Prolife Or Prochoice

[Beauty Mark]

My mother's friend had an abortion when she was in her 30s I believe.

Her husband said that he'd leave her if they had another child. They lived in some area where there were no job opportunities (the woman didn't even have a GED, so I don't know how good her options were anyway), no family to help, etc. She had a child (not her husband's) to support, and in their town, there really were no options for her (I've been there; there isn't anything).

I don't find that woman stupid or selfish. I find that story really sad on so many levels. I can't really condemn abortion in situations like those. I've never been there, and thankfully, it doesn't look like I'll ever be there, since I am educated, etc.

 

[rbella]

I think that having a child is a privilege and not a punishment. That being said, I do believe that it is my choice to decide whether or not I want to have one. Fortunately for me, I've made that decision by using birth control.

I believe that things would be dramatically different if men could get pregnant. I guarantee there would be a lot more abortions in this world...

 

[Fearnotsomuch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissChievous I'm definitely pro-choice, but also pro-birth control! If you don't want to get pregnant, use protection. (Unless you are raped, of course.) Abortions shouldn't be taken lightly and not used as a method of birth control. But, I know that accidents happen so I think a woman has the right to get one if she wants to. I have never had to have an abortion and am glad of that, I am sure it is far less than a pleasant experience. So please, always use a condom!!

Agree word for word! As much as I think "oh you're preventing a child from being born", I have to take a step back and say what if that happened to me? What if I make a mistake, what if I get sick? I don't want to discriminate on someone else's choice if I've never been in that position myself.

 

[xxManBeaterxx]

The big problem is birth control is expensive and many many people do not have insurance, i dont know hte age range of the girls who have the most abortions, but when i had no insurance it was something like 60 dollars a month for a 18 year old that took like 2 days of working. But condoms are like $1.20 each use that people!!!!

Back in the dorm at my school a few girls had an abortion, and even though im pro choice, i was sick of their nonchalant reaction to it, its like some girls dont even give a shit, its like abortion was their birthcontrol, and i think thats were the govenment should draw some kind of line?

 

[MAC_Whore]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zabbazooey I just don't see why people seem to think they have the authority to make the decision as to whether their unborn child (it's a CHILD, yes, a fetus, but a human being nonetheless) lives or dies.

They do have the authority, because it is their body and the law agrees.

That being said, it is just a matter of your beliefs and perspective. The fetus: some see it as a precious early stage of human life, some see it as a microscopic lump of cells.

I am just happy to live in a county were people do have a choice. People do need to be responsible in their choices though.

I also wonder about whether those that are pro life consider the quality of life that the child will have. The reality is that not all children born will be born into a good life. Some will be born to hideous "parents" and therefore experience horrible childhoods that will scar them for life. Would it be better if parents who know they aren't equipped for children made a decision to not let a pregnancy progress?

 

[purrtykitty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAC_Whore I also wonder about whether those that are pro life consider the quality of life that the child will have. The reality is that not all children born will be born into a good life. Some will be born to hideous "parents" and therefore experience horrible childhoods that will scare them for life. Would it be better if parents who know they aren't equipped for children made a decision to not let a pregnancy progress?

Exactly...which is where it would be nice if there were better sex education. I know accidents happen, but if those not wishing to have children used proper birth control methods, then abortions would not be necessary. I absolutely agree that there should be controls for people who chose, however, that abortion be their primary method of birth control. I don't know of any long-term studies regarding the effects of multiple abortions, but my gut says it can't be good for the body.

 

[SkylarV217]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zabbazooey Having a baby is not considered a way to teach a woman a lesson. You should know what you're getting yourself into when you have sex, even if you're religiously using birth control. Man + Woman + Sex = Baby Abortion is not the solution.

GREAT WAY TO PUT IT , ICA

 

[mona lisa]

Though I voted "pro life" in the poll, my view is not one that fits well into the categories that were offered so I will try to explain it a bit.

I am basically pro life as long as we are sure there is a life involved that is truly human. This rules out in my mind anything after the first month of what is called "conception" when there is not an absence of brainwaves, a heartbeat, and the ability to naturally feel pain. None of these to my knowledge is present prior to the first month though they start to become present at various points in the second month.

When you throw in the fact that 50-70% of miscarriages that we are aware of happen in the first trimester (most of which are in the first month) and many times a woman miscarries without even knowing she was pregnant to begin with), either God does not like a whole lot of "babies" or the structure of the "conceived form" is not infused with humanity until sometime after the first month when a more solid foundation is in place. I choose for rational and theological reasons to presume the latter view.

 

[SkylarV217]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAC_Whore They do have the authority, because it is their body and the law agrees.

And We all know that the law is always 100% Correct , 100 years ago , people were property and women had no say in anything , couldn't even vote ...

 

[talste]

The below article is from "The new straights Times" 28th May 2008.

Abortion is Illegal in Malaysia with the exception of "permissable circumstances"

I thought I would post this as it may provide a different prospective for some.

Please don't be quick to judge these woman as selfish or not wanting the headache of raising kids, try to understand the poverty they live in, lack of education, lack of options available to them as well as the social stigmas attached to being an unwed mother (note: religion & government are intertwined here so the social stigmas are evident on all levels)


Article
(the abandoned babies referred to in the article were deceased)
MOST abandoned babies in Malaysia were born out of wedlock or were retarded.

Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Noriah Kasnon said police records showed that 304 babies were abandoned between 2004 and last year.

Of the number, 117 were boys and 91 girls while the sex of the rest could not be ascertained because of advanced decomposition.

Noriah was replying to Datuk Chew Vun Ming who had asked the minister to state how the issue of abandoned babies and missing children was being handled, given the increase in cases recently.

She said the ministry together with the Health and Education Ministries was looking into the introduction of a new subject for National Service trainees as one way to discourage teenagers from engaging in sex before marriage.

She said women who resorted to abandoning their babies did so because they were either afraid, shy or did not want to be prejudged by the public.

"Some women abandoned their babies because of financial reasons. In addition, there were some foreign nationals who abandoned their babies as they did not know how to bring up a child alone in a foreign land."

END

To summarize: in a perfect world sex education would work & there would be no unwanted children being born, Realistically that doesn't happen.

Now as much as this is a horrible thing for me to say, I believe if abortion was an option for these woman in some of these cases it may of been the lesser of 2 evils.

 

[HeavenLeiBlu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xxManBeaterxx i was sick of their nonchalant reaction to it, its like some girls dont even give a shit, its like abortion was their birthcontrol, and i think thats were the govenment should draw some kind of line?

I agree, but like I said above, it's nout our business how they tear up their bodies. I mean look at people like Lil Kim, Jocelyn Wildenstein, Micheal Jackson, Joan Rivers, etc who are constantly under the knfe screwing themselves up. Nobody can stop them, right? No they're not having abortions, but they're hurting themselves nonetheless. How far do you want the goverment poking into what you can do with your body? <begin>Having our perfectly just, and fantastic government

</end sarcasm sequence> to set those hardlines begins a slippery slope into more crap they can force us into doing/not doing.

 

[MAC_Whore]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkylarV217 And We all know that the law is always 100% Correct , 100 years ago , people were property and women had no say in anything , couldn't even vote ...

And that matter was changed and improved. IMO, Roe v. Wade improved and changed women's reproductive choices and that's where we are today.

Nobody else can tell me what I should do with my body. Pro choice: I make decisions about my body and others make decisions about their bodies.

 

[Dahlia_Rayn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkylarV217 And We all know that the law is always 100% Correct , 100 years ago , people were property and women had no say in anything , couldn't even vote ...

No person will think the law is 100% correct 100% of the time! The law is not supposed to be made to benefit us as individuals, but us as a society. But as you've pointed out, things advance when people as a group become activists for something they believe in...women are no longer property, and people are no longer allowed to be kept as slaves in the United States all because people chose to make a show of solidarity for something they believed in!

 

[xsnowwhite]

I'm completely pro-choice. This is an issue I feel the government does not have the right to decide at all. While I see the issue of it being seen as a "selfish reason", "easy way out", ect, I still feel that there are too many circumstances which would make an abortion a logical/respectable decision for someone to make.

 

[MACATTAK]

Quote:

The big problem is birth control is expensive and many many people do not have insurance, i dont know hte age range of the girls who have the most abortions, but when i had no insurance it was something like 60 dollars a month for a 18 year old that took like 2 days of working. But condoms are like $1.20 each use that people!!!!

I know in the US, they have Planned Parenthood for people who don't have insurance. It's little to no cost depending on your income. They will even give you a handful of condoms for like $1.00, so there are options.

 

[HeavenLeiBlu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MACATTAK I know in the US, they have Planned Parenthood for people who don't have insurance. It's little to no cost depending on your income. They will even give you a handful of condoms for like $1.00, so there are options.

This is true, and I tell this to my friends and even strangers all the time, because I went there faithfully during the years when I had no insurance or a steady income. But I'm only one person, and although I have a big mouth, I can't tell everyone, LOL. I think this nugget falls under the umbrella of sex ed, and general health ed. If people were aware of the options available to them, I'm sure they'd take advantage. It should also be noted that in poor rural area, PP is probably not an option, but in areas where they are, they're a fantastic resource.

 

[jetplanesex]

I am pro-CHOICE because I don't believe it is MY right to tell another woman what she can or cannot do with her body. While I don't feel I could ever have an abortion [ I haven't been placed in that situation, but after a condom broke once I took Plan B and that nearly broke my heart ], I could never tell another person what is or isn't the best decision for them.

 

[user79]

Quote:

Originally Posted by M.A.C. head. Couldn't have said it better. I voted as a prolifer because that's what I would choose for myself, but what another woman does is her issue to deal with.

That is essentially a pro-choice stand. Choice just means the ability to choose yes or no, so if you say abortion is not right for you, but another woman may do as she wishes, that is pro-choice. Pro-choice is not saying, oh yey, abortions are great and everyone should have one, it just means that the state should not hinder women the decision to have an abortion if she wants to have one.

But if you say, for you personally abortions aren't something you would do, but another woman who wishes to have one can do so because you don't feel it is any of your business, that means you are pro-choice.

Pro-life means you are making it your business to make the decision for other women. Pro-life means the state must set laws that makes abortions illegal, so not giving the women a choice.

I think a lot of people confuse pro-choice with pro-abortion, it couldn't be further from that. Pro-choice is not stating your own choice if you would have one or not, it is expressing the freedom and the right for every woman to decide for herself.

This poll is not asking if you could imagine having an abortion or not yourself, it is asking, should women have the right to choose for themselves, or should the state make laws to prevent them from having abortions? Sorry, I just wanted to be clear on that because I think people are mixing things up here.

 

[user79]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkylarV217 even 12 year olds know that SEX MAKES BABIES....

Um, that is a pretty assumptive point of view. You might have known that, but unfortunately, a lot of children do not receive enough sex education and really are clueless and confused. Parents need to talk more openly about sex and safe sex practices with their children, but in some parts of the world, that is still a very taboo subject. I think many 12 year olds don't completely know how babies are created.


Quote:

Originally Posted by SkylarV217 I think that the plan B pill should be included in all rape kits ( even though it's not) Then the rape victim would never have the chance to conceive and wouldn't have to go through any more trauma. I don't know why thy have removed that as procedure most places. I think a lot of the victims are thinking that is standard and then are shocked if they turn up pregnant

That's horrible!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shimmer Because it's not unreasonable to say that personally, one is pro-life and would never have an abortion (or would only have one under very specific circumstances), but wouldn't want that choice removed from the lives of other women?

I agree, but again, that's a pro-choice stance. Pro-choice doesn't mean you would get an abortion yourself, it just means that each woman has the right to choose for herself what to do, not the government. There are a lot of pro-choice women who could never imagine going thru with an abortion themselves.



Quote:

Originally Posted by Brittni I think that maybe if people were better educated and had more good moral qualities in themselves (so that they were more compassionate, realistic, and made smart choices - ie: birth control, abstinence if nessasary, etc) then the debate wouldn't be so bad.

So what you're saying is that people who allow women the freedom of making their own choices over their bodies, are less moral, than those who do not afford them that freedom? Personally, I think that's a pretty odd argument, and leading down a slippery slope. Who are you to decide who is more moral than another person? I'm not trying to be offensive here, but I just don't think that someone has the right to call themselves more moral because they do not agree with someone else's opinion.





Also, another issue to consider, is the term "selfish". Society and in general, the term "being selfish" has purely negative conotations. But I think we need to re-evaluate that. Selfish means taking one's one welfare into consideration before others, but that doesn't always have to be seen negatively. I think in many instances, it is necessary to pursue ones own welfare before that of others, without it being considered a bad thing.

 

[SkylarV217]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hilly Pro-Choice!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't want some MAN in the oval office to determine what I CAN and CANNOT do with my FEMALE body!

It's not about what you can or can't do with your body , it's about the body residing in your body.A body part is defined by the common genetic code it shares with the rest of its body; the unborn's genetic code differs from his mother's.The unborn child takes an active role in his own development, controlling the course of the pregnancy and the time of birth. Being inside something is not the same as being part of something.Human beings should not be discriminated against because of their place of residence.

Why is it okay for a women to kill the being that is simply growing inside of her, but if a third party did it they would go to jail. IE Scott Peterson was charged with 2 murders. His wife's and His Child's where as if Stacy Peterson had had an abortion she wouln't have been charged with murder.

While we were all fetus' once we aren't PART of our mother's body! We grew there. That's why the argument about a women should be able to do what she wants with her body erks me. That baby is a seperate intaty within her body. It's not like she is choosing to go cut her arm off.... That I would be okay with b/c that arm is part of her body !

Even if ladies aren't religious most of them believe in destiny. If you believe in that or even the theory that there is someone out there for everyone, who are you to "discard" someones solemate.

I'm a strong believer that is there hadn't been so many aborted human lives we would have cures for Cancer and Aids by now. What would the world be like if Alexander Fleming's mother "hadn't been ready to have a child" .... Then only 1/4 of us would made it to adulthood, if that many. If you've ever taken penicilan you would probably be dead now, simply b/c of that one woman who wasn't ready, or didn't have a husband, or the money.

Denying a child life , b/c you were irresponsible is WRONG! Plain and Simple. That is why I am PROLIFE. So many women are filipantly having abortions and that is wrong. If there wasn't an easy way to end a pregnacy , I feel people would begin to be more careful with there sex lives.