"Why i lost faith in the pro-life movement"

[JesusFightClub]

What Lissar said.

If I was pregnant, I would abort as soon as I knew. If anyone's going to tell me that a homeless and soon to be jobless person who struggles with medical issues and has a blood clotting disorder should carry a pregnancy to term, I'd like to know why.

I'd also like to know who would want my baby. It might be white(most favoured), it might not be. Whatever, it's going to have problems. Partly to do with genetics (I have been recommended by five doctors now not to have children) and partly to do with circumstances.

Abortion would be the safest option for me as it can be medically monitored. There's a fair chance that my pregnancy, if I was unlucky enough to have one, would be very unfortunate for me and even more unfortunate for the child I produced. So tell me, pro-lifers, why I should do this? So I can (perhaps) give birth to a child no-one wants and if it's "lucky" enough to survive, will be taken off me by Social Services? And then no-one will adopt it because it isn't the Perfect Golden Child? (It has no option to be that, unless there's a miracle.)

I have worked with social workers who're waiting for the notification to go in and take the newborn baby. They sit staring and you bring them lots of cups of tea. They sometimes cry a bit. They're waiting on a sheriff's order and the hospital declaring a birth to go in and take the kid and they hate the whole business. Once the sheriff gives the order they stand up, absolutely blank-faced and say "Well, we'd better go and do it."

The mum can't hug the kid because she won't give it back if she does and they have to use stronger measures. She gives birth and the child is taken at birth. These are very sick mums - sick from addiction usually, sometimes mentally unwell, sometimes just incapable of caring for the kid. They will have more kids already in care. I have no kids in care, but that would be me.

I do not understand these "pro-life" people at all. Don't they know how it is?

[formergothardite]

JFC, it is because the anti-choice crowd doesn't want to talk about those situations or they want to make it seem like that would be really, really rare. When I was involved in the anti-choice movement it was all about how they would just magically want to have kids and take great care of them or give them to white Christians to raise if women were forced to be pregnant against their will.

[Katiebug]

And that article very neatly summed up for me why I'm pro-choice despite being pro-life for myself. The pro-lifers are pro-gestation, likely as a way of "punishing" women for daring to have sex. They're certainly not pro-family, since they're almost universally against pregnancy Medicaid, SCHIP, WIC, food stamps, Section 8, paid maternity leave, etc. Sure, a crisis pregnancy center might give a few outfits and a used car seat to a mom-to-be, but they're sure as hell not going to be there when the kid is 5 and mom is working 2 minimum wage jobs and struggling to stay afloat.

No one who is pro-choice revels in the idea of abortion or wants more women to have abortions. I doubt anyone dances with joy at the thought of having an abortion. Personally I do believe that it's the ending of potential human life and that makes me sad in a way, but the woman's life and health is more important in the grand scheme of things. I wish that abortion was safe, legal, and RARE because comprehensive sex ed and availability of reliable contraception made unplanned or unwanted pregnancy a rarity. Women who are facing a fatal fetal diagnosis or a life-threatening situation during pregnancy often make very difficult decisions to end much-wanted pregnancies. No one is going out at 30 weeks and having an elective abortion because they just don't want to have a baby.

[Zoom]

And that article very neatly summed up for me why I'm pro-choice despite being pro-life for myself. The pro-lifers are pro-gestation, likely as a way of "punishing" women for daring to have sex. They're certainly not pro-family, since they're almost universally against pregnancy Medicaid, SCHIP, WIC, food stamps, Section 8, paid maternity leave, etc. Sure, a crisis pregnancy center might give a few outfits and a used car seat to a mom-to-be, but they're sure as hell not going to be there when the kid is 5 and mom is working 2 minimum wage jobs and struggling to stay afloat.

No one who is pro-choice revels in the idea of abortion or wants more women to have abortions. I doubt anyone dances with joy at the thought of having an abortion. Personally I do believe that it's the ending of potential human life and that makes me sad in a way, but the woman's life and health is more important in the grand scheme of things. I wish that abortion was safe, legal, and RARE because comprehensive sex ed and availability of reliable contraception made unplanned or unwanted pregnancy a rarity. Women who are facing a fatal fetal diagnosis or a life-threatening situation during pregnancy often make very difficult decisions to end much-wanted pregnancies. No one is going out at 30 weeks and having an elective abortion because they just don't want to have a baby.

This sums up my position very nicely.

[formergothardite]

I am pro-life, but I also believe in using birth control and the morning-after pill. I also believe that people should take care of each other and am a registered organ donor.

Abstinence is the only way to 100% prevent pregnancy and disease, but people should use condoms if they're going to have sex, not just to prevent pregnancy but to prevent the spread of disease.

What you really mean is that you are anti-choice.

[ElphabaGalinda]

What you really mean is that you are anti-choice.

Exactly. If you believe women should have the right to choose to have an abortion ( regardless of circumstances or reason) you are pro choice. It doesn't matter what you'd choose yourself or how you feel about abortion, believing women should have the choice makes you pro choice. If you don't believe women should have the right to choose to have an abortion, you are anti-choice. And the anti-choice position is the one forcing women to do something they don't want to do. The definitions really aren't that aren't that hard but people always confuse them.

I have never understood the anti-choice position, because what gives anyone the right to tell people what they can and can't do with their bodies? I guess I never thought I should be allowed to legislate my personal feelings on things, so i don't understand why anyone should think they're allowed. I am proudly pro choice, because I am pro everyone should mind their own business and let other people choose what's right for them. There are lots of choices I would never make personally or even don't agree with, but the right to make those choices is supremely important.