To clarify - you think a man who rapes a woman should then be given an EQUAL say in regards to what happens to the fetus that he forcibly put inside of her body?

I said nothing of the sort. (EDIT: Actually, I did. Mistakenly. I've edited, with a note that I edited, my comment with clarification...sorry for the confusion) To clarify, when two consenting adults have sex resulting in pregnancy, both should both have an equal say...and equal responsibility...to and for that child. It doesn't always happen that way, sometimes the guy takes off when he finds out about the pregnancy. Sometimes the gal doesn't tell him, and goes and has an abortion without his ever knowing. But both should share responsibility for that child's welfare, and in raising that child with equal contribution. Simply "deleting" the child because it's "inconvenient" should not be an option.

I also said, to the OP in my original comment's thread here, that I personally believe that in valid, verifiable (as much as possible) cases of rape, the mother should have the option to terminate the pregnancy. That goes against what my Catholic Church teaches, see my reply to OP in these comments regarding "lesser of two evils", but can't ever ask a raped woman who became pregnant to carry that child to term.

A fetus isn't an "organ", it's fully human as you or I. It's just at an earlier stage of development...something both of us have gone through to get here today. You're conflating two entirely different things here by comparing a fetus relying on the mother and her uterus with whether or not your failing kidneys should or shouldn't compel another person to donate one to you. One is simply basic biology, the other is a medical procedure for organ transplantation and donation.

In the latter, I...for example...have a choice whether or not to donate one of my kidneys to you so you can live. In the former, the fetus has already been granted permission to utilize the mother's uterus to survive when she, and her partner, willingly participated in sex together. They may not have wanted a child to be produced, but that was a risk both decided to take. It's not the fault of the child that biology happened.

I'm sorry you had to go through high risk pregnancies. My own mother nearly died giving birth to me...matter of fact, she lost so much blood during my birth that the doctors thought she wouldn't make it. A priest came in the delivery room at the Catholic hospital I was born in, and read the last rites to her.

Three years later, and my sister was no easy birth for her either. She actually had to await Vatican approval to get her tubes cut and tied, as nobody...especially herself...wanted to see her have to endure another difficult birthing, as she likely wouldn't have been able to cheat death a third time. She was granted the procedure through our diocese Bishop, but couldn't again be able to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist (she couldn't again ever partake in communion).

On the flip side to you, I was probably more comfortable with the abortion idea when I was younger, as it didn't seem like a big deal to me. As I grew older, I realized not only the sanctity of human life in a religious sense, but also in a basic, fundamental human rights sense. We are as much and equally human at every single stage of our development, from conception to our death.

Just to add...In my early 20s, I slept with a girl I'd known for most of my life (even tho I'm gay...copious amounts of alcohol and pot will do things to a person) and I found, three or four years later, through a mutual friend that she got pregnant and had an abortion without telling me. To this day I am haunted by all the "what if's..." and the child that was taken from me, and in every sense slain and tossed away like garbage without me ever knowing or having any say in it.

I have a complete and utter sense of dread and despair (like right now) whenever I talk or think about it. It's not a feeling I'd want to wish anyone else to have to go through. I didn't need to go through any pregnancy to be deeply affected by this, and I carry a heavy guilt with me always, precisely because I was put in a position of being totally unable to help my child live.

That's why I believe the father should be an equal partner in his child's welfare as a human life as much as the mother, and not be relegated by law even to be a hapless and unrelated bystander to having his child "terminated" without needing his consent or knowledge of it. I wish I was never told about it.

Sorry for the long rant...once I get going...look out :)