Would the questioner be considered sinful or following her whims if she were to adopt the second opinion – which holds that discharges do not invalidate ablution – especially given that she still performs ablution for every prayer but does not repeat it if something is discharged after it?

The secretions known as vaginal discharge are pure (tahira) and invalidate ablution (wudu'). We are unaware of any scholar who stated that they do not invalidate ablution before Ibn Hazm. Therefore, this issue may be one of those matters where ijtihad (independent reasoning) is not permissible. If a woman suffers from incontinence of these secretions, her ruling is the same as that of a person with incontinence: she performs ablution for each prayer after its time has begun. She is also permitted to follow the opinion of the Malikis, which states that a continuous minor impurity does not invalidate ablution. However, if she does not suffer from incontinence, she is not permitted to follow the opinion of those who consider these secretions as not invalidating ablution.