October 11th, 2012 
Up4Dsn 
[author's note:I'm grateful to be a part of the Up 4 Discussion Family. I consider this to be a place where all-star bloggers come to hang out, so I'm really excited to be here. To my new family members, I'm looking forward to learning, teaching and laughing with you for years to come.]
For years, church congregations, politicians and the people who love them have argued over abortion. It is one of the most discussed social issues out there, and one’s opinion on abortion is often used as a moral compass for which people measure how good or evil one’s mind is.
First, I think it’s fair to say that some people think about their affiliation and loyalty to political parties or groups over what’s right for their situation. Labels dominate the world, and history tells us that humans tend to need to belong to something.
While die-hard Pro-Choice supporters have legitimate reasons to feel the way that they do, die-hard Pro-Life supporters also have an equal argument. Today, we revisit an age-old debate between the two.
5. Since life begins at conception, abortion is akin to murder as it is the act of taking human life. Abortion is in direct defiance of the commonly accepted idea of the sanctity of human life.
4. Adoption is a viable alternative to abortion and accomplishes the same result. And with 1.5 million American families wanting to adopt a child, there is no such thing as an unwanted child.
3. An abortion can result in medical complications later in life; the risk of ectopic pregnancies doubles, and the chance of a miscarriage and pelvic inflammatory disease also increases.
2. In the instance of rape and incest, proper medical care can ensure that a woman will not get pregnant. Abortion punishes the unborn child who committed no crime; instead, it is the perpetrator who should be punished.
1. For women who demand complete control of their body, control should include preventing the risk of unwanted pregnancy through the responsible use of contraception or, if that is not possible, through abstinence.
5. Nearly all abortions take place in the first trimester, when a fetus cannot exist independent of the mother. As it is attached by the placenta and umbilical cord, its health is dependent on her health, and cannot be regarded as a separate entity as it cannot exist outside her womb.
4. The concept of personhood is different from the concept of human life. Human life occurs at conception, but fertilized eggs used for in vitro fertilization are also human lives and those not implanted are routinely thrown away. Is this murder, and if not, then how is abortion murder?
3. Adoption is not an alternative to abortion, because it remains the woman’s choice whether or not to give her child up for adoption. Statistics show that very few women who give birth choose to give up their babies – less than 3% of white unmarried women and less than 2% of black unmarried women.
2. Abortion is a safe medical procedure. The vast majority of women - 88% – who have an abortion do so in their first trimester. Medical abortions have less than 0.5% risk of serious complications and do not affect a woman’s health or future ability to become pregnant or give birth.
1. The ability of a woman to have control of her body is critical to civil rights. Take away her reproductive choice and you step onto a slippery slope. If the government can force a woman to continue a pregnancy, what about forcing a woman to use contraception or undergo sterilization?
As Lydia walked to her car in the darkened parking lot she had a vague uneasiness. She should have waited for the security guard escort, but if she had she undoubtedly would have been late for her meeting at the Garden Club. Hastily she unlocked the door, yanked the car door open, jumped in and was trying to shove the key in the ignition when a hand from the back seat covered her mouth and jerked her head viciously into the head rest. “One sound out of you, and you are dead,” he said. The next ten minutes would be seared into her brain forever. With a knife at her throat, he sexually assaulted her in the back seat of the car, beat her savagely, and left her for dead. When she finally came to her senses she drove herself to the nearest Emergency Room. Over the next few weeks the physical wounds would heal. The emotional healing would take much longer. The nightmare continued. Four weeks after the assault, the clinic confirmed her worst fears. She was pregnant.
Would a person who declares allegiance to Team Pro-Life make an exception in this case?
Gary and Karen were ecstatic. After four years of marriage, Karen was pregnant. Gary would finish law school in six months. The timing could not have been better. Karen had always wanted a big family, but they had delayed till Gary would have a regular paying job. But after her third prenatal visit Dr. Abrams called her at home. Could she and Gary come to the office tomorrow at three to review her recent test results? He would explain everything then. Over the next few weeks ultrasound tests confirmed what the blood tests had suggested. Their baby, if allowed to come to term, would have severe neural tube defects. In other words, the child would have an open spinal cord, hydrocephalus, mental retardation and probably never walk in a normal manner. The burden that this child would experience, and the pain the family would suffer would be unbearable. The best thing would be to have an abortion. Dr. Abrams gave them the names of two competent gynecologists. It would be best for everyone.
Based on the information given, what would you do?
Up 4 Discussion…
1) Are you Team Pro-Life or Team Pro-Choice?
2) Does your declaration for either side allow room for judgment calls?
3) Is someone’s opinion on the matter a relationship deal-breaker?
Mr.Chap is Detroits son, owner of the Insane Asylum Blog, freelance journalist, singer/songwriter and Grammar Nazi. Contact him at mrchap@insaneasylumblog.com
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Mr. Chap, this is the most awesome-est mind-boggling post. I have written one as such, myself.
I use to be PRO LIFE, but of course, that was before I had children of my own. Given certain circumstances that which someone may be under, if there is a choice to be made for the better, then apparently the RIGHT choice is what should be made. And no one knows your situation better than who, but yourself. Which leaves me to say that I am PRO CHOICE. People could argue all day about the wrongness in it and pass judgement, however those same people won't be making an effort to help you raise, feed or clothe a child(ren), while at the same rate complain about tax dollars given for welfare assistance.
In any case, it's hella easy to have a child, 10 x's harder to get rid of one, and 20 x's harder to raise one. I've been through all 3 steps, but I judge no one for whatever decision they believe in or the steps that which they take to accomplish whatever their mindset may be. The only thing that I do have a problem with, is the women that use this as a means of birth control (which we could save for another day)
3) Is someone’s opinion on the matter a relationship deal-breaker?
Now… this all depends. I have been with someone where no future was possible for building a family and moving forward (which I found out at the wrong time). Here… we are left with my first encounter with the most distasteful and disgusting experience of my life. Was the deal broken? Hell yes! It was!
AND… then there is a moment that which you have to weigh your options within a commited relationship (after child/children) and grown-up decisions have to be made. Deal-breaker? No. Heartbroken? Yes! I blamed myself (to this day) for not being in good wealth to be able to provide for what would have been my last.
Wow! Thank you so much for the revealing and insightful comment Candi.
Any time J
I wondered just how many women use abortion as a form of birth control and why.
Who knows! But the one time when I was sitting in the waiting room, there was this one girl in there who knew the whole staff and inquired about rentovations that were being made. She absolutely loved the changes… and I absolutely got sick and tired of her chopping it up with the nurses about life like she was apart of the staff. Unbelievable!! While another person, (family member of mine) results to this method as well, while projecting that same lifestyle on everyone else around her. Example of a conversation…
Me: I'm pregnant
Her: wtf?! what are you going to do?
Me: Have it.
Her: Shit… if you know like I know…
followed by a long lecture about how a field trip to the clinic is so beneficial.
Wow! That is whoa!
That IS whoa, J.
My recent post ME MYSELF AND US…A LOOK AT DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER
Thank you very much. I appreciate you reading and commenting. And yes, you do have some mind-boggling posts over at sensesocommon.blogspot.com.
My recent post ME MYSELF AND US…A LOOK AT DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER
Well thank you mr. Chap! I hope you will continue to visit. I'll most definitely be snooping in your belongings as well, lol
I'm pro choice!!
I believe it is the right of the people/person in the situation to decided what they think is best.
Crazy thing is the baby I'm carrying father is pro life, and now that he's mad because we didn't get back together, he hasn't been around. He even said once to have an abortion, then changed his mind. LOL
I say people need to sit and talk. Agree to disagree.
I totally agree Sunny. Communication is so important. A couple should talk and decide the best course of action for them.
Yeah, Sunny. People would be surprised what a little conversation does for a relationship. A lot of them wouldn't even get off the ground because people would realize what an idiot the other person really is.
My recent post ME MYSELF AND US…A LOOK AT DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER
Indeed. You can save yourself 3+ months after having a convo.
Mr. Chap I am so glad to have such a relevant topic discussed here on Up4Discussion. Welcome to the family. I am Pro-Choice, but I do believe that life begins at conception. I am a devout Christian and believe that many Christians fail to understand that one thing that God never violates is a person's will and right to choose. Therefore, I respect a woman's individual right to make a decision about her body without judgement. God is the only judge and the only one that this individual has to answer to. I believe that my position should allow room for judgment calls. A person's position would not be a deal-breaker in a relationship, unless they were an extremists. Thanks again for such a real and thought-provoking topic.
I am pro life. Even in the case of rape, that baby is still precious. You should allow that baby to live outside the womb and if the women still has a hard time, give it up for adoption. In the case of health issues, wouldn't you still love that child just as much even if they did have health issues?
All babies are precious and the ones that are born have the privilege to live their lives. Yes, God doesn't violate a person's will and right to choose things, but the bible is clear that abortion is wrong. If you are a Christian like someone says they are, they would agree abortion is wrong. You can't agree with something the Bible is clearly against.
I agree with the above responses. It is really hard to terminate a pregnancy. One of my friends was carrying. She was pregnant for the first time after two years of marriage. But unfortunately she had a miscarriage after 7 weeks of pregnancy. The doctor told her that this is because the baby had chromosomal abnormalities. At that time she was really devastated. I also couldn't help feeling bad for her.
Wow! Thank you for sharing that with us Flores. I'm sorry to hear that. Was your friend able to get pregnant again?
Sorry to hear about your friend Flores. Hope your friend is doing fine now. I had a similar experience. Once when I was carrying, I was diagnosed with typhoid. So the doctors started treating me for typhoid. Finally when I was cured, they told me to abort the pregnancy as the antibiotics administered for typhoid would have affected the kid. At that point I really had a tough time to digest this fact.
I agree with most of them here. It is very difficult to abort a child or to undergo a miscarriage. I am thankful to God that I haven’t had such an experience, but I do understand the pain. I am a mother of three kids and it is so painful to see any of them when they fall sick.