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Thursday, June 4, 2009

The touchy topics - abortion

Last night, Catherine from Her Bad Mother made this post on BlogHer. (Rather than me sum it up, I'd suggest you read it and Catherine can do her own viewpoint justice.) A discussion between her, myself and others ensued on Twitter and the comments on that page. Now that I am semi-awake, I'd like to clarify my own view better on this page.

- I am firmly pro-life/anti-abortion/whatever word you choose. This may be because of a religious upbringing, although I don't associate myself with it. But the phrase 'abortion stops a beating heart' rings true to me. I'm not saying it has to for you, but for me, it does.

- Though I mentioned religion was in my life when I was a kid, I don't have any problems with people having sex before marriage. This is a personal choice, and I support it because it is not harmful to anyone but two consensual partners who have voices of their own.

- While I had said religious upbringing, I fully support birth control before the fact. Particularly in a world where there is ample choice, and doctors who will help you find what method works best for you, birth control is readily available. Hell, the local health unit here has condoms for free.

- Because birth control is so readily available to anyone who wants it, a lot of oops pregnancies could have been prevented. Yes, everyone knows the story of Susie who was on the Pill and got pregnant anyway, but when used correctly, birth control can be 99% effective. When used incorrectly (ie not taken at the same time every day), your chances aren't as good. This is all on the packaging.

- I've seen too many women in my own age group (early 20s, to clarify) that view abortion as their back up plan, and casually toss around, "Well if I get pregnant, I can always have an abortion." This type of thinking sickens me. I don't think that needs any further explanation.

- Another blogger mentioned cases of rape and incest, and Catherine herself mentioned cases where the mother is at risk. As far as rape and incest goes, I don't think its fair for me to weigh in. I've never had to face it, nor see anyone go through this. If the baby poses a risk to the mother, this should be determined by a doctor, and then he/she can decide what the best course of action is. That's why they have a medical degree.



Basically, it comes down to this: If you're adult enough to engage in sex, you're adult enough to find a birth control option. If you choose not to, accept the consequences, which can range from STDs/STIs to pregnancy. Terminating a life because you didn't bother to get a condom is unacceptable.

This topic is open for discussion, however, it must be kept civil. Please be sensitive to the fact that this is a personal issue, and isn't a black and white situation. Avoid being hateful. Also, as always, comments are moderated.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my. My opinions are SO much like yours its scary.

I think if a couple engages in sex and gets pregnant, they are responsible for the child that is born. Period. That little baby didn't do anything wrong and deserves to have a chance at life.

Thanks for posting this.

Anonymous said...

while I respect your views, and the way that you have thoughtfully presented them, I wholeheartedly disagree.

Mainly, I dislike how you refuse to present your position on abortion in situations of rape or incest. To be honest, I almost feel as if this is a cop out, and it makes me wonder if you would be opposed to abortion even in these situations, but simply don't want to say so in a public forum.

What about situations where a condom breaks? Plan B is not available? Plan B doesn't work? You're assuming that all unplanned pregnancies are caused by lack of personal thought, or by lack of planning. This is not the case.

I am pro-choice, but I strongly believe that abortion should not be used 'liberally'. It should be an absolute last resort, in a situation where the alternative is simply not acceptable. I too am sickened by girls that casually state 'I can just get an abortion'. It's their complete sense of disregard that bothers me most.

But in scenarios where the mother is too young, someone is a victim of rape or incest, or something goes wrong (condom breaking) I support the possibility.

Our world is already too over-populated, and it is not wise or prudent to bring a child into the world in a less than ideal situation, if you can help it. Unfortunately, the statement that if someone is adult enough to have consensual sex, they're adult enough to raise a child, is completely untrue.

Children are having consensual sex as early as age ten these days. In my mind this is wrong, but it's a fact.

Are you a vegetarian? a vegan? is it ok to end the lives of 'lesser' species, but not the lives of ours? Same principle. If not, you're picking and choosing. And that in itself is wrong.

The Grown Up Teenager said...

@Anonymous:
First, thank you for posting your opinion so intelligently and being so civil. As soon as I saw anonymous, I expecting flaming. This was a pleasant surprise.

To address some of your questions:
I'm not trying to cop out to thinking abortion is wrong in any situation. If that's how I felt, I'd flat out say it. I just can't imagine being raped, particularly by a family member, and then finding out I'm pregnant, so I don't know what I believe is right in that situation. I wish it didn't happen.

As far as situations where birth control fails, I still think the person is responsible for the life they created. There isn't birth control out there that ever promises 100% protection, and that's a risk you choose to take. I don't support Plan B, which is why I mentioned I support birth control before the fact.

In cases where the mother is too young, or isn't in physical or mental health, or financially able to raise a child, I would support the option of adoption wholeheartedly, but not abortion.

And I don't think eating meat is a fair comparison to abortion. Animals are raised on farms for the purpose of food. Abortion isn't even comparable to that.

I hope I answered your questions, and again, thanks for being so respectful.