Abortion:your thoughts?

Question

So abortion is a touchy subject. It has alot to do with religion or just right or wrong?

Im personally against it i think its wrong to take a human life

But then i think about the people who bring a child into this world and dont give them a good future and i think thats unfair.

So what im asking is whats your opinion

and should it be made illegal??

Answer 1

It shouldn't be made illegal because think about it. If the mother ends up giving it up for adoption it's not going to end up in a Happily ever after ending. So why should the kid suffer their whole life wondering if they are wanted or not.

Answer 2

I think that abortion is a terrible thing. I also think that the people as a group and the government do not have the right to force someone to have a child. Though the Government shouldn't be able to limit a women's right to getting an abortion, the government can make the act of performing an abortion illegal for a Doctor. In theory  it would be great to have abortion be illegal, however that is assuming it would stop. Much like prohibition never stooped alcohol, making abortion illegal would only create a market for illegal procedures. Doctors are not likely to risk their lucrative profession for illegal abortions. This would leave vulnerable women and girls who may not have anyone to turn to, going to unqualified scam artists for the abortion procedure.

     Sorry about the lengthy answer. Considering all of the above I think that the true nature of the immorality of abortion begins actually in the failure of society to properly educate women and men about contraceptives, and s*x in general. Approaching s*x without caution and safety is in my opinion more dangerous than playing with a loaded gun. To end this, I also believe that with condoms, various forms of birth control, vasectomy, and women getting their tubes tied, that unwanted pregnancy is the most ridiculous problem that mankind will never solve out of ignorance.

Answer 3

I don't think its always just about religion. It's more of a morals thing. I'm not a Christian- I claim no religion for that matter, you may call me agnostic, yet I am against abortion. I see it as murder, no matter what stage of pregnancy. And late term abortion is sick! Abortion should be illegal!  

Answer 4

I have thought about this quite a bit over the years. The wide spread of opinions is incredible, matched only by the passion of the activists on all sides. This is an issue that few people are even able to have a civilized discussion about. Complicating it further is that there are few that hold a black-and-white view of the issue. The majority of people in the US see abortion as a giant grey area with varying degrees of abortion considered acceptable. Very few people hold the position of unlimited abortion access or no abortion under any circumstances. Below is the process I went through to come up with my position on the matter.

First, I asked myself the question at what point does a human being obtain "personhood" and as such gain all the legal and moral protections that status entitles them to? There are some who say that the point of personhood is 28 days AFTER birth, at which point you still should be allowed to abort. In fact, there is a professor of ethics at Princeton University that actively advocates this position. This is the position that spurred “Born Alive” legislation that says if a woman has an abortion and the baby survives, that doctors cannot withhold care and let the baby die on the operating table. Others say up to the point of birth. These folks, such as Barak Obama, would hold that this type of infanticide as well as partial birth abortion is a reasonable procedure. Or perhaps just before while the mother is in labor. Or 6 months of gestation or 3 months or three weeks. I wrestled with this for a long time.

Then I looked at the issue a different way. Does human life have an imputed value or an intrinsic one? If we say that it is imputed, meaning the value is derived from something else, some outside criteria, then any one of the above positions would be equally valid. We as a society would decide what criteria to select. My problem with this is what criteria do you use? On what basis is a baby at 6 weeks more valuable than a baby at 5 weeks? Is a baby that has not yet developed a heart still a baby? This hit really hard on my wife and I when we lost one of our children. Lynne had a miscarriage a few years ago. When people with strong pro-choice sentiments gave us their condolences, they referred to the fetus as a child, even though she (we named her Grace, even though we do not know for sure if she was a she or a he. It made it easier to explain to the children what happened and easier for Lynne and I to grieve our loss) was at the same gestational point, 9 weeks, that they believed abortion was merely removing some unwanted tissue of the mother. So, the criteria used is whether or not a child is wanted. If that is so, then why? The characteristics of an object of any sort are not contingent on another persons belief for perception.

By similar logic, if the value of human life is imputed, it can also be taken away, depending on what some person or group of persons believe that life is worth. So if you happen to be mentally retarded or black or Jewish, it would be perfectly reasonable for you to be killed off for the good of the community if they believe it. I have a friend who is paralyzed from the neck down and constantly in pain. There are some in the world who would look at her and say that she has no quality of life or that the money and effort to support her would be better used on others. They would have her die due to her handicap. But knowing her the way I do I find the notion that she is without a quality of life to be ridiculous on its face. She is a writer, a painter, a social worker, and heads up an international charity. I’d call that a pretty good quality of life. So would her husband who married her years after her accident put her in the wheelchair. Thus, the imputed value logic is shown to me to be completely arbitrary. Following any of the “prior to this point it is not human but at this one on it is” positions is likewise arbitrary and does not answer the question of personhood.

But consider the proposition that human life has an intrinsic value. That it is valuable simply because it is human life and no other reason. No measure or quantification of the value of it, it is and that is enough. It is sort of like gold. Gold is valuable because it is gold, not because we as a society stood up one day and said, “we are going to make gold valuable”. Gold has an intrinsic value as opposed to an imputed value, such as paper currency. Paper currency is worthless in and of itself. It has value only because we say it has a certain value.

This position then would support a clear line between human life and not human life. With this position, you are a human at the point that you have a unique genetic code. In other words, at conception. Prior to that, there was no “you”. The male and female reproductive components in and of themselves are not a unique genetic code, but merely parts of the donors. It is only when they combine to create new life do “you” begin to  

Answer 5

Government has no business interfering in someone's medical decisions. If a woman wants to have an abortion, it's no one's business but her and her doctor's.  

Answer 6

I have always been pro-choice.  However, since I became pregnant, I've realized that, althought I am too young, there is no way I can kill my child.  I'm completely against abortion.  It should be made Illegal and the person who does it should be tried as a murdered.  Its no different than killing a baby, just because it's not full grown and depeloped like an adult yet.  It's sick.

Answer 7

I'm against abortion. I think it's murder. It does depend on the situation though, if someone choose abortion because they made a mistake and are going to punish their baby for the mistake, that's wrong, in that situation abortion should be illegal. Who's to judge though?!

There are some circumstances where I can understand a women choosing abortion though; if she fell pregnant through rape, or if there was a serious problem with the baby that meant her life was at risk, or that the baby would never be able to have a decent life. Even so, I wouldn't choose abortion in either situation, if I didn't want the baby I would adopt it out to a couple who could care for it and love it like their own child.

I agree with you about people who have children and abuse and neglect them but I don't think abortion would help that situation at all. Unfortunately, that's how life is for some people though it is very unfair.  

Answer 8

ABORTION IS MURDER!

The life of the child does not belong to the mother. The fetus is dependent on her for nourishment, but it does not belong to her and it is not her body. It is inside of her body. The fetus has it's own DNA, it's own developing brain, it's own organ system, and it is going to be it's own person and is it's own person. Humans, no matter what stage of life they are in, are never the "property" of someone else.

This is my opinion.  

Answer 9

Pro-choice.

Really, if you don't want to hear that people are for it, don't ask the question. Go on, keep giving me thumb downs

Answer 10

well, i know that it's wrong to kill a human's life and it's not a good thing. but think about this, the child is not born yet. and the child doenst know anything, they cant feel pain, love, hate, anger, and they cant remember anything!

i mean, do you remember being in your mom's tummy for 9 months? did you know that taste of the food that you ate? could you feel the pain when you came out of your mom's tummy? and do you even remember how it was like when you first were born? and i guess the answers are " NO", right?

so what i'm trying to say is that we all make mistakes,some are little and some can affect someone's life and other people's too. but we can still learn from our mistakes and wont do it agian.

so i think abortion is ok. because it would be really bad if the child was born and has no one to take care of him/ her. and abortion is better than having only one parent and dont even know who the other one is. it's better than being born and feel ashame about yourself because you were born by mistake or your parents dotn want you. because once a human is born, they can feel pain, loneliness, hurt and all that. and it's hard to deal with. but when you're in your mom's tummy, you cant feel anything.

and some parents make mistakes that they should never have. like, yesterday i was listening my radio. and this one man said that his brother's girlfriend is pregnant and the baby is his. because he and his brother's girlfriend were drunk that day and they didnt really remember that they did it, they only remembered some parts. so that means that they didnt do it on purpose and the girl may have thought that that boy was his boyfriend and that boy might have thought that the girl was someone else r something like that. and the girl and her boyfriend were gonna get married! so what now? what they gonna do? their lives will be harder, no matter what decisions they're going to make!

and if they decide to keep the baby, the baby will have to live a different way than what most of us live.the baby will experience some pain. and this will be hard for everybody. the girl (who got pregnant), the boyfriend, the boyfriend's brother and even their parents. this is all a bad mistake! ONE bad mistake that will make their lives harder.

but if they decide to get an abortion then it wont be as hard. i mean it will still be hard for the girl and her boyfriend and her boyfriend cuz when they look at each other, they feel embarrased and ashamed of what they did. but it wont hurt them as much. and the baby wont have to feel the pain for what he/she didnt do.

so the bottom line is abortion is ok, but there should be some kind of law that says " A woman can only get an abortion once in her life"  i know it sounds kinda lame but i guess it's the best option. so that way people wont make the same mistakes over and over agian., and i'm talking about teenagers too! and i think there should also be a law that " says childrens under 18 cant have _ _ _" .

well that's my opinion, and i will see what others think about abortion.

Answer 11

I think it's unfortunate that you are so lonely that you have to ask about abortion on a PREGNANCY site.  If you want an abortion debate, or you want people people to communicate with, visit your local church or join a singles website.  Your question is tired.  

Answer 12

I think the only way I would ever get an abortion is if I was raped and knew I conceived through rape.  Other than that I'm totally opposed!

Answer 13

The only way i would ever say an abortion is a good thing is if the woman was raped and ended up getting pregnant by her attacker, other then that i think if you wanna lay down and open your legs even if your 12 you should be responsible for what you made, its not the babies fault they didn't ask be be in this world that person made them.

Answer 14

I believe that abortion is horrible

I believe in adoption, b/c families who want kids and they cant have them, would love to have a baby, that someone else is killing.  

Answer 15

I think it depends on the circumstances. I don't think it should be made illegal, we should have the choice.  Although I don't think people should use it as a form of birth control either.  I mean women shouldn't be having multiple abortions if you know you don't want to have a baby than get on birth control.  You're right it is a touchy subject so expect a lot of diverse answers.  

Answer 16

I'm not pro-choice!

But i do believe there are certain things that can happen that would merit one.  Rape, incest, danger of health.  

My belief mainly has to do with my faith.

Abortion should not be used as birth control, there are lots of other decent forms of that out there!

Answer 17

Abortion? OOOOOOH! you mean murder. got it. I believe a child shouldn't have to die because their parents made a mistake.

Answer 18

Jesus Christ.  It's about a woman's right to choose what happens to her own body, nothing more nothing less.  Men (and some women) seem to think that they have a right to tell a woman what to do with her body, as if it belongs to them - which harkens back to women being property (as in you can own your wife).  Since a woman's right to be her own person is a human rights issue, so too is her right to have an abortion - it's not an easy thing to choose to do.

And if you think that abortion is taking of a human life then you must also be opposed to taking of extra limbs, diseased body parts and tumors - because well, all tissue with human genetics must be human, right?  And any woman that has a miscarriage is a murderer for allowing her uterus to expel a perfect human being.

Answer 19

I personally could never have one but i agree with you about the people that have kids and don't take care of them or physically, mentally, and sexually abuse them. But i think that even if abortion is outlawed woman will still find some crooked doc who is willing to do it for enough $ and then women and babies will be dying. I really don't think there is a cut and dry answer for me.  

Answer 20

I don't know how I would react in such a situation, if I got a baby I didn't really want. So I decide not too judge the people who do or don't - with or against abortion. Its a real gray area; does the baby belong to its mother? Should society tell a mother what to do? Is leading an unhappy life better than not leading one at all? Will these unwanted children grow up with what they need? Is it okay if they don't? Will society care for them? Are they better off dead or alive? What will it do to the mother's life if they live? Is she to blame? and the list goes on. This is one of those questions that will never have a set in stone answer.

However, I would like to say that making it illegal would do a considerable amount of harm. This world is one of supply and demand, where there are unwanted babies there will be abortion clinics, legal or not. If a woman wants an abortion she should be able to have one in a clean and safe environment, as oppose to some back alley.

I think the real answer is not to make abortion illegal, but to better educate the population and find better methods to prevent undesirable pregnancies. Condoms and birth control.

P.S. they can believe what they want, but until pro-lifers actually adopt an child, or do something (relatively important) to help the situation of an unwanted child or what not, and live up to there beliefs, I don't think they have the right to HARASS those who chose abortion (its kind-of hypocritical and such).

Answer 21

I think people should have the decision as to whether or not to have an abortion. Personally, I don't think I could go through with one (unless it was harmful to my health or something of the like). Either way though, it's still a decision, right or wrong, that the mother should have the choice to make, and if it is wrong in the eyes of God, she will pay the consequences when her time comes. I just don't feel like "we" have the right to judge others for the decisions they make.

Answer 22

funny how this question always hits the pregnancy section instead of politics.

Answer 23

first of all this is an interesting question secondly i personally think tht abortion is right or wrong depending on the mother's condition....i mean if she is just aborting because she thinks a child might make her life too restricted or if she has no certain restrictions n just doesnt want it cuz she is personally not ready then i think it is completely wrong n killing an innocent.

however, if she thinks she has restrictions like financial, family, religious then it might not b wrong. i mean if the mother cannot provide her child the proper upbringing tht it deserves and the child might b falling behind then its right. a woman shud have full rights to decide about her body and anything that she might ^^produce^^. also sometimes it is not acceptable in the religion, society, or family. A woman shud not have to give birth cuz of the law sometimes there is risk of life for the woman[cuz of the family n stuff]

besides a child is the most precious thing in any woman's life and a child shud only b brought into this world if its wanted from the bottom of its mother's heart....if she is just doing it for the law then thts wrong with both of em....

n come on who r we kidding i mean if it was up to me then at least i wud not give up my child for abortion after keeping it inside me for.... 9months ...plus the problem with women who r looking for abortion is not wut r they gonna do after the delivery but the period of pregnancy i mean prolly they are not allowed to have child until they r married

i guess there r lots of points and arguments tht cud b made about this depending on n individual

Answer 24

I for one am totally against it. Each child has equal rights to be born, whether the mother wants it, or not. Abortion is murder.

Luckily where I live, it's illegal.

Answer 25

I personally am against abortion. I don't think it's right, and it causes a lot of problems, emotionally and physically to the mother. You'll get a lot of "don't judge, a woman's body, her rights' but the child should have some sort of rights too..

Anyways, should it be illegal? no. Why? Because no matter what people are going to get it done, people are selfish and like to take the easy way out of things.

Answer 26

here is my opinion...i personally would never get an abortion but i dont care if other people have them....it really dosent affect me either way