There's no authority over someone's decision about her own life and body! If that's all the decision involves, then it can't possibly violate anyone else's freedom. The questions are:
- Does pregnancy involve a distinct being from the mom at any point before birth?
- Does it ever make sense to interfere with what parents are doing with their children?
If we could prove that the answer to 1 is "no," there wouldn't be a problem. A lot of people still entertain at least some doubts about 1 and think that if there's a separate being involved, there's a parent/child relationship, so they argue about 2 with that in mind.
Natural questions about 2 that follow are: Do you think preventing someone from killing her own toddler or older child is ever the right action? If so, could it be right to prevent her from killing what's in her womb 1-2 weeks before her due date? Where do you draw the line?
While the answer to your first question is a clear yes. And the second question is asking about how much authority over the family government should have.
I would still think you are missing a distinct 3rd option: Can we assume this person has a responsibility to be a "parent" or part of any family? Because if she has decided not to be a parent, she would not have a child that belongs to her.
It is not that I disagree with your final point... Abortion is bad from my perspective too. But I think our approach should be tactful.
That's my opinion about the first question too. With the 2nd one I was imagining something more basic, like encountering a woman killing an (already born) kid and deciding whether I should try to intervene or not, but the essential question of whether intervention is ever OK is the same.
You raise a good point about a 3rd option. I wasn't trying to assume responsibility and this just didn't occur to me. I meant "parent" only in the physical sense. Maybe becoming pregnant imposes no responsibility whatsoever to be a parent or part of a family. In that case, if you said the answer to 1 is yes, you probably think the child is not hers, but is an independent person (?) so there are still problems.
I don't love the idea but am not saying I'd never do it or that anyone should be forced not to.
"The child is not her's, but is an independent person" correct. I agree, this is about making sure we know what we will do the moment we are confronted with the situation. The truth is that the Government will most often not conduct the best action.