Friday, January 20, 2012

Abortion

Abortion: it has become a divisive word.  Here's what I think about it--the clinical type, not the spontaneous one (that one is more frequently called miscarriage.)

When I was a young girl, abortions were illegal.  If someone wanted to terminate a pregnancy she could go to Tijuana, "a guy" down the street or in a back alley, or try any one of many do-it-yourself methods.  All of these lead to serious life-changing infections, possible sterilization, and frequently death.

Abortions have been going on for as long as pregnancies have.  Being against the law will not stop them.  Murder, robbery, rape, drug possession and many (MANY) other things are against the law and happen with alarming frequency.

If a person is determined to abort a pregnancy, there should be a safe way to do it.  It's the only loving and charitable way to handle it.

I think that counseling should be mandatory, maybe encouraging to carry the pregnancy and consider adoption, at the very least to be able to view the embryo/fetus via ultrasound first.  I do not believe any life changing  decision should be made without all the education and consideration possible.  But in the end if the decision is still to terminate a pregnancy, the least society can do is cut the judgmental crap and give her a safe place and method to do it.

2 comments:

  1. There are those who are 100% against all abortions of any kind.

    There are those who say that a woman should have complete control of her body and an abortion is her right. Abortions on demand.

    I'm in between these two extremes, much closer to the against crowd.

    And, I think we (individuals and society) HAVE to use our judgment when considering something as life-changing (and -taking) as abortion. If that's being judgmental, then I guess I am.

    I believe that a legal, safe, sanitary medical procedure should be available to save a mother's life, for incest, and for rape. Other than that, I'd pretty much like to see abortions go away, as much as possible.

    I guess what that means is, I'm against abortion for birth control.

    I realize there are lots of ramifications to an unwanted pregnancy, but I just can't bring myself to say it's okay to have an abortion for any and all reasons.

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  2. I think women should have (and currently do have) the legal right to choose abortion. I think it is a tragedy when they do, regardless of whether or not she was a victim of rape or incest, her life is in danger if she carries the baby to term, or if the baby can't survive the pregnancy or birth. I believe that life begins at conception, and although you might have compelling reasons to abort, it is still the end of an innocent life. It can't be an easy decision, but it should be the decision of the woman, not the government. I think it is terrifying that more black women have abortions than white women, and that more female fetuses are aborted than male fetuses. Is abortion racist and sexist? Numbers don't lie. I think most people, even pro-choice people, are appalled when a fetus is aborted because of its gender, but why is that a less valid reason than the mother's social reasons (unmarried mother, economic instability, career/educational obstacles, unwanted baby) for aborting? Why is wanting a girl (or a boy, whichever) not as valid a reason to abort as "I'll miss too much work if I have a baby right now and my career will suffer"? I also believe that it is wrong for women to have the right to abort an unwanted pregnancies, but not legal for men to opt out of raising the child.

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