conceding that moral clarity is sometimes as false as it is seductive -- and that there are some calls the state cannot and should not make."
To read more, click below:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-pitts-abortion-20111...
I have to agree with the general sentiment on this question. Not fun, and not one that I think a meaningful conversation can be built around. And these days when the silent majority is drowned out by the divisive extremes on both sides...I'm having more fun answering the fluffier questions.
Should a federal or state government have the right to ban abortions?
My answer is sort of a mix of B & C.
Yes, I think the federal government could do this but I don't think they should.
I don't know what influences in my past influenced this decision. I don't think its one shared by my parents or siblings...
D
I hope that our society will not continue the actions started in states such as Wisconsin - legislate the right to make decisions, especially those at a personal level. I think that abortion is wrong. As others have said, it is human life that we are ending.
These feelings are shaped by my catholic school and church background. We also had a pregnancy in our family that found through testing that the baby was deformed and might not live the nine months to delivery or would not live more than a few days after birth if that long.The baby waqs baptized at birth, named Sydney and buried in our church cemetery. She continues to be a a vital member of our family.
Abortion question I'm not sure how to answer this one. It's interesting and opinionated. A major part of me believes it's A but it's also C because I make exceptions for those cases that the baby is a product of rape. This is more because I don't want the baby to grow up feeling like they did something wrong, they're bad or feel they cause their mother pain. However, I also highly believe in adoption. If you don't want the life you've been blessed with, give it to someone who will be. People deserve a chance at life and also those that aren't able to be parents should also get that chance. I'm not posting this on fb because I think it's too controversial and personal a question to request my friends and family to respond to.
Although this is obviously a very charged question, I wanted to chime in (perhaps I'm just being contrary) and say that I did not find it "unfun" or inappropriate. Although I can certainly understand how others might feel that way. I talk politics with my friends all the time (and constantly disagree on a lot of things, as you'll see below), so maybe it's that I have a different comfort level with these topics than other people. That's fine, I'm not judging anyone. Funny, maiken, that you referred to the question as one of civil liberties; that's how I responded even before I read your comment. Here you go...
Pete
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E. I think the federal government should not have the power to ban abortions. I think the state government of Minnesota should not have the power to ban abortions. I don't live anywhere else and don't think I should get a vote on their policies. I disagree with Roe v. Wade although I am firmly pro-choice. I don't think the federal government has, or should have, the authority to regulate that in any way (either to ban or to mandate).
Alternately, if we agree as a nation that the federal government should have that power (I still don't think they should), let's amend the constitution and do it the right way.
Friends
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E. I am a guy. This should not be something I get a say in.
C. It is my belief that government has no place telling someone what they can/can't do w/ their bodies. Period.
C. Shaped by the belief that people's most basic right is their say over what happens to their bodies. Further, more deeply ingrained by friends' experiences, anecdotes from society and personal reflection.
C (obviously). Shaped by: when I was 19 a doctor said to me "you're pregnant" and I heard "....and if you don't do something about it right now, your entire life will be driven by this fact" and I didn't want that, so I thanked the gods that I live somewhere where I have a choice instead of some 3rd world country or a different century where women didn't have that choice. It makes me not only thankful that I live somewhere where women have that choice, but thankful that I *am* a woman. For the first time, I realized that if I had been a 19 year old male in that same situation, I would not have had any choice. That has always been one of the toughest angles to consider, IMO, when considering this topic. I am extremely pro-choice, but it takes more than one to make a baby and when push comes to shove, only one person can have the final say. To me, that is the hardest moral issue at stake. [Note: This sparked a fascinating discussion on fathers' rights and child support.]
C. I shaped this view on my own, through no personal experience of my own, but witnessed several friends experiences. I think I go against most of my conservative family's view.
Question: legislation of abortion
My answer: C. Whatever my personal feelings on the topic, I don't think it should be legislated. It's a horrible position to be in and a woman has to live with the consequences of ANY choice for the rest of her life. I don't see a benefit in adding resentment to the guilt or sorrow. As for what shaped my opinion, I was pregnant as a teen. I chose not to abort, but was forced to give up my baby for adoption. I know other woman who've made other choices. None were easy to live with, and haunt people forever. Don't tell me what to live with.
Friends answers:
E- State Governments yes. Federal No. It is a state issue. I would go one better and say it should be a local issue. The feds need to stay out of most issues. Definately what should not happen is that no doctor should be told to perform one or be fined.
E other, I feel they should not be banned. Women will then get "back alley" abortions which causes other problems. Banning will not stop them from occurring.
Between B and C! Mostly my career has helped! (from a ob nurse)
My answer would be B because I am a catholic and that is what I have been brought up to believe,but in cases such as rape I believe a woman should have the choice of abortion.
C (without comments)
D. We have more to do with my taxpayer dollars than to enforce the moral values that should have been installed by the parental team
For Question #12 I did not get any comments on FB. I did not comment on it because then people might judge me by my answer thinking that I feel pro choice or pro life based on the answer I gave.
Should a federal or state government have the right to ban abortions?
A. Yes, because abortion is morally wrong and the government should legislate based on our morals
B. Yes, but abortions should still be legal under certain circumstances
C. No, it should be an individual’s right to choose-7
D. No, even though abortions are wrong, government should not be able to legislate on such issues-8
E. Other-2
Follow up questions:
What or who has helped shape your views on this topic? e.g. family, friends, school, church, personal experience, etc?
My view on this was created through life experience and the values that I have developed. I haven’t directly dealt with the subject but if I had to I sure as hell wouldn’t want people with no understanding of my situation passing judgment about my choices.
My viewpoint has changed since I had children, but I would say that family, personal experience and church have all influenced my views on this subject.
Its an individual right to choose upon their moral obligations. Government should have no say in this topic.
Church and personal experience---there are plenty of people that would love to adopt and my ex and I could have taken the easy way when we were 20 and would not have had our son. No matter what I feel, I respect the thoughts and views of other people and the government should not decide on this right.
Working for the crisis hotline has defiantly shaped my opinion of this in some circumstances I defiantly support abortion especially if its done early enough. I agree that a lot of people abort that maybe shouldn’t or they regret doing it. But I feel like the government shouldn’t be involved and if they made it illegal I feel that people would still find a way and it might not be the safest for them or their baby if not done timely and properly.
No, it should be an individual’s right to choose
It is the right of the individual to choose. It should be not be the government’s job to decide on morality. This comes down to a spending/funding issue, more than a morality issue. Fundamentality it is the woman’s right to choose. The woman has to live with the consequences of her decision. If the government bans, then we are back to the time when women had abortions at the hand of back-alley doctor or attempting to do the abortion themselves – endangering more lives. But personally, I believe the only justifications for an abortion are 1) threatens the mother’s life or 2) the woman was raped. My belief was shaped from family, friends, church.
I am undecided between C and D. I don’t think it should be an option that is always available and be able to be used as a plan b whenever someone wants. However, I don’t think it is as easy as saying it is wrong. There are certain situations where abortion is the right decision. It’s just very grey, there is no black/white or right/wrong with this one. I guess I would say D if I had to pick. My beliefs on this subject really haven’t been impacted by family, school or church. The only thing that really helped for my opinions on this subject was working at a childcare center for people who lived in extreme poverty and where most mothers have three kids before they turned 20. Some of them tried really hard and the kids had potential and the opportunity to have a better life. Others, sadly never had a chance.
I don’t believe in abortion, but the government is involved in way too many things the way it is. I don’t believe in abortion and I would say my family and church has shaped my views on that topic.
I don’t believe in them but it should not be up to our government to decide---I guess my feelings on abortions come from family—church—
I know this is kind of a cop out of an answer but I'm still struggeling with my beliefs on the subject. I used to be very against it and I suppose that view would have been primarily shaped by my family and church. Now I'm not saying I'm supportive of it, it's still something I could never do, but I believe that it is not a black and white issue and the goverment shouldn't get to decide under what circumstances a person should be in to be able to have an abortion. This view has been shaped by different people and experiences I've had while getting older and establishing my own views on topics.
Should a federal or state government have the right to ban abortions?
C. No, it should be an individual’s right to choose
Follow up questions:
What or who has helped shape your views on this topic? e.g. family and friends
Results for Question #12: Should a federal or state government have the right to ban abortions?
A) 3 responses
B) 5 responses
C) 40 responses
D) 21 responses
E) 10 responses
Total responses: 79
Here's a results-based follow-up question: Would your answer have been different had the question been about the government limiting collective bargaining rights rather than abortion? If so, why?
Graph 12Courtesy Experimonth
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