Should a Woman Have the Right to Abortion?
By Opalina143
@opalina143 (1240)
Morristown, New Jersey
June 24, 2010 9:53am CST
I stumbled across an article that made me reconsider my stand on abortion. It taks about what really happens in abortions and its pretty disturbing. I would copy it but its pretty long, so here's a link:
http://www.helium.com/items/1861513-abortion-pro-life-is-abortion-right-abortion-rights-pro-choice-abortion-providers-abortionists
I am wondering what people think of it? It's a lot of information I didn't know.
5 people like this
19 responses
@opalina143 (1240)
• Morristown, New Jersey
24 Jun 10
what country are you from? I'm just curious, I didn't know there were that many places other than Central America that still have laws against abortion. What is the punishment for having an abortion where you are? Is a jail time, a fine, what? I'm really curious.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
25 Jun 10
You'd be surprised how many countries outlaw abortion. It's illegal throughout South America, Africa, the Middle East, and a fair amount of East Asia. In Europe most countries allow it, but the laws vary and some countries have strict laws regarding when and why you can get abortions. Not every country has it on demand like in the US.
@trruk1 (1028)
• United States
25 Jun 10
Abortions can be unpleasant, no question about that. The real issue, though, is who gets to decide what a woman does with her own body. Should that decision be made by the church, the government, her husband, her doctor, or the woman herself? When you make it a crime to have an abortion, you are legally requiring a woman to go through an entire pregnancy, no matter what she wants or what effect it may have on her. I would prefer a world in which there were no abortions, but that would mean no unwanted pregnancies. Until then, it is her body and she has the right to take care of it as she sees fit, regardless of what anybody else might choose for her.
1 person likes this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
26 Jun 10
I agree with you completely trruk1. I don't know of any other situation in our society where people believe that they have the right to dictate the choices women make. I realize that this is more serious and, like you, I also wish that we lived in a world where there were no reasons for a woman to decide to terminate a pregnancy, but no one walks in anyone else's shoes. A woman who really wants/needs to terminate a pregnancy will find a way and she shouldn't have to risk her life in the process.
1 person likes this
@6precious102 (4043)
• United States
26 Jun 10
God has told us we are not to take innocent life. Who could be more innocent than an unborn baby? No, a woman should not have the right to abort their unborn baby.
For those women who don't believe in God, I wish everyone of you would be forced to see a 3D video of a baby being aborted. If you can still go through will it, then I must conclude that you have no heart, and I pity you.
@K46620 (1986)
• United States
25 Jun 10
It's your body, you can do what you want with it, as long as you do not violate other's rights.
Abortion clearly violates the right of the unborn human to live.
There's lots of information about horrors of abortion here: http://www.abort73.com/
1 person likes this
@RisaAttrell (418)
• Canada
25 Jun 10
I am glad you posted this. If one person reads this article and changes her mind and decides not to have an abortion, it was worth your posting it.
No-a woman does not have a right to have an abortion. Pro-choice women claim 'it is my body.' That is the stupidest thing i ever heard. No, it is not your body. It is the body of another human being.
1 person likes this
@james1239798 (21)
• United States
24 Jun 10
No for abortion. Why would people have a baby in the first place if they were going to decide on abortion? I think the main problem is premature mating. People should wait until they have finished the fun in their lives and are ready to be a parent.
1 person likes this
@cripfemme (7698)
• United States
25 Jun 10
I feel like it needs to be legal. Some women will do it whether or not it's legal. If it's not legal people will do the coat hanger thing, drink poison, or whatever. If your really motivated to do it, you will. Making it illegal will not serve those people or their fetuses/future children.
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
24 Jun 10
First I want to commend you for being open minded enough to at least examine your view point on this and giving it a genuine reconsideration. I know from your past discussions you were a pretty staunchly pro -choice person. Just had to say that, Opalina, I give credit where it is due and it is indeed due here.
As for abortion, I have always held the view that it is wrong. To me life is life. I'm not a christian, I'm Pagan in fact, but one of the tenets of this for true pagans, especially Wiccans, is we highly value all life. One of the arguments I have seen for abortion was that "well, it isn't life yet, it's just a collections of tissues until it's born". That is just something I have never been able to subscribe to. Ever see an ultrasound, even an early one? I never understood how someone could look at that and not be in awe at the miracle that is unfolding before their eyes.
Anyway, again, my most sincere compliments to you for opening your mind to examine your views, I know it isn't always an easy thing to do, especially on something one is very passionate about.
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
25 Jun 10
Yeh, I surprise a lot of people. You don't see many "right wing" pagans, we're out there, we're just usually a lot more quiet about it. The "right wing" of society looks at us as devil worshipers...and the pagan community has a hard time understanding how we can be so "conservative, though I have found pagans a lot more tolerant of any belief than the other side of the fence seems to be. I'm not deeply religious, I'm not a heavily practicing Pagan, but it is the religion I identify and align myself with.
@opalina143 (1240)
• Morristown, New Jersey
24 Jun 10
to be honest, X, though I never had abortion, and have always hoped I'd never have to face the issue head-on, I always though that it should be a woman's choice because having a baby is such a major thing, it changes the woman's life, and it didn't seem right that it should be forced on someone. But after reading this article, I mean, it talks about doctors pulling out arms and legs -- it's pretty hard to support that. I never thought it was really that developed. But the article says there's thousands of abortions every year after the first trimester, and they are usually done for reasons other than the woman's health. That just seems barbaric to me, and even in the first trimester, the pregnancy is a lot more developed than I thought it was. Youd think with going to high school and college I would've known more about the way a fetus develops, but I guess I never really thought about it. I would have a lot of doubts about the article, but the references were so detailed, and I followed one of the links to one of the quotes and it was the correct link -- the article really said what the author said it would. it's pretty shocking. It seems to me that adoption would be the best answer most of the time. I've heard women say they could never put a baby up for adoption because they would miss the baby, and yes, I do feel, I still feel, a little uncomfortable about forcing a woman to go through the birth process -- but as someone said, there is birth control, the birth control sometimes fails, that's the problem. still, it's not the fault of the baby, it didn't ask to be created. I really have to reconsider my position. I think I'm going to do more research about the reasons why women have abortions and about different alternatives.
BTW, I never knew you were Pagan. that's really interesting. I don't think I know any pro-life pagans.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
24 Jun 10
That was a very informative article, opalina, and it did correctly describe the reality of the various procedures used but I do wonder why the author stopped short of describing a partial birth abortion, which in my opinion, is the most heinous. I have never supported late term abortions and my opinions about first and second trimester procedures have not changed. Yes, as sad as the situation is for all involved, a woman should have the right to obtain an abortion legally. It's her body and, ultimately, the decision as to what happens to her body is hers.
@dboman (457)
• United States
25 Jun 10
President Obama has supported third trimester abortions, and abortions after the baby has been born (albeit prematurely) in the past.
Here's a pretty good article explaining the situation and quoting the president from the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee (granted from a conservative source):
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=28926
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
25 Jun 10
Why would I want to read that and what does Obama's support of third trimester abortions have to do with this discussion?
@mysticmaggie (2498)
• United States
25 Jun 10
I think the baby should have rights, too. It is an innocent who has no say as to whether it should live or die. It depends on the mother caring about another living creature, just as any animal baby would, but in our society, animal babies are given far more rights than a human one.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
26 Jun 10
I'm curious...what unborn animal babies have more rights than unborn humans? My neighbor recently had his dog spayed after a male had gotten to her while she was in heat. He paid extra because she was already pregnant.
@mysticmaggie (2498)
• United States
26 Jun 10
Whales, turtles, pandas, tigers, eagles, strange little fish or an odd mouse found on a farmer's property, just about anything man decides is important enough to keep.
In Florida, our private beach was closed down because the turtles laid their eggs. We couldn't turn on lights that might be seen from the beach to protect the little ones from straying from the water. Whole crews of people protected those eggs from being disturbed in any way. Yet, if a girl gets pregnant, she can get an abortion without her parents even being aware of her pregnancy.
The farmer loses the right to farm because he might destroy the fish or mouse's rights to survive. Of course, the farm may be his family's sole source of income, but they're only human, so they don't count.
@mysticmaggie (2498)
• United States
26 Jun 10
P.S. Once we make animals our pets, they get the same treatment as human babies - no say so in what happens to them.
@991188 (54)
• India
27 Jun 10
Woman or man, actually no one has right to decide for abortion.
Abortion is against the law of nature. It is immoral. No religion in the world approves it. It is murder of innocent life.
Unless one is under the influence of Satan, such thinking cannot occur in mind.
@mercedlegurpa (955)
• Philippines
25 Jun 10
I am against abortion. It is just like murder. The willful removal of the fetus with the intention of terminating the pregnancy is illegal and therefore is a crime in the eyes of man. This is more so in the eyes of God, the source of all life, and who, alone, has the right to take spark of life is entitled to be born,to grow and to earn for himself a place in the sun. Depriving him of this right is not only illegal but immoral as well. Regards with the doctors recommendation, if the woman isn't really capable of having the baby and might as well affect her health, well I think that decisions are not so easy and I don't know how to comment about this. The options are not so easy for the woman and whether she is against or go for it, the decision rests on her shoulders.
@jagjit273 (1754)
• India
25 Jun 10
Well It should be totally Woman's Decision as if she has to suffer a lot of mental and physical pain.She has to go thrugh lot os agony and distress.
So it Should be left on her,
Wheteher what she wants
@bestboy19 (5478)
• United States
25 Jun 10
Maybe your question shouldn't be, "Should a woman have the right to abortion," but rather, "Should a woman choose an abortion," since they already have the right. I would hope an article like this one would discourage any woman from seeking an abortion. I would hope any woman would put the life of her child before her own. I know accidents happen, but I would hope that a woman would be more careful in her physical activities so she wouldn't be forced into making a choice.
The argument is, it's the woman's life, body and choice, but I would think the emotional toll, knowing ahead of time exactly how that life is to be ended, and knowing you had intentionally ended the life of your own child, would be far worse than actually giving birth to that child. It makes me wonder who really has the woman's best interest at heart.
@achilles2010 (3051)
• India
25 Jun 10
By aborting an unborn baby, we are not only destroying a body but we are destroying a soul. It is the soul, which God needs for creating a new world.
We humans are not just born to live and die. We are born to ferment, to attain a kind of sweetness. This sweetness God needs for propagation of life.
In destroying an unborn baby, we are creating condition that would destroy us. We are creating conditions that would make us extinct. Just because God gave us a free will it does not mean that, we have acquired to kill as well. We are born and we die because we have to make a room for those who are yet to come. Here through abortion we are doing something to the contrary. We are making room for ourselves by displacing those who God is sending to live in this world.
Wouldn't we earn God's wrath if we continue to do so?
@amelly (1554)
• Malaysia
25 Jun 10
i think abortion is so cruel..because one may do it when they realised there is a feotus or to-be-baby in their womb..it;s a god gift and people should thank god for it..but the sick things is teens nowadays or people make love and then when they realised the girl got pregnant when they don;t want it to be,simply head for abortion!!that is so sick..why do it then?the baby is innocent and it;d like killing a person..it already have soul..
@eandm9000 (12)
• United States
25 Jun 10
I have never been in that situation so I don't know what I would do. The common sense is abortion is bad. I would never do it myself. A baby is a wonderful thing anyone would be blessed to have. There are many people like myself who cannot have a child. People should think about adoption to give us a chance to have a family.
@eandm9000 (12)
• United States
25 Jun 10
I have never been in that situation so I don't know what I would do. The common sense is abortion is bad. I would never do it myself. A baby is a wonderful thing anyone would be blessed to have. There are many people like myself who cannot have a child. People should think about adoption to give us a chance to have a family.