This would be analogous to the health exception most prolifers want. (See also principle of double effect)
I think your organ donation analogy is interesting. Let me propose a hypothetical. Suppose that one of your adult children were diagnosed with some sort of condition that required an organ transplant. Suppose that donating this organ involved physical sacrifices comparable to pregnancy but would save the life of your son/daughter. You would say that you shouldn’t be legally compelled to donate, but…
(1) Would you donate the organ anyway?
(2) If you weren’t a match but your husband was, and he refused to donate his whatchamacallit, would you think less of him?
(3) If you would donate an organ to save one of your adult children but would not lend a uterus to a baby if you conceived one, why not?
Minor observation - taking a knee during the national anthem will certainly make people think less of you (or at least it’s likely to prompt people to* say* they think less of you). Should standing be legally compelled?
Yes, this is the crux of the matter, but I’ll play.
Generally, I think I would in a heartbeat, but I can think of circumstances in which I might not. Do I know this child or did I relinquish my parental rights and responsibilities at some point? For whatever reason, I might decide that I have no parental obligations to a person who is nothing more than biological offspring to me. Maybe I’m a Jehovah’s Witness and the surgery requires a blood transfusion, I might say no based on my religious beliefs.
Perhaps my child is estranged from the family due to chronic drug abuse that has not abated. Am I, say, Jeffrey Dahmer’s mom? I don’t think I’d give my child an organ if he was a convicted serial killer. Maybe I’m really down on my luck and don’t have the means to pay for medical costs, nor take the time required off of work.
I don’t think so. While I may not agree with his choices or understand them – although I’d attempt to try – and maybe I couldn’t accept them, but I’d respect his right to decide for himself. I don’t know if being upset that he made a choice I disagreed with (if I did) would make me think less of him. I’ve also had to make some incredibly difficult decisions in life in which none of the options were obviously the “right one.”
This one is easy.
For one thing, I already have two children. Life as a young parent was not always that easy because of certain decisions I made early in life. At certain times in their lives, had I been pregnant or had another child, it would have negatively impacted their lives and mine. I don’t see any good reason to subject them to any level of suffering or want for a clump of cells to which I have no attachment.
For another thing, at this stage in my life a pregnancy would create even greater physical sacrifices and health risk to me and that of any child I conceived than it does at a younger age. It might create a strain on my marriage and financial stability. Again, I see absolutely no reason to subject myself to a level of discomfort and risk I’m not comfortable with for a clump of cells to which I have no attachment.