Our secular society decided if caught early enough a woman can choose to abort a pregnancy. If they can force you to have a baby how free are you? I'd hate to be forced to carry a baby and birth it if what I really wanted was an abortion.That's not at issue.That ignores the fact that Roe allows for controls to limit abortion in later stages.It doesn't matter if one considers a fetus a clump of cells or a viable human infant as of yet to be birthed.
How do you rationally or ethically enforce laws the subjugate a woman's right to control her body? Abortion will happen either legally and as safely as medical practices can make it, or illegally and unsafely. Do you suggest that we strap women into beds in facilities if they maybe harbor thoughts of abortion? Put women in jail for aborting or attempting to abort? Jailing abortion doctors? It ain't gonna happen. A fertus doesn't have any legal rights and voters even in the most conservative states haven't supported measures to extend rights to the unborn.
The SCOTUS ruled on this issue 41 years ago. The fight is over. Don't like abortion? Don't get one.
Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), is a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. Decided simultaneously with a companion case, Doe v. Bolton, the Court ruled 7–2 that a right to privacy under the due process clause of the 14th Amendment extended to a woman's decision to have an abortion, but that this right must be balanced against the state's two legitimate interests in regulating abortions: protecting prenatal life and protecting women's health. Arguing that these state interests became stronger over the course of a pregnancy, the Court resolved this balancing test by tying state regulation of abortion to the third trimester of pregnancy.
The Court later rejected Roe 's trimester framework, while affirming Roe 's central holding that a person has a right to abortion until viability.[1] The Roedecision defined "viable" as being "potentially able to live outside the mother's womb, albeit with artificial aid", adding that viability "is usually placed at about seven months (28 weeks) but may occur earlier, even at 24 weeks."[2]
Roe v. Wade - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Clearly it is not always the mothers choice even if the child has not been born yet. The short answer to your question about the things we can do is yes.
Abortion law is actually rather good these days - late term abortions are largely illegal (and that should be made universal IMHO) yet the woman has the option early in her term.
No one contests the authority of the state to limit access at later stages; the issue concerns prohibiting the practice altogether.
And how many poor single women who have 5 kids and get pregnant again? You know who's glad their mom didn't take my advice? The single mom of 5 who just won the mega lotto. I'm so happy for her 5 kids.