Do pro-choicers believe in informed choices for pregnant mothers?

Question

It hasn't been so in my case. They seemed to play upon my fears rather than encourage me to give life a chance. Twice it turned out better then I thought. I see women taking pictures of aborted fetuses as a judgement against them. People seem to hold onto the image of a fetus as a bug or germ. The pictures seem to indicate different. Do pictures lie? Should they be hidden for people's comfort or should the real victim of abortion be considered??? What do you think?

Answer 1

Forced? And here I thought this was the land of the free...

Answer 2

I am pro choice, but I am not necessarily pro abortion either.  I think that if abortion is your method of birth control, that is disgusting beyond words.  That sort of thing indicates that the women who do that view the pregnancy as something akin to a cold or the flu--go to the doc, get the treatment and feel better---it's that ideology that makes me nuts.  However, there are circumstances in which I think a woman has a right to choose.  I am a mother to a great kid...I am also in love with my husband and have a very stable life.  Years ago when I was in a very physically and mentally abusive relationship with a much older man, I became pregnant and had an abortion.  While my reasons are intensely private, I feel comfortable saying that I feared for the child being born into that situation.   I feel like I made a good choice.  This man shot the girlfriend before me and beat to death the one after me.  In my current situation, even though another child is not in our plans, if I were to become pregnant, of course I would have it, an abortion in THAT case would NOT be an option.

Answer 3

I believe in informed choices, yes.  I think that a section on reproductive health, birth control, and a little bit of extremely basic developmental biology should be taught to children in grade 7 or 8, and reinforced later in high school.  A woman who is considering an abortion should be provided with as much factual information as she wants about the fetus and the procedure. A pregnant woman who is considering abortion should also be made aware of all the resources that are available to her to help her out if she were to choose not to have an abortion.  

Like you, I'd like to see fewer abortions happening.  It's just that I don't want to see this happening because women are being coerced or even forced into continuing their pregnancies.  I'd like to see it happening because birth control technology improves, because people start taking a little more control of their lives upfront to prevent unwanted pregnancy, and because a woman who finds herself accidentally pregnant knows she has somewhere to turn for help.

Answer 4

You are speaking of those who are "pro-abortion", not pro choice.  Those that are pro-choice would let you make an educated decision or simply respect your views and values.

EDIT- Stars

I suggest you do your research.  50 million?  Maybe in the whole world, but there has been a downward trend and there has NEVER been more than 2 million abortions in the US in a single year.  Perhaps 50 million was the number of abortions total in the US since it has been legalized.

http://www.all.org/article.php?id=10123

http://www.christianliferesources.com/?/...

Oh and these are pro-life/Christian websites so they are not going to decrease figures.

EDIT-

No mothers should not be forced to do this.  This is not "information" we have all seen a sonogram.  This is pressure put upon the mother to not abort.  This has become illegal in my state.

Answer 5

But anyway, I have seen some of those disgusting silent scream things on youtube, the aborted fetuses and although I was suprised by how formed they were like the fingers it still doesn't change my mind on abortion. If it were a little chick or a cute kitten then that would be very sad, but it's just this ugly alien fetus thing.

Answer 6

I question any-ones motives who says their is a difference between pro-choice and pro-abortion. Either you value the integrity of life or not. There is no way to rationalize this decision.

Elf#3

As you so obviously pointed out, I am a Man. I would like to believe that I am a Man made in God's image. I have three children who I view as Gifts from God. The minute they were born, I knew God existed. Also, having been a Nurse in my previous career for 8 years, I have a firm understanding of the enormous strain pregnancy has on the female body. Abortion is not the answer, it's a mistake that I'm confident many women will regret at some point in their lives.

Answer 7

Absolutely, I believe in informed choices.  How unfortunate that someone tried to persuade you in ANY direction.  The whole point of being pro-choice is that it is no one's decision but yours!

You should have been given all of the facts with no bias, and had the opportunity to speak with a counselor before making any decisions.  

Trust me...I don't want ANYONE to have an abortion, but I'm not qualified to make that decision for anyone other than myself.

Answer 8

Yes, pictures can lie.  Its what the anti-abortion side does when they can't articulate an intellectual argument.  Before African Americans were given the vote they were caricatured as lazy idiots in the media (movies) and the press.  Same thing here: all drama, no substance.  Scare tactics.  The attempt to manipulate emotion, to instill fear and rage.  To NOT think logically and rationally.

Here is what really happens:

http://mypage.direct.ca/w/writer/anti-ta...

Look how they change their tune... and then change it right back again, lol.

"The reasons women give for having an abortion underscore their understanding of the responsibilities of parenthood and family life. Three-fourths of women cite concern for or responsibility to other individuals; three-fourths say they cannot afford a child; three-fourths say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or the ability to care for dependents; and half say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner".

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induce...

Sounds pretty informed to me.

"Shown pictures"?  To upset them more than they already are?  To manipulate them?

NO.  They have made an informed decision.  Leave it at that; they know what's best for them, nobody else.

"Reason" is the OPPOSITE of "emotion".

Answer 9

In Australia, where I live, the anti-choice goup are determined liars who refuse to provide honest information.

In fact, recently a bill was brought before the parliament to require services offering 'pregnancy counselling' to state whether or not they offered 'all options' advice (meaning whether they would provide information about abortion if requested).

You would think, wouldn't you, that if that was their belief they would be proud to say 'no, we will not refer for abortion'.

Instead, they fought tooth and nail and pressured the religious politicians on the committee to push for them to be allowed to lie in their advertising.

Apparently, lying is OK when they do it. Like the false information they supply their hapless victims about the results of having an abortion.

If they were honest, at least one could respect them and their position, as it is, they are proven and dedicated liars who show every time they are challenged that all they are interested in is controlling the choices women make.

They do NOT trust women to make the 'right' choice (the one they prefer), so they want to limit ALL women's choices.

Cheers :-)

Answer 10

Most women know perfectly well that a fetus will become a person if it's carried to delivery. Please trust them.

Answer 11

I'm not sure that it matters.  There are many reasonable and viable reasons why someone would opt for an abortion.  

Answer 12

I am pro life and believe in abortion only in exceptional circumstances.It is a most tragic action to take and I find it greatly depressing and sinister. Something like 50 million babies were aborted last year in the US.Would you murder 50 million citizens? Women need to take responsiblity for who they allow in and out of their body and take precautions accordingly without killing  what invariably grows inside them

Okay my estimate may be innacurate but in totality of world population that is pretty awful

Answer 13

Of course all options should be considered.

The problem with the pictures is that the pictures are from late term abortions, and most abortions happen within the first trimester, and in truth nothing would show much in a real picture.  The pictures are used as a propaganda tool.  

Answer 14

Elf: So, you think that these "risks" are enough reason to kill your baby?

Answer 15

Carrying La Belle Dame's point further, many of the pictures of aborted fetuses used as propaganda by the anti-choice crowd are not photos of abortions performed in clinics at all, but of natural miscarriages.  

Answer 16

Thing has given you an answer that is applicable to Au. and also a very good answer...

YET she has recieved several thumbs-downs .. and yet Pro-choicers get called names among them the ridiculous *pro-abortion* ...

Think about it people.. Pro-choice:- choice of keeping baby

                                                   Choice of adopting baby out

                                                   Choice of terminating pregnancy..

those are the Options give by Pro-choicers....

CHOICE.. YOUR CHOICE... where as the others GIVE YOU NO CHOICE... hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

LOL btw thing simply love the new addition to your ID name.

EDIT.. and no THE SILENT SCREAM should not be shown to pregnant women .. IT IS A BIASED production .. BUT yes by all means show them an UNBIASED scientific film which shows all the facts .. WITHOUT the emotional blackmail attached....I have no issue re that.

EDIT: I am just wondering ... If there were REALLY 50,000,000 abortions carried out in the USA LAST YEAR ( which I tend to think is REALLY unbelievable) ... can a pro-lifer please answer this.....

How do you think your nation would be able to cope with a population increaase of 50,000,000 people per year.. .Does your nation have the infrastructure and natural resources to be able to cope with that kind of human expansion in a 12 month period...

I AM NOT PRO-ABORTION .. but even the most pro-life of people would have to admit that such an increase in one nation.. and then consider the same increase in other nations.. would be a most horrible tax upon this planet .. and in the long term ( ie 50,000,000 PLUS the already existing birth rate per year in ONE nation alone) will be the cause of mankind's inevitable extiction and perhaps total destruction of ALL LIFE ON earth .... so much for being pro-life.....

Answer 17

Being pro-choice doesn't equal being pro-abortion. Pro-choice simply means people should have the OPTION to to make their own decisions, including the decision to abort.

Answer 18

That informed choice should also be included to add what will happen with the woman if she keeps the baby and the economic hardships that could occur as well as the realities of being a single mother. If she decides to give the baby up for adoption, she should know the realities of that also, which include feelings of guilt, separation loss, and becoming aware of pressure tactics from greedy agencies and attorneys who adopt out highly desirable babies for huge fees. She needs to know that not all babies are adoptable and that those who are nonwhite or have special needs have a much lower chance of being adopted. If a woman is going to be informed, she needs to know all the facts, not just those that will encourage her to continue a pregnancy she doesn't really want.

Answer 19

Separating into for/against camps is twaddle and typical of a nation soaked in religious morals (even the so-called non-believers tacitly accept religious morals in principle). And all the vilifying of doctors is insane. Doctors never encourage abortions they only carry them out at a patient's request.

The decision should be yours, but a responsible decision nonetheless. Increasing general responsibility is what people should be aiming to achieve, not some crackpot debate about Roe VS Wade or pictures of dead babies.

The problem with our societies is that responsibility is chosen to fit desires, the same people advocating responsibility for s*x and pregnancy can have no responsible attitude when wrecking lives in other ways: economically for instance.

Answer 20

There are many "dirty" tactics used on both sides of the abortion issue.  I believe in providing information for pregnant women, but not crossing the line and attempting to influence  their choices.

Mr. Capone, having no uterus of his own, probably does not understand all the possible risks of carrying  a pregnancy to term.  Risks that include, but are not limited to, high blood pressure,  edema, eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and placenta previa.  

  If it was his own body at risk, perhaps he might find a reasonable justification for abortion.  

EDIT: Are you saying you oppose abortion even if carrying the pregnancy to term would kill the mother?

Would you deny an abortion in cases of  severe birth defects diagnosed from amniocentesis?