Abortion

[Egregious]

I'm not a woman and I can't get pregnant, so as with all things which don't affect me, I'm pretty good at not caring about about abortion. I don't consider a fetus to be a baby, though even if I did, I don't care if some chick wants to kill her own baby. It's not my baby. I do think it's stupid that a woman shouldn't be able to do as she wishes with her body. I think it's more stupid that this should even be a topic of conversation, due in part to what I just mentioned, but more relevantly because there are seriously more important goddamn things to worry about, like the eighteen thousand (UN statistic) living, thinking, perceiving children that starve to death each year.

[shadowsmudge]

Whooo, okay, here we go.
In all honesty, to me abortion means murder. I am *not* trying to attack anyone or step on anyone's toes, that is just my belief. So, obviously, I am pro-life. Most of what influenced my decision about this is seeing pictures of unborn babies. Also, there is a video called "Silent Scream" which speaks for itself. It's a very graphic video of a baby being aborted. Also, many of the babies being aborted now could, if born, live with the help of the doctors. I think that says something.

Are there any circumstances in which you believe abortion is okay? Yes, in cases such as an ectopic pregnancy where both the mother and child will die if the pregnancy is not terminated. In cases where the mother's life is at risk if the pregnancy is carried through, I believe it is up to the mother to choose.

Or if the potential baby will be born severely disabled or may not survive the pregnancy? That makes no difference to me. If you can do that, why not euthanize those already born who are disabled?

What about rape? I know two beautiful baby boys who were conceived due to rape. They were given up for adoption and have made their adoptive family *very* happy. They are people. That they were conceived by rape does not make them less of people.

What do you think of adoption as an alternative? I think adoption is a *wonderful* alternative that more people should look into.

The use of birth control to prevent pregnancy in the first place? Depends on the kind. those that abort if they fail to prevent the pregnancy, I do not like. Those that don't abort, I am fine with.

Is enough being done to reduce the number of abortions performed? No. Now it is even becoming possible to abort if the baby is the "wrong" gender.

[Loop]

What does abortion mean to you?
The termination of a pregnancy.

Are you pro-choice? Pro-life?
Pro-choice, and I am fairly confident this will always be my view.

If so, why? What has influenced your decision?
I'd say science. A fetus is not a human. A group of cells is not a human. Sure, it CAN be. But so can sperm. In addition, I also had a good friend have to get one at the age of 15. I don't believe one's life should be ruined because of said ball of cells. Some might say adoption is a choice, but if you think that would of made everything a-okay in a high school environment, you're living in some fantasy land.

Are there any circumstances in which you believe abortion is wrong or should not be allowed?
I do not believe it should be used as a form of birth control. I live in Canada, so abortions are in part funded by my tax money. I believe there should be a limit, before it becomes 'seriously? again?'. We provide access to birth control for dirt cheap here, so I don't understand why people wouldn't be using that in the first place when it's so easily provided.

What is your opinion on late term abortion?
I don't know enough on the topic to have an opinion.

Do you believe abortion is too common? If so, why and what do you think should be done to lower the number of abortions performed?
I believe some people don't take it as seriously as they should, and do use it as a form of birth control. Sex ed in schools is the easiest way. Where I live, we have a public and catholic school board. My significant other went to the catholic one, and has no idea about contraception whatsoever except what's seen on TV. I know about just about every kind out there.The pregnancy rate is also much higher in the catholic high schools here than the public ones. Don't preach abstinence, it's pretty clear it doesn't work. Teens are going to have sex no matter what, and preparing them is the wiser choice.

Should the father have a say in the procedure?
No, unless the woman wants him to. It's her body, her life, and in all honestly, her baby until it's born.

Should minors be allowed abortions without parental notification or consent?
After 16, yes. Before that, I think parents need to know that their 15 year old or younger is having sex, and needs to have a good talk with them.

What do you think of adoption as an alternative?
It's not remotely the same. The mother still has to go through the pregnancy, and as most abortions seem to be done by young adults, that can be a very traumatic social experience. Not to mention the stress afterwords for the actual mother.

The use of birth control to prevent pregnancy in the first place?
Yes, yes, yes, and more yes. I am infuriated by people who are against birth control. Against abortion I can understand, birth control no. Sex is something that in this day and age isn't just about baby making. It's about an emotional connection. And most people don't want a 9 month present after.

Is enough being done to reduce the number of abortions performed?
From what I can tell in the US, no. It seems abstinence only education is common place. Reading up on it here, it seems studies point that comprehensive sex education is the way to go http://www.avert.org/abstinence.htm.

[kateybear]

What does abortion mean to you?
The planned termination of a pregnancy.

Are you pro-choice? Pro-life?
I am pro-choice. I was pro-life until I was fourteen, and started actually understanding the stuff.

If so, why? What has influenced your decision?
I got pregnant the summer after grade nine. This was three years ago. Yes, I was very young. I miscarried before I had a chance to decide what exactly I wanted to do. However, this event swayed me from my pro-life stand that I had held before, and afterwards I realized that abortion would have probably been the best option for me, and that both myself and others should have the option to do as they please with their bodies and fetuses. I also have almost no attachment to babies of any form.

Are there any circumstances in which you believe abortion is wrong or should not be allowed?
Honestly, I mostly believe that abortion shouldn't be allowed if it's just being used instead of proper birth control.

What is your opinion on late term abortion?
I don't know enough about it to form an opinion. As long as it's legal an being performed safely by a trained professional, it's just fine.

Do you believe abortion is too common? If so, why and what do you think should be done to lower the number of abortions performed?
No. I'm going by personal experience, but I've seen way too many teenage mothers and women who shouldn't be having children. Of course, these women should be more careful in the first place but after all else seems to fail...

Should the father have a say in the procedure?
When men carry fetuses then they can have a say in what happens to them. Until then, it's a woman's body and what she does with it is her choice. She can choose to let the father have a say, but that's still her choice.

Should minors be allowed abortions without parental notification or consent?
Only those sixteen years and older. Sixteen is the age of consent, at least where I live, and if they can consent to sex legally they should be able to handle any consequences legally as they please to do so. Before sixteen, they're immature (I'll admit it, I was to a whole new degree) and if they're getting pregnant the parents have a right to know what their child has gotten themselves in to.

What do you think of adoption as an alternative?
It's an option, but it's not something I would do. I personally wouldn't want to swell to the size of a whale, go through sickness and pain and labour to push out something I never wanted in the first place to hand to someone else. Pro-lifers seem to want to force this instead of abortion (I'm sorry if this offends anyone, it's merely an observation of what I've witnissed in my life) and I feel like that's wrong. No one should be guilted in to keeping an unwanted pregnancy.

The use of birth control to prevent pregnancy in the first place?
This. Honestly, I'm in Canada, and we can get birth control so easily here, and I don't see why more people don't use it. After what happened to me, I got on it. I haven't been sexually active, but I've realized that it is a good preventative measure, and that if you're even considering sex you should be responsible with how you go about it.

Is enough being done to reduce the number of abortions performed?
Seriously I have no issues with the number of abortions being performed. In all honesty, I think there should be more, especially in the younger division. With that, they should educate teens better and knock it in to their heads to use protection, but I don't think teenagers should be having children. As stated above, yes I was nearly a mother as a teenager, but I still believe no one should be faced with that while still growing up.

[Atuin]

What does abortion mean to you?

The surgical removal of a fetus.

Are you pro-choice? Pro-life?

Politically Pro-Choice.
Personally Pro-Abortion.
Never ever Pro-Life

If so, why? What has influenced your decision?

Hard to pinpoint where the influence lies. Societal connections perhaps? In days past women have had less rights and perhaps if I was born a few decades ago I "may" have had a different opinion. But where Society has come to recognise equality and women to have equal rights it is easier to see and have your rights upheld.

As to the why. that is easier. My body is my body and it is to me to see fit what I ultimately do with it in regards a pregnancy. When someone else dictates that I should keep a pregnancy or abort it, my body no longer becomes my own. That is slavery.
I would never want a child myself. I have no inclination in that regard. Pregnancy to me is almost an act of Masochism. It's a painful unpleasant experience yet many million of women endure it in order to have a child. Pain for pleasure.

Things take a confusing turn when I compare my political and personal stance. As I said I believe in a woman's right to choose but on a more selfish level I would much rather other women took an approach closer to mine. Wherein I think women should be having less kids, having less unprotected sex, and be more agreeable to the option of abortion. In other words have births drop considerably . Of course if I did have it that way then I would be forcing my beliefs upon others and that flies in the face of choice. So I can only hope that other women consider such possibilities other then having children at all.


Are there any circumstances in which you believe abortion is wrong or should not be allowed?

Yes, one. When a woman is forced to have an abortion. It's no different then forcing a woman to carry a fetus to term. It's still against choice.

What is your opinion on late term abortion?

Hmmm. Despite considering a fetus as not truly sentient I do believe as a pregnancy reaches it's end that becomes more of a grey area. The development is almost complete and the only true difference then is separate by only a womb. A woman really should be making this decision earlier in the pregnancy. The only acceptable time for me personally is if there is imminent health risks. And then there is the option of a caesarian and incubation of the baby.

Do you believe abortion is too common?

No. In fact I don't believe it's common enough. Insofar that there are too many children being born into the world. The ideal of course would be women actually using protection/being less lascivious and preventing a pregnancy in the first place

Should the father have a say in the procedure?

He should be consulted but in the end that is all he can do - Make his opinion known. Anything beyond that and then you have a conflict of interest. And if that occurs I will ALWAYS side with the woman as it would be her body. The man has other choice beforehand like using protection or getting the snip or finding a woman who shares his want for a child.

Should minors be allowed abortions without parental notification or consent?
100% yes. Again as with the man the parents have choices prior such as trying to raise their child with a sense of responsibility. Age does not matter in the long run though. Their body is their body.


What do you think of adoption as an alternative?

It's not an alternative at all. It does not solve the issues of an unwanted pregnancy. It merely gives an option after the birth. Adoption is to seek a home for a homeless child. Not a place to dump an unwanted pregnancy.

The use of birth control to prevent pregnancy in the first place?
Silly people. USE MORE PROTECTION!
It makes me want to smash my head in seeing these women getting pregnant without planning. There is to be a degree of failure in the use of condoms and such but that is miniscule compared to the number of actual "accidental pregnancies".
This is one area I can say strongly I believe protection should always be the first port of call before even considering sex.

Is enough being done to reduce the number of abortions performed?

There is only so much that can be done. It is down to the individual to make sensible decision and ensure less pregnancies where abortion is a strong possibility. You can't change the mindset of an entire society so easily. The only real way would be to try something extreme like forced Sterilisation. But then that takes away choice again.

[sammythethief]

What does abortion mean to you? The termination of an unwanted pregnancy (that is my pleasant, politically correct definition).

Are you pro-choice? Pro-life? Pro-choice.

If so, why? What has influenced your decision? The only influence on my decision to be pro choice is that it's my body and I'll be damned if anyone's going to tell me what to do with it.

Are there any circumstances in which you believe abortion is wrong or should not be allowed?
Only when a woman is being forced to abort a fetus that she wants to keep. As Atuin said, that is just as bad as forcing a woman to carry an unwanted fetus to term.

What is your opinion on late term abortion?
How late are we talking about here? Because I do think it's wrong to abort a fetus at five months old. A choice should be made swiftly and decisively after you discover that you're pregnant. Don't wait around and wait for it to become larger and more and more human.

Do you believe abortion is too common?
Not at all. What is too common is the amount of children being placed into the adoption system. What is too common is the amount of pregnant teenagers. But abortions? No, they're not too common at all.

If so, why and what do you think should be done to lower the number of abortions performed?
Just because I'm pro-choice, doesn't mean that I think that everything should be done to prevent them in the first place. If effective birth control were readily available and affordable to every person in the country, I'm sure the abortion rate would go down. I'm not sure what the statistics for abortions in the United States are, however.

Should the father have a say in the procedure?
If the male and the female be involved in a serious relationship, then I believe that he should be allowed to voice his opinion and the woman should listen and consider. However, it is ultimately the woman's decision. She not only has to consider the fact that she doesn't want the fetus, but she also must wonder if it could end her relationship. However, I wouldn't want to be with a man that would break up with me for something I wasn't ready for (a child). A woman's uterus doesn't belong to her boyfriend or husband or girlfriend or wife or any other label you want to put on the term "partner". It's hers, and that's it.

Should minors be allowed abortions without parental notification or consent?
If they're "mature enough" to make the decision to engage in sexual intercourse, then they're old enough to make that sort of decision. However, their parents should be informed.
I will also say that it's within a parents rights to kick out their daughter if she gets pregnant, or their son if he impregnates someone. If I have a daughter and she comes home one day and tells me that she's pregnant, I'd be hard pressed to allow her to stay there and raise a baby. Heartless? No. I would hope that I'd have raised her to be smarter than to allow herself to get pregnant, and I wouldn't want a baby in the house. At that point, I will be done raising kids and having kids in my house and won't want that anymore.

What do you think of adoption as an alternative?
If you're willing to carry the fetus to term and deliver, but what to put it up for adoption afterward, that's great! But you should only do this if you're willing to go through pregnancy. I, personally, would not do this. I wouldn't carry to term, go through the pains of pregnancy, possibly destroy my body, and then deliver just to walk away from it.
That being said, I also would rather adopt than have my own children. Not one bit of me ever wants to get pregnant, stretch my body out in what I consider to be a grotesque manner, and then squeeze a watermelon out of a hole the size of a quarter, or be sliced open and have an unsightly scar. There are too many children out there that don't have homes or families to love and care for them. Instead of bringing another child into the world, I'd rather adopt.

The use of birth control to prevent pregnancy in the first place?
I know it's unrealistic, but I'd like to see every teenager of child-bearing capabilities on the pill. I myself have the Implanon implant in my arm, and it is very effective. I doubt I'll get it again after I have to have it taken out (it took my alcohol tolerance and flushed it down the drain), but the pill is just as effective, if used properly.

Is enough being done to reduce the number of abortions performed?
Who can enforce that all women and men use birth control? It's up to the parents to teach their children about safe sex, and to try to instill in them the sense of responsibility to use protection. But in the end, it's their choice.



I also do not believe in the in between, the "grey area" so to say. You're either pro-life or pro-choice, end of story. You can't say, "Oh, I'm pro-choice, but getting an abortion because [enter reason here] is okay". That's not the way it works. An unwanted pregnancy is an unwanted pregnancy, no matter the circumstances of conception. You can't be half and half, you can't be pro-life "up to a point".

Being pro-choice isn't always anti-life, but being pro-life is always anti-choice.

[Niverdia]

Should minors be allowed abortions without parental notification or consent?
If they're "mature enough" to make the decision to engage in sexual intercourse, then they're old enough to make that sort of decision. However, their parents should be informed.
I will also say that it's within a parents rights to kick out their daughter if she gets pregnant, or their son if he impregnates someone. If I have a daughter and she comes home one day and tells me that she's pregnant, I'd be hard pressed to allow her to stay there and raise a baby. Heartless? No. I would hope that I'd have raised her to be smarter than to allow herself to get pregnant, and I wouldn't want a baby in the house. At that point, I will be done raising kids and having kids in my house and won't want that anymore.

Please tell me that I'm reading this corretly and in case the kid would choose the responsible route, you wouldn't kick them out.
Because, you know, sometimes getting pregnant isn't a matter of incompetence and lack of foresight, and sometimes a mistake/accident can be corrected. I don't entirely see the mistake/accident per se to be a source of punishment, but dependent on how it's dealt with.

You (note - general "you") can, I dunno, think all you want that young teenagers shouldn't have sex, but I think that you can't really stop a kid start having sex when they choose to (teaching abstinence and shaming only adds guilt to the act, but doesn't necessarily prevent it, as described by Darrel W. Ray in his book Sex and God: How Religion Distorts Sexuality, where among other things, he analyzed studies about average frequency and onset of sexual activity in more and less religious states and found no significant difference - there are likely other sources out there, but this is the first I can name off the top of my head :p). The one thing you definitely can do is to teach them to at least be responsible about it.

Even so, technical accidents (because no contraception is completely fool-proof) happen, hence why I bolded the "allow", because the wording bothers me.

Now, knowing you on FB as well, Red, I know where you're coming from but, being from a slightly different community, I can promise you, a great many people aren't like that and do put in some thought in how they go about having sex. Out of all the people in my extended circle, I know only one person who had gotten pregnant as a teenager, while being in a relationship and due to contraception failure around the beginning of her senior high school year. She had the child and she went to study to vet school immediately after graduating.

ETA: Come to think of it, that was essentially my parents' attitude when I was younger, "you can go out and have sex, but if you get pregnant, either the kid goes or you go".

... it's not like I want kids of my own anyway, so no hard decisions there.

[MistyoC]

"The kid goes or you do" was exactly how my mother reacted. That is why I wound up having 2 abortions against my will. She also would not allow me to get birth control, despite being obviously sexually active. Condoms do break, especially when inexperienced partners forget to leave room at the tip.

[MightyOak]

"The kid goes or you do" was exactly how my mother reacted. That is why I wound up having 2 abortions against my will. She also would not allow me to get birth control, despite being obviously sexually active. Condoms do break, especially when inexperienced partners forget to leave room at the tip.

In the United States and any other western country that I know of it is illegal to force anyone to have an abortion. It is simply not legally possible. "the kid goes or you do" is a choice that was presented to you by your mother. You made a choice and could have chosen differently. Being put in the position of having to make a choice with such consequences is always hard, no matter the subject, but it was a choice. I might also add that your mother had no control over your access to birth control. (I'm assuming you're in the US, here) You could have gone to any Planned Parenthood to get birth control and you could have gone without a parent. Also, you could have purchased condoms in any drug store.

I had a friend in high school who was presented with the same choice and she chose to leave and carry her pregnancy to term. Her mother had found her condom stash and taken it from her, since she didn't approve of sex. My friend had her first child at 14 years old.

Yes, condoms break, especially if you don't know what you're doing. That's why it's so important to have these lessons in school as part of sexual education.

[BradTheMad]

In the United States and any other western country that I know of it is illegal to force anyone to have an abortion. It is simply not legally possible. "the kid goes or you do" is a choice that was presented to you by your mother. You made a choice and could have chosen differently.

Though you are correct please keep in mind that not everybody is so "free" that they had these options. Some parents, and spouses for that matter, can be incredibly dominant and though they have no legal say in the matter they can force it upon somebody.

I know what you are trying to say but as this is a sensitive topic things might come across more harshly than they are intended.