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Comment by electricBugalu | Hacker News Reader

Abortion is abortion, no? Isn't it their body, their choice?

Why does abortion get a special different word like foeticide in this case?

If the mother chooses to end the pregnancy, aren't we cherry picking if and when it becomes right or wrong if we ban special cases of abortion?

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Yes, though some other commenters have pointed out caveats (e.g. do they really have a free choice?).

IANA moral philosopher, but I think the gender of the baby being a primary consideration in abortion also makes this a more complicated issue. I feel this is more akin to the ethical dilemma of whether to abort foetuses with non-fatal disabilities.

You are presuming that the women of India get to choose.

If you have an abortion because it's the cultural expectation and everyone around you is telling you it's the right thing to do is it your choice?

If not, then a heck of a lot of high-shcool and college age women in the west aren't choosing either.

Some do while some don't. It isn't foetecide if the woman is willingly aborting. I guess that's the point the parent is making.

Then foeticide is the wrong word, right? It should be uterian assault or something since the woman is the victim in that perspective.

But if they do? As a society we ban egregious practices so that society as a whole can be healthier.

foeticide (ˈfiːtɪˌsaɪd) n (Gynaecology & Obstetrics) a variant spelling of feticide

fe·ti·cide (fē′tĭ-sīd′) n. Intentional destruction of a human fetus.

Isn't the intentional destruction of a human fetus what an abortion is?

It is in a strict definitional sense but there's definitely space to make a moral/ethical distinction between "family planning based" abortions like is most common in the US vs "child planning" (not sure I like the term but I can't think of a better one atm) abortion like we can clearly see happening in places like India and China where the birthrate is skewed so much.

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