Why do people support abortion rights, yet oppose the death penalty?

"Where is the justice in this?" there isn't any.

Myself, I am pro-life all the way...Yes, even in cases of rape or incest (I had to wrestle thru that issue when medical problems forced me to stop taking the Pill.) Eventually, I even came to the point where I stopped being in favor of the death penalty, except where the criminal requests it. (& yes, that does happen sometimes.)

I think the people who support abortion AND the death penalty being imposed, are taking into account the human tendency to make mistakes. They reason that the child has not yet committed any wrongs, so if there is an afterlife, the child will be "safe" -- but while the criminal has done wrong, humans still make mistakes, and it is theoretically possible for our flawed, human "justice system" [sic] to execute someone in error. So, they want to err on the side of "just in case" .

I thnk the child being unseen, while the criminal is easily viewed, is a contributing factor.

I agree, though -- it does seem loony to execute someone for the crime of existing, when they didn't have any "choice" about that "crime" . Especially when we may be aborting some of our most brilliant scientists, poets, teachers, etc...

And what do you say to high risk pregnancies? Cases where it is known that the birth could kill the mother?

I don't advocate having abortions will-he, nill-he. I think that's an abdication of responsibility. I have never heard anyone, even in the pro-choice camp, advocate abortion as a contraceptive. However, I don't think a blanket ban on abortion in the name of murder is just, either. As much as the taking of any life is abhorrent and revolting to me, the reality is that sometimes, taking a life might be necessary. The state thinks so, most religious groups think so, and our society in general tends to think so. That's why we go to war (in theory), and that's why we have the death penalty.

Taking life is not a decision anyone makes lightly, and I have never, EVER heard of anyone having an abortion lightly. But the option still needs to be there for people in case it really is the best thing for them to do. After all, that's why the state still has the option to go to war, put criminals to death, and that's why many states have self-defense laws that allow you to kill in defense...just in case it really IS the best thing to do under the circumstances.

Sad, I know, but that's what reality demands, sometimes.

EDIT--When one uses the term murder, there are problems to deal with there as well. If you determine that murder is the premeditated taking of human life, then war and capital punishment are murder as well, as is certain cases of justifiable self-defense. Is it the unlawful taking of human life? Then abortion can't be murder because it is only unlawful if our laws ban it. So it only becomes murder after you ban it. Murder is a nebulous, emotionally charged word.

I also acknowledge the possibility, as one noted, of aborting the most brilliant doctors, teachers, poets, etc. I also acknowledge the possibility of aborting another Pol Pot, Joseph Stalin, Ted Bundy, or John Wayne Gayce. What someone may do if they are born is not a convincing argument, as there is simply no way to tell.

EDIT TO ASKER--that's what you believe. That's fine. Do you have any factual or forensic evidence to back your belief up? Without that evidence, the rest of us aren't bound to accept your belief and ethic on abortion. You are still missing the point of why a blanket ban is undesirable, and you have still missed the point of why claiming that an abortion could be the death of the next prodigy is unconvincing. There is as much reason to accept the possibility of an evil genius as there is a good one.

I'm sorry; I couldn't tell you. It's the other way around for me. -- Then again, what do I know? I'm a "delusional" atheist who still believes in the philosophy "Fry them!" even after the state I live in unfortunately outlawed the chair. It's too bad; Have you noticed crime rates went up since then? I know; I still can't figure out why.

I just think it's a shame that murderers get to die by a needle injection, while innocent, unborn babies lose their life with much more pain. Aren't there easier solutions? Like adoption or BRAINSTORM actually keeping the baby you helped make.

It comes down to the corrupt moral bankruptcy of the power hungry left. If they support a woman's right to choose they stand a better chance of getting their vote. A person sentenced to the death penalty has lost the right to vote but many have family members who will vote the left in because they have shown compassion on the attacker rather than the victim.

this is because some people believe that killing a person is murder, but the law doesnot recognize a fetus as a person untill the heart starts beating. thus they see it as okay to abort the child befor the heart beats, which is in the first 12 weeks.. after that they will not abort.

I support a womans' right to choose, but I don't support forced abortion.

I support life - even if some people may take it. I'm not going to take someone's free will away, not by passing anti-abortion laws or by supporting the death penalty because both take away free will.

The Catholic Church is among the strongest opponents of the death penalty:

http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/deathpenalty/ for the Catholic Bishops Campaign to abolish the death penalty

Yeah doesn't make sense on so many levels. Well liberalism doesn't make sense either. One is clearly an innocent life the fetus. And the other is an evil corrupt life the murderer. HItler would love abortion don't you think?

I don't think that you can generalize that if a person supports abortion, they oppose the death penalty. These are separate and individual issues.

On the other hand, I do happen to support the death penalty and oppose abortion. But my position on one does not influence the other.

they may not consider a fetus an entire human...i don't know ask them...but i oppose the death penalty, but then there was atime that they did thatand didn't kill prisinors, and the prisons got so overflowed by criminals they had to begin releasing them to make more space....dum logic there, but whatever...people were always pretty senseless.