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<p>No, there are many factors.</p>
<p>I’m sorry to hear about your experience.</p>
<p>Just adding more fuel to the fire:</p>
<p>[Abortion</a> Deaths Compared to War Deaths](<a href=“http://www.htmlbible.com/abortstats.htm]Abortion”>Abortion Deaths Compared to War Deaths)</p>
<p>FWIW; I think most here have expressed concern for the 90+% of abortions that are a matter of convenience. I don’t think anyone can “Legitimately” argue the incest, rape, under 15yrs old, health of mother/child, birth control that didn’t work type/reasons for an abortion. Using those examples in a debate; even if personal; is just sensationalizing and emotionalizing the topic. I believe discussing and/or debating the 90+% of abortions that are done as a means of “BIRTH CONTROL” can lead to understanding and solutions. Yes, their are extremists who believe that ANY abortion; including health reason; are wrong. There are also those that believe ANY abortion; for any reason; is right and therefor no understanding or solution is required. I think the concentration should be on the 90+% which is a form of Birth Control. Teenagers don’t make up the majority of abortions, immaturity isn’t the problem. Irresponsibility appears to be.</p>
<p>Well said!</p>
<p>"There are also those that believe ANY abortion; for any reason; is right "</p>
<p>Could you point some out to me? I’ve never heard of any, except for policy-makers in the Chinese government. There are many of us who believe that the reason someone else seeks an abortion is simply none of our business, and decidedly not the business of the government. That’s very different from believing that abortion seekers are always doing the right thing.</p>
<p>Maybe the poster meant to say ‘acceptable’ instead of ‘right.’</p>
<p>I do think that knowing why women have abortions is everyone’s business, and involves the life of a living entity. I don’t think that government programs or health insurance should pay for this elective procedure when there are other safer and much cheaper options, such as a DepoProvera shot every 3 months. </p>
<p>If I don’t want my appendix out because it may someday get inflammed, can I get it out and paid for? No. So why have fetus aborted because the baby may cause some trouble someday? Like it may cry for food or something annoying like that? What a bother, huh? WIC even pays for the milk often times.</p>
<p>There is too little informed consent with abortions. If my appendix is inflammed and does then need to come out, the state of the appendix will be fully explained to me, what needs to be done, and all of the risks. Maybe I even see an image.</p>
<p>Women just close their eyes with abortion and think thay are getting a little glob out. They need to see it in an ultrasound to make an informed consent.</p>
<p>For most women, getting an abortion is an elective, unnecessary procedure, and should be refused by insurance or medicaid, with alternatives discussed. Then next time they are in a position to get pregnant, they can think a little before.</p>
<p>I don’t think government had the right to make this legal. The 14th amendment has no relevance to destroying a fetus’ right to grow and live, as its mother was allowed to do. It is more in the realm of cruel and unusual punishment for the fetus.</p>
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<p>No it isn’t.</p>
<p>How is it not?</p>
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<p>That’s a generalization and not always true. I know it’s an agonizing decision in many cases. But, I do agree that there is a certain amount of denial necessary to be able to get it done. Pro-abortion people say to not show the woman how developed the baby is, because it would make it harder on her. They use the term ‘fetus’ if she’s aborting, but ‘baby’ if she’s glad she’s pregnant. That’s misleading and contributes to the denial.</p>
<p>I think sonograms should be mandatory before abortions. Let the choice be informed.</p>
<p>I had an mechanical abortion at 7 weeks GA or otherwords 5 weeks after fertilization.
The embryo at that point is less than 1/2 long, heart is beating but is outside the body, still has a tail and is indistinquishable from a pig, rabbit, chick or elephant embryo.
Whose gonna pay for the ultrasound? You don’t need it to do the abortion.</p>
<p>[MedlinePlus</a> Medical Encyclopedia: Fetal development](<a href=“http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002398.htm]MedlinePlus”>Fetal development: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia)</p>
<p>I also disagree that it is cruel and unusual.
For that to be the case- the embryo would have to be conscious.</p>
<p>At what state does consciousness exist?
We don’t have it with people with no brain activity, thats why we can legally withhold food or turn off their heart/lung machines.</p>
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<p>That’s a good question.</p>
<p>I don’t think I can best Hanna’s post.</p>
<p>I am glad that the rate of abortions has fallen. NO ONE celebrates abortions, even adamantly pro-choicers like me.</p>
<p>I will say that my grandmother had an illegal abortion 80 years ago, my cousin had 2 around 35 years ago.</p>
<p>Anti-abortion laws, screening, whatever, only injure the poor. The rich will always have access to safe abortions.</p>
<p>I would think that whenever there are nerve fibers, there is pain possible. Just because a fetus can not articulate it, is it then not as real as another beings?
Is consciousness only valid when it is the same as yours?</p>
<p>Having illegal abortions 35-80 years ago doesn’t justify having over a million legal ones now. There are incalculably better, safer, more available methods of birth control available now.</p>
<p>Where are the hoards of women and men who will march for abortion when distribution and education about birth control is needed? I realize that it is more tedious and boring to educate women about birth control. But if all of the vocal Americans who come out to defend abortion would take more ttime to access birth control for themselves or others, most of these abortions would not be necessary.</p>
<p>If everyone of you/them sponsored 25 females a year each for birth control counseling and try to ensure access, then that could prevent some risky surgical abortion procedures. Ensuring birth control access and showing women that is it safe and effective is far more difficult though. Shouting and supporting abortion and making it the rallying point of women’s reproductive freedom is easier than effecting real change. There are many dedicated people who do birth control counseling and distribution, but not enough.</p>
<p>I have known women who have had 5-10 abortions because they are too lazy to put a pill in their mouths everyday, or get a Depo shot every 3 months. This is the reproductive freedom, to an extreme, that is being protected.</p>
<p>I realize that it is a hard choice for some women, but I also know that many women have no real idea what they are doing and what is inside of them. Many, especially teenagers, are expected to abort when their families would be quite capable of caring for the babies.</p>
<p>Overall, it is a tragic situation, and one that will likely not change as long as women define so much of what is important to themselves as the right to choose 1.4 million abortions a year.</p>
<p>swatparent: I can’t imagine judging others like this and making such cavalier statements about their feelings and motivations.</p>
<p>And as someone who worked for Child Protective Services in my county for some time I do have strong feelings for children, especially the unwanted ones who are extremely neglected or abused.</p>
<p>And still, I do try to find understanding and compassion somewhere even for those parents. That’s my job, not judging and condemning.</p>
<p>It is possible to have compassion for the women, while still asknowledging that th act of abortion is wrong and is to be avoided by more education and emphasis on prevention (contraception).</p>
<p>Yes, I agree with you, not about abortion, but about attitudes. There are compassionate people who can say abortion is wrong. I was talking about saying people had this many or that many abortions because they’re too lazy to take a pill. I think that’s out of bounds IMO.</p>
<p>I agree. I contend that abortion is inherently wrong, because it is violence towards another being. But we all do things that are wrong. I believe using violence towards our children (commonly known as ‘spanking’) is wrong, as is intimidation (commonly known as yelling) yet I have done these things.</p>
<p>None of us are perfect. We can strive for higher ideals, while at the same time having compassion for those times when we do the best we can under the circumstances.</p>
<p>I believe the only solution to abortion is the education and empowerment of women. Some say abortion itself is empowerment. I disagree. Abortion is often used against women, such as in the case of men pressuring women to abort, women being forced by circumstances (finances, career, parents, man, scholarship, etc.) to abort…</p>
<p>Better education, better responsibility, empowerment…DEcrease abortion and empower women. A woman should never have choose between a man, a job, parents’ approval, education, financial security…and her baby.</p>
<p>Except it is very true that many women get pregnant because they can’t be bothered to go get their Depo shot or take their pill. I know this happens all of the time because I have contact with these women. And if you worked with Protective Services, then you must have had contact with them too. It is wrong to use abortion as a means of birth control, when other means are available. It is more high risk than birth control such as oral contraceptives or Depo or a host of other methods. The failure rates are low, and effectiveness is about 100% when coupled with condoms. </p>
<p>A lot of the women I see getting abortions are just lazy about birth control. There is not a failure rate of contraceptives to explain 1.4 million US abortions.</p>
<p>“If everyone of you/them sponsored 25 females a year each for birth control counseling and try to ensure access, then that could prevent some risky surgical abortion procedures. Ensuring birth control access and showing women that is it safe and effective is far more difficult though.”</p>
<p>That’s why I am a strong supporter of Planned Parenthood. Are you? That’s also why I vote for Democratic candidates who promote comprehensive sex education. Do you? What have you done this year to increase access to birth control?</p>
<p>I agree that we need to keep supporting birth control, but we can’t leave men out of this</p>
<p>pregnancy doesn’t happen without sperm, and maybe if some men were man enough to use condoms, we would have even fewer unwanted pregnancies</p>
<p>any male who doesn’t use a condom, at a minimum, should be ashamed of himself, if he doesn’t want to get a woman pregnant</p>
<p>but some men are immature, and selfish- and some women aren’t strong enough to say- put it on before you…</p>