66%

[green_jenni]

I just found out today that 66% of abortions are sought by women that are already mothers. This is a strong indication to me that many of the women are making the best choices they can for the children they already have

Comments

I'm trying to be sympathetic, but...

[anonymous]

I still can't agree with abortion. It's sad that the 9th kid had a rough life because his mom went nuts, but do you honestly believe that the solution or better path to have taken was to abort that child out of existence??

Aren't there other more humane solutions, like adoption for example? Maybe it's cause I got a fighting spirit but I'd rather be given a crappy chance in a crappy adoption home than be aborted and given NO chance at all.

I don't necessarily think that this bill is the way to go right now, but it hurts me to think of how we have rationalized abortion as being a humane way to end human suffering. It sickly reminds me a bit of the Nazi's rationalization of their eugenics program.

Anyway, I've probably said enough.

Re: I'm trying to be sympathetic, but...

[green_jenni]

It's not a eugenics discussion -- but it is illustrative of a point -- not all women who seek abortions are the right-wing stereotype of a cavalier, sexually promiscuous woman that doesn't bother to take birth control and uses abortions as such.

Making a choice is a lot more nuanced than pro-lifers give credit for. There are so many variables, so many different reasons that someone must have an abortion.

(continued in next comment since there is a space limit)

Re: I'm trying to be sympathetic, but...

[green_jenni]

For those pro-lifers who are moms, I'd be curious as to how much was too much for you to make a decision other than raising a child. Just as an exercise -- this is something I've done myself

Re: I'm trying to be sympathetic, but...

[green_jenni]

If you can happily raise as many children as you are comfortable bearing, you are a rare woman. Many of us are not child-oriented, and some of us who may be fond of children still may have limits far, far below that. So are we to join nuneries, get major surgery or should we be punished for having sex by being forced to raise children against our will for most of our lives

Education

[anonymous]

I agree that some women really feel like the best and possibly only option for them is abortion.

That's one of the reasons I think we need to be doing a lot more (since currently nothing is really being done) to educate women on their choices both before and after they become pregnant, and improve access to health care.

(do I sound like a broken record yet- so far, one on my state reps agree with me, so it's progress)

-Allie

Re: Education

[green_jenni]

Allie,

Thanks for signing your name to your posts. LiveJournal doesn't have a very good system for comments if you aren't a member.

That said, the above is meant as a discussion to pro-life married women in general-- some of your comments brought up questions for me and I really wanted to address it in this discussion.

cross posted

[anonymous]

I posted my last comment before I saw all of yours

[anonymous]

http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/abreasons.html

4-8% of abortions are performed because the mother "has enough children already."

0.2% are done because the life of the mother is at risk.

1% are done because the physical health of the mother is at risk.

0.33% are done because the mother was forced to be pregnant. ie rape or incest.

http://www.abortionfacts.com/statistics/us_stats_abortion.asp

About 80% of abortions are performed on unmarried women.

45% of women getting an abortion have never given birth.

http://www.abortionfacts.com/statistics/age.asp

68.9% of abortions are done on women between the ages of 20 and 34.

Cameron
www.magicvalleymormon.blogspot.com

Nice Spin Job part 1

[green_jenni]

"About 80% of abortions are performed on unmarried women.'

The 66% of women who are already mothers may not be married -- you don't have to be married to be a mother -- in fact, are you Repubs the ones that criticize women for continuing to produce children without a husband? Oh I forgot -- women should be celebate until menopause unless they can permenantly catch a man.

"68.9% of abortions are done on women between the ages of 20 and 34." -great statistic, yes it's true that the prime fertile years are 20 -34 years old. Fertility declines in the late 30s and menopause can happen as early as the early 40s. Men also decline in fertility as they age, and it's still not very common to see a lot of randy older women having unprotected sex with young guys, which is still kind of a rarity, there won't be as many unplanned pregnancies in the older category.

I've stopped trying to be sympathetic

[anonymous]

I think the real issue is this: when is a baby a baby? My wife is pregnant with our first child. At 12 weeks, we saw an ultrasound of our baby. It has arms, legs, a beating heart, and even fingernails (though you couldn't see the fingernails, I've read that they're there). It has brain waves, too. What else does it need to be considered life rather than just "potential life

Nice Spin Job part 2

[green_jenni]

"It has arms, legs, a beating heart, and even fingernails (though you couldn't see the fingernails"

People who aren't alive also have fingernails, arms and legs.

Scientists can make a heart beat in a petrie dish.

I'd need to see more information on the brain waves, as without a fully function nervous system it seems unlikely to mean much.

"So if you don't want unwanted babies, don't choose to have sex."

How very archaic. Straight out of the dark ages.

You must be exausted from all the funerals

[green_jenni]

1/4 of all fertized eggs get washed out in the monthly period. And that doesn't even address the embryos that are further developed that go with the period as well and unbeknownst to the mother. All those poor babies that will never get a chance at life! That's a lot of dead fully living babies.