# Abortion should be decided state-by-state because democracy is more important **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 17, 2026, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-should-be-decided-state-by-state-because-democracy-is-more-important/1027738 "2026-02-17T07:00:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 69
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-should-be-decided-state-by-state-because-democracy-is-more-important/1027738/69 "2026-02-22T06:03:16Z")
I’m not sure if we disagree. [In a previous debate about abortion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-long-analysis-of-the-arguments-related-to-the-abortion-debate/836527/169), I argued that if you agree to supervise a friend’s child, your promise creates a stronger obligation to protect that child than your own. But in an emergency situation, I can’t blame you for following instinct. That being said, a woman may be justified in rejecting the social compact that forces her to risk death. If she has rejected (or been pushed out of) the social compact, she is no longer morally obligated to follow the laws. I can recognize that her actions are moral even though her actions do not directly affect me. This approach helps me, for example, reconcile civil disobedience and a law that I think is moral. Or the failure in practice to redesignate evil laws as void. ~Max --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-should-be-decided-state-by-state-because-democracy-is-more-important/1027738)._