[Lady Sidhe]

I am pro-choice in only two cases: if the mother's life is in danger, or if the child will be born with a birth defect that will shortly kill it or will make it so that there is no quality of life at all for the child.

When it comes to the "oops, I fucked up/I don't have time or money for a child" type of abortions--uh-uh. There are way too many people out there who are willing to pay all doctor bills in order to adopt for that to be an excuse. When it comes to rape or incest, all I can say is that I personally would not have an abortion, for the above-mentioned reason. It's not the baby's fault who the father is. There is no reason to make the child pay for the sins of the father.

I think that abortions should be allowed until brain waves start. It is at this point that the fetus is conscious and can feel pain. I also think that menstrual extraction is an acceptable method of abortion. Invented by a female OB-GYN, it keeps a woman from having to go through her period each month by extracting the menstrual debris via vacuum. This means that if an egg has been implanted, the egg gets sucked out as well.

I've talked to several pro-choicers about this on abortion debate forums, and I still don't understand their reasoning. It's all about them. Considering that most places have free clinics in which one can procure free birth control, there's no excuse. Granted, birth control can fail, but at least one is attempting to prevent a pregnancy and is taking responsibility for that. I'm all about responsibility and having to deal with the consequences of one's actions, as everyone well knows.

The main reason I'm pro-choice is just as Wolf said--back-alley abortions kill too many people. It should be made safe. BUT, I also think that if a woman is allowed to have an abortion, that she should be required to take birth control. It should be mandatory.

I also think that the men should have a say in the abortion issue. After all, it takes two, and fathers just don't have any rights nowadays when it comes to children--at least they have no rights if they aren't currrently married to the mother of the child. I think that if the father wants the child and says he will take care of it, then she should have to have the baby. It shouldn't die because she'll be inconvenienced by its presence.


Sidhe