1. Why are there exemptions for rape and incest? As pro-choice as I am, it just seems really hypocritical that some mothers get to abort their babies but others don't. If a fetus matters just as much as a regular person, then why would rape or incest be an excuse for murdering them?
2. Why shouldn't the mother be punished if she chooses to get an abortion? If your logic is that people responsible for abortions should be punished, then mothers seem just as culpable - if not more so - than the doctors themselves. Sure, I suppose that some of the mothers go through emotional trauma due to unwanted pregnancies that impair their judgement, but if you keep insisting that abortion beyond twenty weeks is murder, then I don't really understand why emotional trauma on the part of the person facilitating the murder (the mother) is excused.
The right to self-defense exists is well-established legal doctrine that applies to every other crime. This is an ancient tradition that dates back to the Talmud and beyond. Rape and incest are heinous, criminal acts, and women have a right to defend themselves from the physical and emotional damage associated with rape or incest. Some women may choose to waive this right out of their personal moral convictions, but we shouldn't take away this right to self-defense.
Women who have abortions will generally only have one, maybe two abortions in their lifetime. It's already an unpleasant, emotionally draining experience, and criminal penalties will not stop women from seeking abortions. Abortionists make their living performing abortions, so it is much more practical to enforce the law and issue punishment on their end instead of the mothers' end.
