So after writing in the comments section of one of PZ Myers' posts, I ended up writing in the comments section of another post where the topic was again about abortion. To make a long story short, I got treated as a trolling, arrogant, posturing, misogynist shitbasket! Why, you may ask? Because I had the gall to wonder out loud about the dividing line for abortion. My second mistake was then to let it be known what my opinion was (i.e. am not in favour of third term abortions, except in extreme cases). I've learnt my lesson: do not comment on the Pharyngula blog unless I agree 100% with the other comments. The mob over there is simply, well, a mob. And like most mobs, it's out for the kill on a constant basis.
I was a bit shook up after being called a misogynist all day, so when I picked up my wife at the train station later that evening I felt really guilty. Maybe I am a misogynist. Maybe in some freakish Freudian way I hate women. Should I tell my wife? Well, I definitely needed to talk to her about the online arguments I had. It's strange having virtual arguments with people you've never met. I needed some reality. Thankfully, my wife is a smart French scientist who was able to bring me back to reality. She was able to console me by assuring me I was not a misogynist, and that she too had strong reservations about third term abortions. Actually, she was quite shocked at the idea. In France, you see, abortion has been legalised since 1975, is allowed freely up until 12 weeks, and allowed afterwards if there is a danger to the mother or if the fetus is severely handicapped. That suits almost everybody fine here, so there's no debate. At least not one I'm aware of, but maybe I need to do some more research.
One good thing came out of my comments on the Pharyngula blog. PZ himself replied to my question about clarifying his stance on the matter. So, for the record, here it is:
(Click on the image for a better view)
Yes PZ, that's crystal clear. And I'll leave it there.
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