Why don't anti-abortion laws ever punish the person who gets the abortion?

[BlueCheeseAgain]

All of them criminalize the person who performs the abortion, and not the one who receives it (unless they're the same person). In fact, it seems to be a widespread belief among anti-abortionists that the women who get abortions are victims. As if roving abortion doctors are going around giving abortions to unwilling pregnant women.

Why is that? I can think of two obvious reasons:

(1) They really do think women are child-like creatures who are incapable of making reasoned decisions, and thus shouldn't be held responsible for what they do. For some reason, this only applies to abortion. If a woman robs a bank, they don't think she's the victim.

(2) They do think that women who get abortions should be punished, but know that it would be radioactive politically. And they figure banning the doctors who perform abortions is in practice good enough to stop abortion.

I do wonder what would happen if abortion pills were ever made available without a prescription. In that case there won't be a doctor to punish-- and then what would they do?

[AlexSFCA]

1. that is already changing in some states

Unfortunately, women are going to be criminalized for abortions and investigated for miscarriages in some states and jurisdictions.

[BlueCheeseAgain]

7. In those cases, they are charging the women for supposedly inducing the miscarriage.

In other words, because they caused an "abortion", not because they received one.

[hlthe2b]

2. A TX DA DID charge a woman who presented post-miscarriage, though charges eventually dropped

so don't think they won't try.

But, I have to say your post initially had me thinking you were in support of charging the woman... I was infuriated.

[BlueCheeseAgain]

9. Sorry about getting you temporarily infuriated.

I do think when they charge a women who had a miscarriage, they're charging them for allegedly being the person who caused the miscarriage, not for being the person who had the miscarriage. It just happens the two people are the same.

[hlthe2b]

10. Difference without distinction. Still prosecuting the woman, the "victim."

[Hugh_Lebowski]

3. Almost entirely 2 ... its a political calculation that it's easier to go after providers

Mainly because it's a MUCH smaller number of 'targets' to have to manage.

1000's of individual women have their stories that could tug heartstrings.

Providers ... can be painted as pure mercenaries.

Shut down providers, you shut down abortion is the bottom-line.

[emulatorloo]

4. Don't give them any ideas

[texasfiddler]

5. Sounds like a question from trump!!!

Just saying!!

[Buns_of_Fire]

21. IIRC, the piece of shit DID once admit in an interview

that he thought (paraphrased) "there should be some degree of punishment for the woman."

[WhiskeyGrinder]

6. Some factions are pushing for just that. Charging both the person who provides the abortion

and the person who gets the abortion with murder.

[BlueCheeseAgain]

8. If they did do that, what do you think the reaction would be?

Would people who are okay with punishing doctors be okay with punishing the patients?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

11. Some would, some could be talked into it, and some would believe it would never happen.

[Hortensis]

12. Currently because women vote. Of course they've gone after women and will

big time in future in various states once they get sufficient control. We've all heard of RW congressmen and anti-abortionists calling for anything from prison terms to execution for women who abort their babies? The RW authoritarians that make up the Republican base are famously extremely punitive.

Oh, and women have been prosecuted all along in various places for self inducing abortions not protected by Roe.

VP Pence was Gov. Pence in IA when, under his law, a woman was sentenced to 20 in prison for late term miscarriage she said v feticide and illegal abortion the prosecution charged. The conviction was eventually overturned by IA's appeals court.

How about tRump? This answer caused a shitstorm and he promptly walked it back, but it was intended to be a soft-pedaling of what his base and religious right leaders wanted him to say.

Matthews repeatedly pressed Trump on his anti-abortion views and asked if women should be criminally punished if abortion were outlawed in the US.

Trump hedged at first: "Well, people in certain parts of the Republican Party, and conservative Republicans, would say, ‘Yes, it should be punished.'" ...

Matthews pressed again: "Do you believe in abortion or no as a principle?"

"The answer is there has to be some form of punishment," Trump said.

"For the woman?" Matthews said.

Trump said, "Yes," and nodded. Matthews pressed further: 10 days or 10 years? Trump said he didn't know, and that it's "complicated."

"It will have to be determined," Trump said.

[jmowreader]

14. IN, not IA

I wouldn't put it past Iowa to pull this, but Pence wasn't governor there.

[Hortensis]

20. Whoops, unintended bad association with IA. To IN's credit,

it looked like IN was about to dump Pence when tRump offered him a chance to be reborn as VP.

[dutch777]

13. And where do the fathers come into the equation?

Whether it is about the abortion or the taking care of the kid when carried to term, seems, dead beat or not, dads get off more often than not. Still too much male view centered lawmaking going on.

[MiniMe]

15. It has only been 3 days since the decision

Wait, it is coming.

[jmowreader]

16. Give them time. It's coming.

I think they feel right now that they'd lose support if they suggested prosecuting women for trying to obtain abortions. However, extremist groups like Operation Rescue have always called for it. I've also been told some of them would like to prosecute anyone who's ever been involved with an abortion, which is unconstitutional.

[FBaggins]

17. Could be pure numbers

The woman can only have one abortion at a time and likely won’t need another for some time (if ever). But the doctor may have a line of customers waiting.

[David__77]

18. It is #2.

This will not end well for them politically. For decades this has been a largely philosophical question. Not any more.

[Boomerproud]

23. Yes.

nt

[roamer65]

19. They will start trying to charge women who go for out of state abortions.

That’s what they will try first, to scare other women away from doing it.

[msfiddlestix]

22. I don't believe your premise to be accurate

I've read a number of reporss of laws passed in various states that criminalize the Women having abortions. I've also read in a number of reports that Women suffering miscarriages will be prosecuted as well.