A couple of thoughts on abortion

[mousme]

This has cropped up a number of times on my flist of late, which isn't all that surprising, considering my friends.

I don't know if it'll surprise many people on here if I say that, fundamentally, I don't believe that abortion is right. Maybe it will surprise people. It won't surprise those who know me well. I am the product of someone's choice not to abort, so I feel rather strongly on the topic, to say the least.

That being said, until there are safe, viable alternatives to abortion, I will remain pro-choice.

When there is a clear and present danger to the mother's health, I am all in favour of terminating a pregnancy in a safe, medical procedure that is authorized by law. Until dangerous pregnancies are a thing of the past, I will remain pro-choice.

Until everyone who doesn't want a child is given access to birth control and other safe-sex products, I will remain pro-choice.

Until little girls are no longer raped, I will remain pro-choice.

Until such a time as women are no longer abused and raped by men they thought they could trust, I will remain pro-choice.

Until such a time as abortion remains the *only* resort for some unhappy, desperate women, I will remain pro-choice.

Until such a time as women are entirely in control of their own fertility, I will remain pro-choice.




I am not anti-life. I am pro-choice. There is a difference.


:::ETA:::

I am leaving comments open for now. Everyone is welcome to their opinion, and to discuss in a sane, rational, and respectful manner. Most of you don't need to be told to remain civilized, but this is a sensitive topic, so if you get upset, keep your hands away from your keyboard. Close friend or online acquaintance, if you insult or otherwise flame someone on this LJ, I will ban your ass faster than you can say "Bob's your mother's brother." Capito?

Comments

[forthright.livejournal.com]

I think it takes tremendous courage to say anything on the subject of abortion, even with caveats, even when presented in the most humane way possible. While I have said any number of controversial things in my journal, every time I have tried to write "the abortion post", the effort has ended up, well, abortive.

In very many ways, your views are similar to my own, but somewhere along the line, the debate over *why* abortion should be legal - the fundamental principles on which freedom of choice should stand - has been hijacked and it has become all about control and power. It makes it hard to talk about *anything* surrounding the subject, which is ridiculous given the importance of the topic. Sad, really.

Anyway, I wish you luck avoiding the flamewars that seem to arise out of this sort of thing.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Heh. Thank you.

I've posted in other LJs and forums about my views on this, but I don't think I ever stated it clearly in this LJ, so I figured the time had come.

I rather hope that, if any discussion at all arises out of this (it may not, in that mysterious way that some LJ posts have of not attractive conversation), that it will remain polite at the very least.

[forthright.livejournal.com]

Let's hope it doesn't turn into this:

Kang: Abortions for all.
[crowd boos]
Kang: Very well, no abortions for anyone.
[crowd boos]
Kang: Hmm... Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others.
[crowd cheers]

(Simpsons, 'Treehouse of Horror VII')

[mousme.livejournal.com]

*snerk*

The Simpsons has a quote for everything. :D

[whiskeygirl8.livejournal.com]

Most people on either side have such a knee-jerk reaction to the ones who disagree with them. I rarely discuss anywhere but my own journal that I am pro-life because people tend to automatically assume I am irrational about it and all, "But, it's a baybeeee!" I have a lot of rational thoughts on it and I do not believe it should be made illegal immediately without a lot of changes first. Changes that many on my side would not care for. But, nobody wants to hear that--they just want to believe that I am batshit insane, irrational and want to bomb abortion clinics and shove pictures of dead fetuses in their faces.

Of course, a lot of pro-lifers think that all pro-choicers think abortion is hunky-dory and everyone should have one and crazy stuff like that. So, it's on both sides.

And, I'm a LOT more comfortable discussing the problems with the abortion debate than I am actually having the abortion debate.