Well, I guess the first one that comes to mind is when there is a pregnancy as a result of rape or sexual abuse, or incest. I understand that these pregnancies aren't necessarily going to endanger the life of the mother (except in the case of incest, perhaps, if there is an abnormality that could compromise the mother's or foetus's health) but it is a lot to expect of a woman who has been abused in such a way as this to then proceed with a pregnancy and then raise a child for the rest of her life.

In these instances the woman hardly was being irresponsible with allowing herself to get pregnant. I understand that a child out of such circumstances is also an innocent victim, and many women in these situations choose to keep the child with that in mind.

BUT sometimes ethical considerations have to run both ways - and the life and mental and emotional well being of the mother must be taken into consideration along with her physical health.

I was raped when I was 16 and I'm telling you now - any reminder of that, particularly a daily one growing inside me - would have probably pushed me over the edge mentally, in which case it would have presented a danger to my life. I tried to kill myself a few years later and didn't succeed - had I been pregnant as a result of that rape and not allowed to abort I may have tried to end my life earlier.

__________________
We've got rules and maps and guns in our backs, but we still can't just behave ourselves. Even if to save our own lives, we are a brutal kind. The Shins