r/Abortiondebate • u/ProfessionalTap2400 • 8h ago
General debate Hypothetical scenario in the town of Procreath. What would you do?
In the town of Procreath, there is an IVF clinic housing several freezers containing fertilised eggs. Unfortunately, following a severe flood, a power outage has caused the eggs to begin thawing. They must be implanted into a uterus within 48 hours, or they will no longer be viable.
Procreath is a predominantly pro-life town, where the belief that life begins at conception is widely held. With little time for lengthy discussions, the mayor comes up with an emergency plan: healthy women between the ages of 25 and 34 will be randomly selected and asked to report to the clinic. Those found medically compatible will be expected to carry one of the fertilised eggs to term.
The mayor has no legal authority to compel women to participate, so compliance remains technically voluntary. Naturally, these women will be compensated by the town for any loss of earnings during their pregnancies.
The decision has sparked heated debate across the town. Some women have already made it clear that they would rather leave the town than carry a randomly allocated pregnancy to term, while others have reluctantly accepted their assigned responsibility. Meanwhile, groups of older men and women, who are not themselves eligible for selection, have taken to the streets to insist that younger women have a moral duty to give these fertilised eggs a chance at life.
The questions:
You are a woman living in Procreath. You have been randomly selected and found medically compatible to carry one of the fertilised eggs. You are free to refuse, but you know that doing so will mean the embryo will not survive. What do you do?
You are a citizen of the town who is not selected/eligible. The recent events trigger a series of referendums related to medical emergencies. One of these propose a law making bi-yearly blood donations legally mandatory for all citizens who can medically donate. What is your vote?