Andrew has a great post with a very legitimate question: “How do Libertarians resolve the abortion question; whose rights take precedence”?

Abortion, like euthanasia, is definitely one of the most contentious issues before us now. The former continues to be a hot topic as Bush attempts to appoint folks to the US Supreme Court who might change the Roe vs. Wade ruling. Banning abortion is a priority for US social conservatives who make up a very large portion of the support base of Bush. As for the right-to-die issue, one needs only to refer to the Terri Schiavo case in the US recently to get an idea of how divisive the latter issue has become as well.

Let’s leave euthanasia for a moment and refer back to abortion. It is one of the most troublesome political issues for any politician. You can find staunch right wing sympathizers who support it and committed left wingers who do not. Either way, support for or against is always close to the fifty percentile mark. It is a tough issue. In the coming years, it promises to get more difficult.

Soon, very soon, if not already available, we will be able to know the sex, eye colour or pre-determined susceptibility of any fetus to a certain life shortening disease.

The question of who has the right in birth becomes more convoluted. Do any of us have the right to terminate a pregnancy, for instance, if we know for certain that the fetus we are soon to deliver will not live past twenty years old? Or worse, because the eye or hair colour do not fit our desires?

This is what we all face as a “social” issue soon. Where do we draw the line on individual rights when it comes to having children?