Exactly. There's nothing additional that abortion solves that isn't covered by responsible use of contraception except maybe someone changing their mind or I guess more fairly having their economic situation change such that rearing a child is no longer the socially responsible choice. But I think that's something we're equip to handle via other means (adoption).

Failure rates for contraception are surprisingly high, even if you are using it responsibility. 1% is common, but that's not even over a person's lifetime, that's PER YEAR. That make lifetime failure rate more like 20%.

On top of that some people can't tolerate the most effective hormonal birth control methods methods.

Another is medical... some mothers face risk birthing their child and dying, or aborting the child. Deeply traumatized from this myself :(

I doubt rapists put on condoms.

While that would help it doesn't 'fix' the issue. Unintended pregnancies will happen and you will need a moral framework to deal with them. There is no avoiding the matter.

I think contraception has gotten quite good. I don't think the edge cases would excessively burden society in a way we'd be unable to manage. I could see a definition of contraception being something that prevents an egg, fertilized or not, from developing. And then we could define abortion as the act of terminating a developing embryo. I imagine if people had universal access to contraception we'd be more socially willing to push the responsibility of using the tools provided (and generally being sexually educated and responsible) back on the individuals involved.

>> reproduction should be a choice positively made, instead of the default consequence of sex.

Wait what? Reproduction is the default consequence of sex. That's basic biological fact. You can't legislate that away.

You're deliberately misinterpreting what he's saying. Apply that 'logic' to the first clause: Dying of disease or predation alone in a jungle or on a savanah is the default consequence of living. That's biological fact. You can't legislate that away.

I know why you picked that latter bit - it makes a cool sound bite. But it's just wrong, and whatever 'biology' imposes on us, we as a society shouldn't look at those loose shackles and say, "yes, this is the way it must always be."

ALSO, reproduction is the default consequence of a specific kind of sex under certain conditions, it's not like it's a 100% guarantee. Treating it as such makes you sound like a Texas lawmaker's favorite textbook.

I believe the grandparent just means free access to birth control. Ie “With our current technology the default state doesn’t have to be pregnancy anymore.” It’s phrased a bit weirdly, I’ll grant you.

Reproduction is one consequence of one specific sex act.

Hetero vaginal intercourse often doesn't result in procreation, and that's your best shot at it anyway.

There isn't really any universal default consequence, just like there isn't a universal sex act. A lot of people enjoy it, some people feel shame, etc. Life is a spectrum.

I'm not the one who made the statement.