Abortion debate. Pro choice or pro life?

Question

What are your views on abortions? Why? What's your argument?

If pro life, like me, do think pregnancy by rape is the only reason to have an abortion, or are you also against this?

Answer 1

I am pro-choice. Provided the abortion is done before brain activity begins at 50 days into the pregnancy. Before then, the foetus is brain dead, therefore no one can argue it is alive. When a patient in a hospital is declared brain dead, no one objects to switching off the life support machine. Therefore it is illogical to hold a stigma towards abortion.



A foetus with no brain activity is not a living human being any more than an egg yolk is a chicken.

Answer 2

-I'm "Pro"- such Questions remaining between a Woman & her Doctor. They should be NONE of Our "Business..." :)

Answer 3

Gwennie did a good job summarizing what pro-choice stands for so I won't repeat it.



I will, however, state that pro-choice does NOT mean pro-abortion, which is what most of the pro-life folks would have you think. Pro-choice means simply that - CHOICE. If the government is not allowed to decide what is or is not appropriate for me to read or watch on TV, then it d*mn well shouldn't be allowed to tell a woman what to do with her body!



It never ceases to amaze me how pro-life folks conveniently forget that our nation was founded on the principles of freedom and choice by people who were sick and tired of having others force their religious views on them. But isn't that exactly what the pro-life folks are doing now? You want to object to abortion? Fine, that's your right. You want to interfere with someone else's decision to get an abortion? No, that's not your right.



Your freedom of expression extends to the end of your fist....and stops at the tip of my nose. In order for everyone to have their own share of freedom, no person's freedom should be allowed to invade or interfere with someone else's sense of freedom. Yes there are exceptions - that's why we have laws.

Answer 4

I am pro-choice, because:



1) A woman's body is her own. Nobody, no government, no court, can force a woman to gestate a pregnancy to viability if she does not also agree to do so. It is unfortunate that human reproduction happens inside women, but because that is the truth, anything less than a pro-choice stance means invading her personal privacy, bodily autonomy, and forcing her to risk her emotional and psychological well-being, her physical health, both during pregnancy and post-birth (in some cases, even her lifelong health), and possibly even her life.



2) Neither pregnancy nor a child should be a punishment. Sex is a good thing, and nobody should be punished for having it. Mistakes happen- let he who is without a mistake step forward and cast the first stone!- and we should not criminalize them. I firmly believe that forced pregnancy of unwanted children can lead to parental resentment (which may take the form of abuse and poorer care) and floods our adoption and foster care systems even fuller than they already are. As the pro-choice slogan goes: "Every Mother A Willing Mother, Every Child A Wanted Child", and I truly believe that reaching this goal is good for women, good for men, good for children, good for society, and the compassionate choice.



3) Criminalizing abortion (which is typically what the pro-life movement advocates) does not reduce rates of abortion. Study after study confirms that the abortion rate stays fairly static whether or not abortion is legal, and in fact, the countries with the lowest rates of abortion are those where it is legal.



4) Criminalizing abortion raises infant and maternal mortality rates. Without access to safe, legal abortion, women die, either in attempts to self-induce abortion, or at the hands of unscrupulous or untrained abortionists. Similarly, attempts to curb access to abortion have been shown to have negative consequences; for example, mandatory waiting periods lead to an increase in more second-term abortions (which are more risky and expensive) rather than to decrease abortion.



5) The logical conclusions of criminalizing abortion is absurd. If a fertilized egg that has yet to implant is considered to legally be a person, then every miscarriage will need to be investigated to ensure no foul play. How will we know if a woman who fell down the stairs truly had an accident, or if she was attempting to induce a miscarriage? Women who commit suicide when pregnant may face criminal charges instead of the mental healthcare they require. Who determines whether or not a high-risk pregnancy is worth aborting, if there's a 50/50 chance both mother and child will survive- even if the mother doesn't want to risk her life? One need only look to Romania under the rule of Nicolae Ceauşescu, where a total abortion ban (and ban on contraception) lead to "a kind of pronatalist police state, where women were subject to random gynecological exams and all miscarriages were investigated" (Michelle Goldberg in "The Means of Reproduction", pg. 80).



6) Societies thrive when women control their reproduction (particularly when combined with gender equality- something that *can* be present in pro-life circles, but overall is much more closely aligned with the pro-choice side). Not only does being able to have the number of children you want, when you want and are ready for them, reduce poverty (as Hitchens so beautifully says: "The cure for poverty has a name. It's called the empowerment of women. If you give women some control over the rate at which they reproduce, take them off the animal cycle of reproduction to which nature and some religious doctrine condemns them, and then if you throw in a handful of seeds, the floor of everything, in that village, not just poverty, but health and education, will increase."), but we have also observed that countries that have higher infant and maternal mortality rates are those which are more politically unstable as well. Some have even gone so far as to link abortion access to crime reduction. Happy, healthy, wealthy, peaceful societies are those where the citizens are well-educated about a vast array of reproductive choices and have access to an arsenal of tools- abortion included- to help them ensure whatever choice they make.



7) Pro-life policies create more unplanned pregnancy. While there are undoubtedly some great pro-lifers who embrace comprehensive sex education, widespread use of contraception, universal healthcare, and welfare and aid policies, they're definitely in the minority. All the major pro-lfie organizations eschew policies that have been proven to reduced unplanned pregnancy (and hence the need for abortion). Pro-choice-affiliated policies seek to reduce the need for abortion in the first place, and have been proven to be effective in doing so.

Answer 5

I have always been pro-life. Before it was legal, I marched, sent letters, did phoning, etc., to keep it from becoming legal. Abortion is a violent act and a mother killing her own flesh and blood is beyond belief. People think that once the pregnancy is over all is well but that's not true. There is tremdous guilt) I am OK with abortion to truly save the woman's life and that is her decision. I have known two people whose mother's were raped but decided to have the baby anyway. (The baby is half hers after all and has done nothing wrong to be killed) Those two people are grateful their mother was brave and gave them life.



In 2012 any woman who does not know about birth control is numb from the head up! If you have sex and become pregnant, be responsible and have the baby, It is a human being no matter how small. It has potential. Let it have the chance at life that you had.



This is one of the main reasons that I dislike the president so much. He said that an abortion survivor should not be given food, water, milk or anything else but be left alone to die. Talk about hard hearted and cold!



I am glad that you are pro-life. =)

Answer 6

Pro life but i dont believe in forcing my moral values on others and support them to have the choice.

Answer 7

I am pro-choice. I do not believe that life begins until the baby is BORN and takes its first breath. That's the moment that it becomes a human being, not when its heart began to beat. When it takes its first breath the soul enters the body and then, and only then, it is a living human being. With that said . . . I believe a woman should have the right to have an abortion if she wants one and has a good reason to do so, not as an alternative method of birth control. And the government should NOT in any way be responsible for paying for that abortion. When the first man gives birth THEN he should be allowed to say when a woman can have an abortion, not a minute before. When I read articles about abused children I wonder if they would not have been better off had their mothers aborted them before they were born rather than abusing them. My opinions only, of course.

Answer 8

I'm pro-choice.



I think the only people who should be having children are those who want to have children and know that they are fully prepared to care for those children.



I'm honestly disgusted by anyone and everyone who suggests that pregnancy and child birth should be a 'consequence,' and that anyone who won't go through the punishment is "selfish" because it's only an "inconvenience."



It's cruelty to the point of torture on the person who is pregnant. It is stripping them of their control over their body. It is forcing something on them that could seriously harm or even kill them. Pregnancy can make preexisting conditions worse, can cause all kinds of horrible problems that can last for the rest of a person's life, and can kil them. That doesn't even begin to tally in what it can do to a person's personal life or to their friends, family and loved ones.

People who actually planned for pregnancy and actually wanted it can be left traumatized by pregnancy, why would you force it onto someone?



It's also cruel to the unborn child. The only person who truly knows the situation is the person who is pregnant. There's no telling what kind of conditions that child could be born into, but considering most women seeking abortion live in poverty there's very little chance that the situation will be a good one.

And no, adoption isn't always the best answer. Unless the baby is white and healthy, it's very likely s/he will spend their childhood in foster care before being kicked out into the world with no parental support. Statistics state that from there, things don't look too good. If foster care will even take them in, as some agencies won't take children who are disabled or have disorders because it's so hard to place them.



I just can't think of one good reason to force a person to have a child they don't want. Historically, there isn't a way short of tying them down anyways. Women have been seeking abortions long before there was a safe provider of abortions. In times when abortion was basically Russian roulette, except instead of a quick death by bullet it was usually a painful death from wounds that wouldn't stop bleeding, or infections, or numerous other horrible things.

If you really want to protect lives, then you would enforce the choice. Support comprehensive sex education, and contraceptives of all types being universally accessible and available. Let those who can get pregnant know the facts and properly arm themselves so that they can care for themselves.



Statistics prove that in places where those who can get pregnant have education and access to contraceptives and abortion, abortion rates lowers.

Meanwhile, in places where abortion is illegal, abortion rates rise as do maternal deaths.

Answer 9

Pro choice and pro life ....................... Anti government intervention in the private lives of people ....Do what you believe is right . Leave the rest of us alone . You don't have the right to tell anyone else how to live .......................

Answer 10

Pro life and for all the Pro choice people

Answer these for me.'



1. Why is it that the very people who say the governments should stay out of abortion are the same ones who want the government to pay for them?



2. Abortion advocates say they are in the business to help women. Other than offering to kill their children for them, what are they doing?



3. Pro-abortionists say that the unborn child is part of the mother's body. If that is so, why does the child possess a completely different genetic code and often a different blood type? How do you explain the fact that it has its own immune system? Why is it male half the time?





4. Pro-abortionists say that outlawing abortion would restrict a woman's right to privacy. But is that right absolute? Does somebody's right to privacy exceed another's right to live?



5. If what they say is true and the issue isn't really abortion but a woman's right to control her own body, why doesn't your agenda include drugs and prostitution? Aren't laws against those most restrictive to a woman's right to choose what she will and will not do with her own body as laws against abortion are?



6. We are now seeing the unborn being treated for disease, given blood transfusions and even operated on. When a doctor does one of these procedures, who is the patient?



7. Why is it that abortion advocates say they want women to have all their options, but they fight so hard against laws requiring totally informed consent?



8. If pro-abortionists are mainly concerned with the health and safety of women, why do they fight so hard against legislation requiring abortion providers to meet the same medical standard as legitimate outpatient surgery clinics?



9. Let's look at a hypothetical situation. Two women become pregnant on the same day. Six months later woman A has a premature baby who is in need of some medical help, and the clinic workers are all trying hard to give the baby the medical attention necessary. Why would it be morally wrong to refuse such treatment to the premature born baby, but a "legal right" to kill the baby in woman B if she should choose to have an abortion? How can location (inside vs. outside the womb) make an essential difference? Besides, in partial-birth abortions, the baby is halfways outside the womb (oftentimes crying already).



10. If it is true that "men cannot talk about abortion" because it's a "women's issue," how come pro-abortionists have no problem accepting the ruling Roe v. Wade, which was exclusively made by men?



Oh and don't give me the excuse what if they are raped because only 1% of cases of abortion are rape the other are 99% wanted sex



One more thing, Did you know that all the people who are Pro Choice are already born ... 0.0

Answer 11

I'm pro choice because for starters, women will always find a way to terminate a pregnancy if they need too, might as well make it safe.



Almost 90% of fetuses that test positive for Down's Syndrome are aborted. I'm not saying it's right, but I'm not saying it's our choice to make, it's up to the individual if they're ready to have a dependant their entire life.



There was a case of an adopted woman who by COMPLETE fluke, had sex with her biological brother and got pregnant. Of course she should get an abortion if she wants one.



There's cases of rape as well, or incest, or incestual rape. These women shouldn't have to carry such a burden.



Then there are young women, 11, 12, 13, or 14. They're too young, physically at risk for given birth and they are still children. Don't they deserve a second chance?



I had an abortion when I was 19. I was living with roommates, I wasn't in a relationship, oh yeah, and I was a drug addict (Clean for 3 years now). I was in no position to have a child.



If a homeless woman gets pregnant, how can she be expected to take care of herself and the baby?



I have a family member with 4 children. She doesn't make a lot of money and has to frequent the food bank. We she got pregnant for the 5th time, she had an abortion.



My Grandmother had 10 kids. After having my father, the 9th, she got pregnant with twins. Times were tough, my Grandfather was out of work and she had 9 kids to feed. She didn't get an abortion, but she did fall down the stairs. I'll never know if she meant to or not, but I have my suspicions.



Then there are the women who simply aren't ready to be mothers, who are scared, some are single, some are young, but it doesn't matter what your choice is, because women fought hard, tooth and nail to make this procedure legal and safe for those of us who needed it.



It's YOUR body, YOUR choice.



EDIT: Also, it's only natural for a pro lifer to think there's guilt with an abortion. I had one at 19. No guilt. Just tremendous, tremendous relief. It wasn't an easy decision, but I'm glad I did it.

Answer 12

it is interesting to me that people can be against the death penalty and "Pro choice"



to me it isn't a growth.. or a fetus.. or any other sweet name you try to give it,,,, it is a baby.. it reacts to pain and can it has been shown that it responds to music and voices... it is alive.. and actually capable of responding to outside stimulus.. you choose to give it life.. you can't just kill it because you changed your mind.



while i understand many people don't want to accept this they can't PROVE they are right. .and it isn't a baby.. given a choice between making a mistake that results in thousands of murders.. and making a choice that makes people have a baby that can be given up for adoption.. i think i will choose adoption...



some say that if it can't sustain it's own life than the mother should have the choice of terminating.. however you don't see a similar argument in a bad accident.. if someone is on life support but will recover do you see ANYONE saying the parents should be able to say turn off life support and let them die?1 that argument only comes up when there is no reasonable chance of survival.



bottom line is until we can finally show one way or the other if it is or isn't a human life i just can't see being ok with killing it.

Answer 13

Pro life because no baby should ever be killed because someone decided to have uunprotected sex and even in rape I think they should have the baby and if they do not want it, they should give it up for adoption.