civilcynic
Member
Hi Ceridwen,
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I am very familiar with Pam Stenzil....She is a dynamic speaker....in fact, I have a video of one of her lectures. She is no longer allowed to speak in our public school system. That is another story all together.
One point that I have heard often, and that you brought up is.......What if Pam Stenzil had been aborted? Or what if, oh , I don't know...Einstein, Mother Theresa or any other great human being who has made magnificent contributions to society had been aborted. Well, the same argument could be said in the other direction.....what if Hitler's mother had aborted him...What if the mothers of Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, etc. had aborted them? Just food for thought
I wholeheartedly agree with you that more should be done for women who may choose to continue a pregnancy but may not want the child (for whatever reason). The first step would be for society to be less condemning for those who find themselves pregnant outside of marriage (please note: I am not promoting pre-marital sexbecause actually I am a real prude, just accepting that it does happen...people are human). The next step is to provide a safe and healthy environment and post-counseling and assistance. I totally agree that less women would choose clinical abortions if there was more support available.
I disagree strongly that most women treat an abortion decision as a simple choice like a tooth extraction or a vanity issue like plastic surgery. I have known women who have had an abortion (and not all were the result of a pre-marital situation). In those cases, the decision was not made lightly ...it was an agonizing choice more akin to an amputation than plastic surgery if analogies are needed. I can also say that not one of these women have ever forgotten their abortion. They express regret in terms of having to face that choice but not for their actions.
Obviously, I am pro-choice but I am not pro-abortion. In fact, I have never met a pro-choice individual that believed that abortion should be a method of birth control (I am excluding the use of contraceptive methods such as the pill which is an abortifacient at the moment and focusing on clinical abortions). I believe that those women who subscribe to the belief that abortion is just another method of birth control are as rare as those in the pro-life movement that believe in bombing abortion clinics and killing pro-choice individuals.
What makes me pro-choice comes down to a few simple viewpoints/beliefs:
I believe that every woman's circumstance is different and no blanket decision can be made for everyone. Who knows, except for the woman, perhaps her doctor and her God (if she believes in one) why she may choose an abortion. Trying to make exceptions such as "in the case of severe abnormalities", "in the case of significant health risks of women", etc; may not cover adequately all circumstances and, again, are controversial. Some may think it alright to abort if the mother is at risk of dying while others think that it is more important that the baby be delivered no matter what the risk to the mother. As a pro-choice individual, I don't think that the answer can be absolute either way...its up to the individual and their situation.
The abortion issue runs a wide spectrum with alot of grey areas. There are those who believe adamantly that life begins at conception and therefore birth control methods that are abortifacients (ie: the pill, IUD) should be forbidden, others that have no problem with use of abortifacients to prevent unwanted pregnancy but who oppose clinical abortions, those that believe that abortion is OK up to a certain time frame (ie: when the fetus becomes viable), others who believe that abortion is ok only when a woman is raped; or only when there are severe abnormalities of the fetus (an who is to define severe abnormalites); or only when a mother's health is at risk (who is to define the level of health risk....whether it be stopping vital medication during pregnancy which may significantly impact the woman's health or ability to function or it be a case where the mother's life is in danger medically....and what about those who come from an abusive relationship who fear that they will be beaten or killed because they are pregnant). Can we really, in good conscience, do a blanket mandate?
Religious and/or cultural beliefs are often the backbone of the decisions we make and, in the case of abortion may vary wildly. Not all cultures or religious beliefs consider abortion (from abortifacients to clinical abortions to late term abortions). Again, who can or should be the one to determine when and under what circumstances that abortion should and should be allowed?
There are no easy answers to this issue but I do think there is common ground that we should focus on. Whether an individual supports abortion rights or whether they believe abortion is an abomination, we need to work on preventing unwanted pregnancy (regardless of what the reason the pregnancy is unwanted) so less women face that choice.
I believe that abortion will always exist whether it is legal or not or what the circumstances surrounding the unwanted pregnancy is. Realistically, we should be addressing how we can reduce unwanted pregnancies while at the same time providing the necessary support without moral judgement for those experiencing an unwanted pregnancy.
OK...I am finished rambling....LOL
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I am very familiar with Pam Stenzil....She is a dynamic speaker....in fact, I have a video of one of her lectures. She is no longer allowed to speak in our public school system. That is another story all together.
One point that I have heard often, and that you brought up is.......What if Pam Stenzil had been aborted? Or what if, oh , I don't know...Einstein, Mother Theresa or any other great human being who has made magnificent contributions to society had been aborted. Well, the same argument could be said in the other direction.....what if Hitler's mother had aborted him...What if the mothers of Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, etc. had aborted them? Just food for thought
I wholeheartedly agree with you that more should be done for women who may choose to continue a pregnancy but may not want the child (for whatever reason). The first step would be for society to be less condemning for those who find themselves pregnant outside of marriage (please note: I am not promoting pre-marital sexbecause actually I am a real prude, just accepting that it does happen...people are human). The next step is to provide a safe and healthy environment and post-counseling and assistance. I totally agree that less women would choose clinical abortions if there was more support available.
I disagree strongly that most women treat an abortion decision as a simple choice like a tooth extraction or a vanity issue like plastic surgery. I have known women who have had an abortion (and not all were the result of a pre-marital situation). In those cases, the decision was not made lightly ...it was an agonizing choice more akin to an amputation than plastic surgery if analogies are needed. I can also say that not one of these women have ever forgotten their abortion. They express regret in terms of having to face that choice but not for their actions.
Obviously, I am pro-choice but I am not pro-abortion. In fact, I have never met a pro-choice individual that believed that abortion should be a method of birth control (I am excluding the use of contraceptive methods such as the pill which is an abortifacient at the moment and focusing on clinical abortions). I believe that those women who subscribe to the belief that abortion is just another method of birth control are as rare as those in the pro-life movement that believe in bombing abortion clinics and killing pro-choice individuals.
What makes me pro-choice comes down to a few simple viewpoints/beliefs:
I believe that every woman's circumstance is different and no blanket decision can be made for everyone. Who knows, except for the woman, perhaps her doctor and her God (if she believes in one) why she may choose an abortion. Trying to make exceptions such as "in the case of severe abnormalities", "in the case of significant health risks of women", etc; may not cover adequately all circumstances and, again, are controversial. Some may think it alright to abort if the mother is at risk of dying while others think that it is more important that the baby be delivered no matter what the risk to the mother. As a pro-choice individual, I don't think that the answer can be absolute either way...its up to the individual and their situation.
The abortion issue runs a wide spectrum with alot of grey areas. There are those who believe adamantly that life begins at conception and therefore birth control methods that are abortifacients (ie: the pill, IUD) should be forbidden, others that have no problem with use of abortifacients to prevent unwanted pregnancy but who oppose clinical abortions, those that believe that abortion is OK up to a certain time frame (ie: when the fetus becomes viable), others who believe that abortion is ok only when a woman is raped; or only when there are severe abnormalities of the fetus (an who is to define severe abnormalites); or only when a mother's health is at risk (who is to define the level of health risk....whether it be stopping vital medication during pregnancy which may significantly impact the woman's health or ability to function or it be a case where the mother's life is in danger medically....and what about those who come from an abusive relationship who fear that they will be beaten or killed because they are pregnant). Can we really, in good conscience, do a blanket mandate?
Religious and/or cultural beliefs are often the backbone of the decisions we make and, in the case of abortion may vary wildly. Not all cultures or religious beliefs consider abortion (from abortifacients to clinical abortions to late term abortions). Again, who can or should be the one to determine when and under what circumstances that abortion should and should be allowed?
There are no easy answers to this issue but I do think there is common ground that we should focus on. Whether an individual supports abortion rights or whether they believe abortion is an abomination, we need to work on preventing unwanted pregnancy (regardless of what the reason the pregnancy is unwanted) so less women face that choice.
I believe that abortion will always exist whether it is legal or not or what the circumstances surrounding the unwanted pregnancy is. Realistically, we should be addressing how we can reduce unwanted pregnancies while at the same time providing the necessary support without moral judgement for those experiencing an unwanted pregnancy.
OK...I am finished rambling....LOL
