Abortion and the stance you take?

damasa · #1 12-19-2001, 10:54 PM

Ok, this is a topic that is still a huge issue in the world today. I did a search and didn't find all that much discussion on it.

So, my question is to you other gcers. What are your feelings and or stance on abortion? Are you "pro life" or "pro choice" or are you indifferent about the whole thing.

I don't want to turn this into a huge flame war, I just want to simply understand some of you on a political level, not a do you choose this or that level.

Personally, I am "pro choice." I believe that a woman has the right to choose.

Where do you stand?

d

PKTSU01 · #2 12-19-2001, 11:03 PM

Good post dude.

I'm also pro-choice, for personal reasons along with the mentality that there is no way implemented political or legal measures should ever even approach effecting personal reproductive choices. Even beyond a woman's individual choice to the issue would be mine as well, afterall, it would be my kid too. Know what I mean? Besides, I COMPLETELY discredit the boohooing that goes on from pro lifers when many of them have never even had to think about making the choice of whether or not to abort. There are plenty of people who jump on the political bandwagon from the standpoint of trying to impose their morals and wills on others, which is bullshit. Leave the politics to the politicians, not in my personal life! Oh, while pro-choice, i don't think it is legitimate to use the option of pro-choice to get out of a mishap you may have had when you were 18 because you chose not to be smart about contraception. You're old enough to have sex, you're old enough to be responsible and deal with the consequences. In addition, rape, molestation and other things of that nature have my complete backing for the pro-choice err..choice.

Dealing with that situation is one of the hardest things in the world to do, and unless someone has had that certain nauseating feeling of the pressing, impending choice they may have to make, they have nothing to say on the topic, at least nothing that I would listen to anyway. We are all totally entitled to individual opinions. If you're pro-choice, great, pro -life , great, but your opinion matters little to me anyways on this issue. Bottom line is, abortion is a highly sensitive issue that should be resolved by the individuals whose lives it will affect, and no one else. To me, have any opinion ya want, I'll just use personal discretion to give more value to some opinions over others.

#3 12-19-2001, 11:03 PM

I would have to say im pro-life, cept in the cases of rape, molestation or if it endangers ones health. I think its a couple's choice (55% woman, 45% man, woman gets more b/c she does carry it for 9 mos), not just a womans b/c it takes two to make it. I kind of make the respirator analogy for it. A baby in the womb is using it mother to breathe, we do the same for people on respirators, they arent doing it themselves but have help. Why are they considered living and a fetus not? I could be using this wrong, but this just is MY opinion and Im open to others. People have the right to take whatever side they want

Beef · #4 12-19-2001, 11:20 PM

Im kind of torn on this one myself... part of me says pro choice and part says pro life.

The pro choice part of me says dont bring a baby into a potenially poor situation or environment. I would be totally for it when it comes to pregnency from rape.

The pro life part says, if you dont wanna so the time, dont do the crime. Just because 2 people were careless and arent ready for it, why should that child be denied life due to their irresponsibility? There are always famillies looking to adopt ect ect... Obviously mistakes happen in some cases, failed contraceptives ect ect...

One thing that I dont like is the saying, "its a womans body, its her choice" Granted, a woman will be carrying the baby in her body, but does that make the mans contribution anyless valuable? I think the mans rights get put aside or forgot about.

My cousin is actually going through a HUGE ordeal with his ex trying to get custody of their child. She was going to put it up for adoption(and actually DID, the familly already had the child), without him knowing what was going on. So now that she finds out that he wants the child, she decides to take it back(nice how spite can bring a mother and child closer

) This has been going through the courts for a few months now and he can still only see his son with her present. This was even on the news up here... It gets me more upset everytime I think about it.

sorry for rambling....

damasa · #5 12-19-2001, 11:22 PM

Ok..there's a little more that I want to add to this.

If you choose pro-life, is that based on a personal decision or on a religious influence?

Why i ask this is because if it is based on a religious influence, do you favor the use of violence (killing doctors, blowing up clinics) in order to sway society to become pro-life. Because to me, it's ironic. How can one justify killing a doctor, or severly hurting others, in order to protect "pro-life." Taking away the life of one for the life of another is not pro-life, that's pro-violence if you ask me.

There is also a site I came across, I'll try to find it, headed by a pro-life organization. On one of the pages it has pictures of many doctors that perform abortions. For every doctor that has died or has been killed, there is a huge red x through the picture, and on the bottom of the page there is some crazy message like, "23443880 more doctors to go" or something like that. Anyone else ever come across that site, if it hasn't been shut down?

d

Beef · #6 12-19-2001, 11:25 PM

Ive heard about that site... Talk about hypocrites.....

LexiKD · #7 12-19-2001, 11:53 PM

Although I do not think it should be a form of birth control and/or abused, I am pro choice. There are too many factors invovled to say that every abortion is wrong.

Eirene_DGP · #8 12-20-2001, 12:28 AM

I could never imagine having an abortion and I think it is wrong in every sense of the word. I look at it like this, if you have unprotected sex and have a child, you knew EXACTLY what you were doing. If you were raped and did not seek medical treatment, that is on you. Everyone deserves a chance to live. It bothers me when people get an abortion because they claim they weren't ready. No one is ever ready for a child. I am tired of people using abortions like some new generation birth control.

It is a sad day when people will no longer take responsibility for their own actions. Like Eminem says, you can't slip and fall on someone's D*^%!

Just a little background information, both of my parents were adopted and I plan to adopt as well. I would not be here today if my biological grandparents chose to abort.

damasa · #9 12-20-2001, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Eirene_DGP
If you were raped and did not seek medical treatment, that is on you.

Assuming the rape conceived life, what kind of medical treatment are we talking about? A pregnancy test to confirm a pregnancy? IF so, then what? Or maybe the morning after pill? Some people consider that a form of abortion, not birth control. What type of medical treatment are we talking about? And for what circumstances?

d

Siobhan · #10 12-20-2001, 12:51 AM

I am pro-choice: who am I to stick my nose into other people's business - people I don't even know. However there are certain circumstances where I am pro-life, for instance when people think that abortion is just another form of birth control.

Here's an afterthought. In Vancouver there have been a couple of murders of doctors who carry out abortions; and one man has had his life jepordized twice by anti-abortionists: if someone is pro-life then why are these people out committing acts of murder/attempted murder?!

Betarulz! · #11 12-20-2001, 01:15 AM

I am definetly Pro-choice.

I don't know that if put in that situation it would be the correct choice for me and the girl. However for some people that is the action they are willing to take and they shoudln't be denied access to that choice. And a woman should be allowed to have absolute control over what happens to her body.

The thing that really bothers me about pro-lifers (the fanatical ones, like the ones who maintain the website that has "23443880 more doctors to go") is that they seem incapable of making the differentiation between being pro-CHOICE and pro-ABORTION. There is obviously a very big difference, adn it was something that a friend and I joked about during boys state.

Plus where do they get off trying to run other peoples life? That also really bugs the hell out of me.

Anyway I should get back to studying.

Hootie · #12 12-20-2001, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by damasa
Ok..there's a little more that I want to add to this.

If you choose pro-life, is that based on a personal decision or on a religious influence?

Why i ask this is because if it is based on a religious influence, do you favor the use of violence (killing doctors, blowing up clinics) in order to sway society to become pro-life. Because to me, it's ironic. How can one justify killing a doctor, or severly hurting others, in order to protect "pro-life." Taking away the life of one for the life of another is not pro-life, that's pro-violence if you ask me.

There is also a site I came across, I'll try to find it, headed by a pro-life organization. On one of the pages it has pictures of many doctors that perform abortions. For every doctor that has died or has been killed, there is a huge red x through the picture, and on the bottom of the page there is some crazy message like, "23443880 more doctors to go" or something like that. Anyone else ever come across that site, if it hasn't been shut down?

d

They had a special on Dateline (I believe) about this sort of thing a few weeks ago. I was sickened that they were going after abortion doctors. I mean they think it's wrong for women to have an abortion but they think it's okay to kill someone for practicing what was legal in that state?!?!? DEFINATLEY HIPOCRITICAL!

My whole stance on this issue has changed in the past 2 years. I used to be full-fledged PRO-CHOICE and my reasons were that I believed that if a women was harmed in anyway and was carrying a baby that was unwanted (by means of molestation or rape) she should have the choice to keep it or not. My reasoning was that often women who are raped want to move on with their lives, and although the baby could be given a good life through adoption, the child might try to find the mother later on in life. Plus the whole part of ridicule that a woman could face during the 9 months is more than any woman who has been raped should deal with.

I am PRO-LIFE now because I know for one I might not be around were it not for a simple choice my mom made 22 years ago. My mother and father were engaged when they concieved me, and they could have easily said we don't need this and had an abortion. Instead they had me. That's part of the reason why I changed my mind on the issue. I think too many young women AND men see abortion as an escape from their responsibilities. If you're not ready to be a mommy or daddy then don't have sex...plain and simple.
Perhaps what it comes down to isn't the choice...but the act. I think it's gross and disgusting. I don't think that I could ever put my body through that. I'd rather be disowned from my family for being an unwed pregnant mother (which would never happen) than have an abortion.
Choices come fast, but abortions last forever. You can't take it back. I'm just thankful I've never had to deal with this problem!

greek girlie · #13 12-20-2001, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Assuming the rape conceived life, what kind of medical treatment are we talking about?

It takes 24-48 hours to for an egg to be fertilized. If immediate medical attention is sought the uterus can be flushed so the sperm and egg actually never meet. This is a little known fact and doctors don't usually tell victims about it. This prevents pregnancy-obviously. It can take a day or two of recovery because of the dilation but that would be much better that the emotional trauma of what to do about a prenancy.

Personally I am anti-abortion. I use that term instead of pro-life, because who is really "anti-life" or "anti-choice." I have personal reasons as well as religious reasons for feeling this way. I don't condone the killing of abortion doctors. In fact, it makes me very mad because it makes people like me look like my beliefs are less valid. Even though I am really conservative I feel like birth-control education is important-people have sex no matter what. Young people in other countries don't have the pregnany rate we do here. That's because they are 10 times more likely to use contraception, not because they don't have sex.

get down off that soapbox

greek girlie · #14 12-20-2001, 01:37 AM

BTW
I am totally against mid-breech cranial deflations (a.k.a. partial-birth abortions). These babies could live on their own outside a woman's body. That, in my opinion, is murder. I have seen one of these in person and I was absolutely disgusted.

justamom · #15 12-20-2001, 07:50 AM

greek girlie and Hootie, I am with you.
Seeking immediate medical attention can prevent a pregnancy that would end in an abortion.

In college I took a sex education course and Dr. McCarey said that the number of people seeking an abortion per year was comprised of over 50% second time operations. Half had already had an abortion at one time. It may have changed as this was in the 70's.
I heard an interesting news item last night. A child can now sue if her mother was in a car accident that leads to a disability (negligence) when she was pregnant. Yet, it's OK if the mother wants to rip the child apart in the later stages of pregnancy. I guess a dead baby can't bring charges.
In the case of incest, the mother's life, rape, I am really torn. The Catholic church believed it was important to save the child first, but what if there are 4 or 5 other little ones at home? Incest usually isn't reported in time to use the morning after pill. On these few points, I say it is between you and your God.
However, abortion as a means of birth control...because somebody screwed up...is so terribly wrong (in my heart and mind) that it DOES affect my political sense. Everyone says "What about the mother's right to choose, it's her body?" Well what about the BABY's choice?