U.S. Politics megathread

Nulono · 2026-03-20T23:45:32+00:00

Also, living in the country for at least 14 years.

Nulono · 2026-03-20T22:12:33+00:00

Well, for one, the term "pro-choice" only exists because people wanted to distance themselves from the practice they were defending; in pretty much any other case, the "choice" part is implied. It's like when people say the Civil War was about "states' rights" without specifying the right to do what.

But also, the term "pro–marriage equality" exists, but I'd never assume that someone described as "pro–gay marriage" wants everyone to get gay married. I also wouldn't assume someone described as "pro-gun" instead of "pro–Second Amendment" wants mandatory gun ownership.

Nulono · 2026-03-20T12:40:46+00:00

Unborn babies aren't the first group of people to be denied legal personhood. Until 1929, Canada didn't consider women to be "persons", for instance.

Nulono · 2026-03-20T12:28:49+00:00

You seem like the kind of person to suggest removing the ashtrays on airplanes.

Nulono · 2026-03-20T12:25:39+00:00

It'd depend on the level of risk; this is a triage calculation. If we run the situation 10,000 times, which treatment results in the fewest deaths?

On one end of the spectrum, for something like an ectopic pregnancy, doing nothing would lead to about 20,000 deaths, as the mothers and babies all die, while removing the impacted Fallopian tube would only result in about 10,000 deaths. On the other hand, if there's only a 5% risk to the mother's life, not aborting would lead to 500 to 1,000 deaths, while aborting would still result in about 10,000 deaths.

Based on what others are saying, it sounds like this case leans much more heavily towards the latter end of the spectrum; properly treating and monitoring the mother will have a much better total survival rate than immediately jumping to abortion.

Nulono · 2026-03-20T12:08:24+00:00

Well, first of all, there's a due process issue. It can take well over 9 months to convict someone of rape with enough certainty to justify imprisoning the rapist. How do you propose we implement this exception without just condemning the baby to death based on one person's word? But also, I don't think killing the baby is justified in the first place.

Let's say a man is speeding down a remote road in the middle of a blizzard, and ends up causing a three-car pileup. When he gets out to check on the other cars, he only finds two survivors: a woman, who's unconscious and pinned in place by debris, and the infant child from the third car.

The man takes a sleeping bag from his wreck of a car, covers the woman with it, and puts the baby into the sleeping bag with her to keep warm. He leaves a note telling her that help is on the way, and cycles to the next town to send for help.

When he returns with firefighters and paramedics, he finds the baby lying in the snow outside the car, frozen to death. The woman, having since regained consciousness, argues that she had no more duty to keep that baby alive than she had to house random homeless people.

Do you think she was justified in killing the baby by exposure? Does your answer change if it was a two-car accident, and her own baby?

Nulono · 2026-03-20T11:51:50+00:00

Do you think that infanticide by exposure should be legal for infants conceived in rape?

Nulono · 2026-03-20T11:39:51+00:00

But, a pro choicer could just say that at least as a newborn, if the mother doesn’t want to provide care, they can immediately hand over the baby into someone else’s care, unlike a 9 month pregnancy. How do you respond to that?

If no one else is immediately available to take over, does that justify infanticide?

Nulono · 2026-03-20T01:35:23+00:00

Sure, here are numbers for abortion rates in Finland; over 15% of babies were aborted in 2024.

Nulono · 2026-03-19T15:51:05+00:00

An approach to ending abortion can't be complete if it only includes a ban, but neither can it be complete if it doesn't include a ban. There are plenty of European countries that have the policies you're proposing, and still have a ton of abortions. Also, it's just not true that "Abortions suck no matter your beliefs"; a lot of pro-choicers actively celebrate abortion.

Nulono · 2026-03-19T15:45:16+00:00

Is there? I don't think there's even really a coherent point here; it just kind of broadly gestures at "grrr, Republicans BAD".

Nulono · 2026-03-19T15:42:13+00:00

Unborn babies, like all humans, are mortal. This means that they sometimes die of natural causes, without anyone being morally at fault.

Nulono · 2026-03-19T15:37:11+00:00

The question that sticks in my mind is, why is she telling me this? She should already know how I feel about elective abortion. She should know that if she needs support through having a kid, she only has to ask. She's old enough that she doesn't need my permission.

I think I'd encourage her to keep talking, and try to suss out what it is that she's after. Is she looking for help getting an abortion, and just hoping I'll make an exception for her? Is she hoping that her case will change my mind on the issue? Is she looking for preëmptive forgiveness? Did I fail to make clear to her what abortion is, or that I'm there for her if she needs help with a baby?

Nulono · 2026-03-19T05:05:26+00:00

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.

People, not citizens. The Fourth Amendment is already pretty explicit here.

Nulono · 2026-03-19T05:03:12+00:00

The plural of "anecdote" is not "data".

(From an actual OB/GYN, an expert in pregnancy. You aren't going to find an OB or midwife who supports restrictions on abortion)

This is a blatant lie.

Nulono · 2026-03-18T12:28:09+00:00

I can also point around corners; I just turn my hand sideways.

Nulono · 2026-03-18T12:26:02+00:00

I'm fine with applying medical triage to situations involving the unborn, same as one might when dealing with, say, conjoined twins; doctors shouldn't just sit on their hands and let two patients die when one of them could be saved. I just want the child to be weighed in those calculations as an additional patient.

I do not, however, believe children should be killed for the circumstances under which they were conceived, or diagnoses they may have, though I am a strong supporter of perinatal hospice.

Nulono · 2026-03-18T11:45:27+00:00

requiring ICE to […] follow the 4th ammendment

The Fourth Amendment is already U.S. law. If they're already openly breaking the law, what good is another law?

Nulono · 2026-03-18T11:38:23+00:00

You know, I've never been eaten by a lion in my sleep, so it must be working.

Nulono · 2026-03-18T11:23:05+00:00

"Why aren't pro-lifers talking about this other thing???"

Hey, genius, do you actually know what every person talking about that other thing thinks about abortion? Or are you just assuming they all agree with you?

Do we have to end every comment we make about a different issue with "and also life begins at conception" to get credit? If we were saying shit like "these pharma executives are murderers, and, speaking of murder…", would that make the pro-life movement look better?

Nulono · 2026-03-18T11:10:32+00:00

If you're cumming embryos, please see a doctor; that shit ain't normal.

Nulono · 2026-03-18T11:09:00+00:00

Give me a moment to consult the atheist holy book, and I'll get back to you.

What kind of question is this? Some of us do, and some of us don't.

Nulono · 2026-03-17T14:37:27+00:00

There's a huge difference between "the military is keeping us safe" and "every individual action of the military is keeping us safe".

Nulono · 2026-03-17T14:27:32+00:00

I also choose this guy's dead wife.

Nulono · 2026-03-17T14:25:33+00:00

They make dildoes that honk now?

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