Sorry but this struck me as funny-not wanting to upset Ted Bundy’s mother as an argument against the death penalty. Sorry about this because I know you are sincere. You need to live in the third world for a while to have a broader perspective about the value of a human life. After another doubling of global population the estimation of this value will certainly change. Humans can out procreate the limits of any system that provides to them food for sustenance. The current fertility rates in the Middle East are astronomical and other places remain extremely high. Opposition to birth control due to religious beliefs really complicated matters. Could anyone actually believe the carrying capacity of the world for people is essentially infinite.
Actually, that was my point. Honestly, I couldn't care less about Ted Bundy's mother's feelings. My point was you can't cry, "life begins a conception! All lives are valuable! All lives should be saved! and then say, "oh, except for...." (though I am anti-death penalty, TBH) It is ridiculous. Either life begins at conception and you don't have the right to take it, or it doesn't.
I am very familiar with the 3rd world and Sharia law. Although, with the climate of this particular website, and the fallout I will, probably receive, I will admit that I am married to a Middle Eastern, Muslim man. I understand, very well, the subjugation of women in these countries and their lack of choice over their own lives and their bodies, which is why I choose to set the American bar way above Sharia law.
The funny thing is, there are many people who will cry and damn Sharia law and it's treatment of women based on a theocracy (as well they should) but when those same laws are now being applied in the United States they back them wholeheartedly. Abortion ban is based on religious beliefs. It isn't scientific. Life begins at conception is a religious belief, not a scientific one.
My point here, is that people are using personal anecdotes that are extreme outliers instead of actual statistics and the statistics they are trying to use are half-truths. If you want to include outliers such as the 1 in I-don't know-how-many cases where the doctor was completely wrong to justify the overturning of a law, there are just as many on the other side, such as people wrongly convicted of crimes.
We, as a world, are woefully overpopulated. We, as a nation, have too many children already, who were unwanted and who had parents who were or are unwilling or unable to care for them. It is a huge burden on our society in many ways. Unfortunately, these issues are cyclical, so the children born of theses parents never learn parenting skills and, in turn, grow up to become the exact, same thing.
I work in the mental health field. I have for many years. Though, I personally, only work with adults, many of these adults end up in the system (which is, also, woefully broken, but that;s a whole new topic) They also end up in the criminal justice system. (also, horribly broken)
My belief is that we make birth control free and easy to get, particularly long term and permanent forms such as IUD, Nexplanon, tubal ligation, and vasectomies. If we educate people and make reproductive health easy to access and affordable then we will reduce the overall number of unwanted pregnancies.
Women who are mentally ill, addicted, who are transient, and, probably not thinking clearly aren't going to buy condoms, or pills or remember to take them or use them. So many studies have shown that when people are educated early on and given access without judgment to birth control and reproductive health and education the rate of unwanted pregnancy and abortion drops. Unfortunately, the people who are banning women's access to abortion are also banning their access to affordable health care. Some states have only 1 or very few Planned Parenthood or free clinics where women can access healthcare. This is because there has been a push by certain interest groups to portray these providers as abortion factories, where, in truth, abortions count for less than 3% of the services provided.
If a woman cannot afford to buy birth control, she cannot afford to travel 3 hours to get it for free. If she is uninsured and can't afford and annual exam, she, probably, also, can't afford to travel for hours to get it. Same with prenatal care. Because of the restricted access to quality, affordable health care for women the maternal death rate in the United States is rising. It is the highest of any developed nation on the globe, and in some states it is higher than in some 3rd world countries.
There has been an attitude that, "If it isn't my experience, it didn't happen."