Controversial anti-abortion measure prompts surprising positions among KIRO hosts
Nov 8, 2011, 12:41 PM | Updated: 1:06 pm
It’s the most controversial measure on the ballot anywhere in the nation this year. A proposed Mississippi law that would define a fertilized egg as a person with full legal rights, meaning not only would abortion be outlawed, so would some forms of birth control.
The measure is dividing some 97.3 KIRO FM hosts along unexpected lines.
Dave Ross surprised co-host Luke Burbank by saying he hopes the measure passes. Not because he favors it, but because he hopes it ends such efforts once in for all.
“My feeling is no prosecutor will prosecute this and right to life will be happy with that,” said Dave.
“No problem if that’s all they want. If they pass the legislation and start putting mothers who didn’t give birth on death row, that will end the abortion controversy once and for all.”
Luke understands why many people could support such a measure.
“If I believed life began at conception, how could you stop short of a law like this. And if it really was the killing of a child, I’d be out every day trying to block an abortion clinic.”
Meantime, while John Curley is self-avowedly pro-life, he’s troubled by all of the implications for both the mother and child.
“If you’re going to say abortion is murder, then you have to say it all the way down the line, you’ve got to see all the way past the 14 year old girl that gets raped by the crazy man,” said Curley.
“And when she goes to the doctor and they do the rape kit and two months later they find out she’s pregnant, you cannot abort that child.”
And while he believes life begins at conception and abortion constitutes the taking of a life, “the choice should ultimately be left up to and your god what you do to yourself and that child,” Curley said.
Ross also pointed out the only way to enforce it is to force women to register whenever they have conceived and subject themselves to constant monitoring.
“You’d need a new conception certificate whenever you have sex and miss a period and file with the state. So if you don’t go to term there needs to be a police investigation,” Ross said.
“Unless they’re going to do that then they’re just joking around. That’s why I’d like to see this pass.”
Curley says even though he personally opposes abortion, what’s being forgotten in the ongoing debate is the children.
“If those people that are so upset about this, I better be able to go to your house. I’d like to meet some of the foster kids that you have in your family right now. Can you introduce me to some of them? Can you show me some of the kids you’ve adopted? Can you show me some of the financial donations you’ve made to some of the great adoption agencies around here?”
-Josh Kerns/97.3 KIRO FM
