Abortion
Apparently the thing to do today is to write about your feelings with regards to abortion.
I believe that every child that is born should be born with at least one competent person ready, willing, and desiring to take on the enormous task of caring for and loving that child as well as possible.
I believe that if nobody is ready to take on that task then an abortion is preferable to having the baby be born.
I believe that birth control is significantly preferable to having a pregnancy that needs to be terminated, and that encouraging the use of birth control and educating people on its proper use is an essential part of minimizing the number of abortions that are necessary. I believe that an abortion is always a bad thing, but that sometimes not having an abortion is a worse thing. As such, decreasing the need for abortions is a good thing.
But beyond all that, I believe that the choice of whether or not to have an abortion should be the choice of the woman who is pregnant. She may not agree with my views. She may believe that it is better to have an unwanted baby and then try to find someone to care for it. That is her right. She may believe that aborting the baby even if there is a great environment for it to grow up in is a better idea, that is her right. (And personally, I would much, much rather have an abortion than give a child up for adoption. The emotional consequences of the latter would be too much for me, and I can't blame someone else for feeling the same way.) She may decide to take on that commitment herself, to raise and care for and love the child as best as she can. That is her choice to make.
She doesn't have the full range of possible choices. I don't believe she should be allowed to choose to have the child and then abuse it. Or have it and sell it into slavery. But I do believe that each pregnant woman should have the choice of whether or not to carry that pregnancy to term.
I believe that every human should have the right to choose whether or not to partipate in sexual acts and the parameters under which they are willing to participate, and that that choice must be respected. I believe that birth control should be easily available to everyone, and every man and woman should have the right to use it or not as they see fit. Which includes refusing to participate in acts with people that aren't willing to agree to the use or lack of use of birth control that fits with their beliefs and preferences.
I feel that it's unfortunate that potential fathers don't get a whole lot of say. Choose wisely who you have sex with. But it's the woman's body, so she gets the choice. That's the price you pay for biology being what it is. The price women pay tends to be higher.
I also believe that no woman should have sex with a man who thinks women should not have a right to have an abortion. But obviously, if you're not pro-choice, you're likely to disagree with that. But I do think that every pro-choice female should refuse to have sex with anyone who isn't pro-choice. Women have to pay for the actions of both men and women. Men should have to pay for their decisions. And not getting to have sex is a supremely appropriate cost for insisting that women lose the right to choose. We still get the choice of sex or no sex, and no sex is the only sensible choice if the other options are taken away. On the flip side, feel free to reward pro-choice men with lots of protected sex. :)
On a side note, apparently some people mention how their mother was pro-life, and isn't that a good thing. My mother is pro-choice. She never felt comfortable having an abortion herself (but she was never in a position of being pregnant and unable to afford to raise the child. she married my father, a well-off doctor, when she was 18 and one week old), but she believes women should have the choice. Choosing not to have an abortion is just as much an exercise of the freedom to choose. And is a completely valid choice. The point is the right to choose. Not that you must choose to have an abortion.
Both of the friends of mine who were expecting babies have had them now. Both seem to be healthy and fine, both baby and mother. Both babies were very, very much wanted. I am quite pleased and happy for both families. That's the way it should be. Wanted babies in loving homes. I hope we can move more toward every baby having that. I know both of these babies will be surrounded by love and care. I feel so sorry for every baby who is born with nobody willing to give them that.
And to the mother of the girl, you know who you are, I want pictures! People aren't allowed to have babies and not put pictures up! To the mother of the boy - good job. You provided a bunch of pictures. :) People expect pictures, it's not like you're busy or tired or anything... right? Oh alright, I guess you're allowed to take time to take care of the new baby, rest, or even spend time with your husband. But eventually there should be pictures.
And I am really, really happy that everyone is okay. Childbirth is so much safer than it used to be, and the expectation is that mother and baby will be okay, but it's still complicated and does have risks. So, I'm glad that point is past with no major medical issues.
I believe that every child that is born should be born with at least one competent person ready, willing, and desiring to take on the enormous task of caring for and loving that child as well as possible.
I believe that if nobody is ready to take on that task then an abortion is preferable to having the baby be born.
I believe that birth control is significantly preferable to having a pregnancy that needs to be terminated, and that encouraging the use of birth control and educating people on its proper use is an essential part of minimizing the number of abortions that are necessary. I believe that an abortion is always a bad thing, but that sometimes not having an abortion is a worse thing. As such, decreasing the need for abortions is a good thing.
But beyond all that, I believe that the choice of whether or not to have an abortion should be the choice of the woman who is pregnant. She may not agree with my views. She may believe that it is better to have an unwanted baby and then try to find someone to care for it. That is her right. She may believe that aborting the baby even if there is a great environment for it to grow up in is a better idea, that is her right. (And personally, I would much, much rather have an abortion than give a child up for adoption. The emotional consequences of the latter would be too much for me, and I can't blame someone else for feeling the same way.) She may decide to take on that commitment herself, to raise and care for and love the child as best as she can. That is her choice to make.
She doesn't have the full range of possible choices. I don't believe she should be allowed to choose to have the child and then abuse it. Or have it and sell it into slavery. But I do believe that each pregnant woman should have the choice of whether or not to carry that pregnancy to term.
I believe that every human should have the right to choose whether or not to partipate in sexual acts and the parameters under which they are willing to participate, and that that choice must be respected. I believe that birth control should be easily available to everyone, and every man and woman should have the right to use it or not as they see fit. Which includes refusing to participate in acts with people that aren't willing to agree to the use or lack of use of birth control that fits with their beliefs and preferences.
I feel that it's unfortunate that potential fathers don't get a whole lot of say. Choose wisely who you have sex with. But it's the woman's body, so she gets the choice. That's the price you pay for biology being what it is. The price women pay tends to be higher.
I also believe that no woman should have sex with a man who thinks women should not have a right to have an abortion. But obviously, if you're not pro-choice, you're likely to disagree with that. But I do think that every pro-choice female should refuse to have sex with anyone who isn't pro-choice. Women have to pay for the actions of both men and women. Men should have to pay for their decisions. And not getting to have sex is a supremely appropriate cost for insisting that women lose the right to choose. We still get the choice of sex or no sex, and no sex is the only sensible choice if the other options are taken away. On the flip side, feel free to reward pro-choice men with lots of protected sex. :)
On a side note, apparently some people mention how their mother was pro-life, and isn't that a good thing. My mother is pro-choice. She never felt comfortable having an abortion herself (but she was never in a position of being pregnant and unable to afford to raise the child. she married my father, a well-off doctor, when she was 18 and one week old), but she believes women should have the choice. Choosing not to have an abortion is just as much an exercise of the freedom to choose. And is a completely valid choice. The point is the right to choose. Not that you must choose to have an abortion.
Both of the friends of mine who were expecting babies have had them now. Both seem to be healthy and fine, both baby and mother. Both babies were very, very much wanted. I am quite pleased and happy for both families. That's the way it should be. Wanted babies in loving homes. I hope we can move more toward every baby having that. I know both of these babies will be surrounded by love and care. I feel so sorry for every baby who is born with nobody willing to give them that.
And to the mother of the girl, you know who you are, I want pictures! People aren't allowed to have babies and not put pictures up! To the mother of the boy - good job. You provided a bunch of pictures. :) People expect pictures, it's not like you're busy or tired or anything... right? Oh alright, I guess you're allowed to take time to take care of the new baby, rest, or even spend time with your husband. But eventually there should be pictures.
And I am really, really happy that everyone is okay. Childbirth is so much safer than it used to be, and the expectation is that mother and baby will be okay, but it's still complicated and does have risks. So, I'm glad that point is past with no major medical issues.