QuestionHi. I know you probably get asked this a lot, but I don't really understand why there is a need for abortion in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to go back to a time when abortion was illegal and women died from bothched abortions. But I don't really feel there is any excuse for a woman to get pregnant if she doesn't want to. If a woman feels she is mature enough to have sex, she should should know how to protect herself from pregnancy. There are a myriad of different birth control methods, and there are places a woman can go to get low cost birth control if money is an issue. I hear abortion rights advocates say that there is no foolproof method of birth control, but lets face it. When used consistently and correctly it is nearly one hundred percent effective. And even if a woman were to get caught up in the heat of the moment, there is emergency contraception as a backup.
I just feel that a lot of women take risks they wouldn't otherwise take, because they know abortion is available to them. It is common knowledge that if a woman has unprotected sex she will become pregnant. So you know the consequences beforehand. If you don't want to take the risk, don't have sex. And also, if an accident should occur(which I don't see how it can) what is wrong with adoption? What about personal accountability? I hear lots of excuses from women as to why they didn't use birth control or it failed(I am a public health nurse) and quite frankly, I think most of them are lame. Things like "I couldn't afford the pill". Well, perhaps if you do not have the tools/resources to protect yourself from pregnancy you should consider obstaining or engaging in sexual activities that do not lead to pregnancy. I am not one of those anti sex christians, nor am I one who thinks all women should have babies. There is nothing wrong with a woman deciding she doesn't want to be a mother. I just believe people should be vigilant about taking precautions. A fetus is not a blob of tissue or a "thing". It is a human life. It has a heartbeat. To just end it because you were to irresponsible to use protection or just didn't want to be bothered, doesn't seem right. If she was raped or her health is in danger it is one thing, but just because you don't want a kid? Maybe you should have thought about that before you laid down. And that goes for men too of course. Just my thoughts. I guess I just have a hard time sympathizing with these girls/women. I am little more sympathetic to young girls. Maybe they don't know better. But a grown woman should know better. Thanks.
Vivian
AnswerHi Vivian :)
Well, for many women and girls, there aren't places that provide low cost birth control. Many pharmacists have the right to refuse to give a woman her birth control, and that may be the only pharmacy within many miles. Many counties have no abortion provider, which do offer low cost condoms/hormonal birth control. Also, many can't take hormonal birth control for health reasons, or they don't like the negative side effects. There are non hormonal methods available, but they are not 100%. Sometimes hormonal bc wacks out, and a woman is the unlucky 1%. Taking a pill at the same time every night isn't easy for all women. And emergency contraception can also be refused by a pharmacist, even a doctor, and girls under 18 can't get it OTC. And if there are microscopic holes in a condom, she or her partner won't know.
But many don't have easy access to abortion. 87% of counties in the U.S. and 90% in the south have absolutely no provider. In some states, there's only one provider, open every other week. There'a good chance pregnancy will happen with unprotected sex, but it isn't certain. A woman can only get pregnant 6 days out of her cycle.
Many things are very wrong with adoption. You have a pregnancy in you for over 9 months. You don't want it there, but it's a constant reminder. Then the woman or girl has to endure contractions, labor, and birthing a child, a very, very intense experience, and then cut off all attachment to the baby. Some are coerced into giving the child up, others end up keeping it but don't have the necessary resources. And only white babies are adopted. Of those left in our current system, they are mostly black, disabled, and over age 6.
Sex isn't a privilege for those with the resources. It's a human right and a natural function. I don't go through every single woman's experience, so it's really not my place to judge. It's also up to an individual to decide when "human life" begins. After all, a fetus doesn't even breathe until after it's born. That's a very personal opinion to make and have.
Women are the ones who have to terminate or carry to term, men don't. It's already an extremely unequal situation. The guy can just ditch you. It's the woman's future and decision to make. For me personally, I don't care whether she was using birth control or not. They ARE NOT 100% effective, period. And it's really not my business as to whether or not birth control was used. Her abortion doesn't effect me. It's not my life, not my uterus, not my decision.
Many women who do abort don't necessarily not want the baby. Many abort due to financial reasons or a partner left them. And some who are in school don't want to give up their education for an unwanted child, or they prefer to put themselves first, then have children later if they want to. I also don't believe unwanted children should be born. We already have nearly 7 billion on this planet, with resources becoming tighter and tighter. Unwanted children are at risk for being unloved, uncared for, and abused. That situation does not work out for anyone.
P.S. You know what does annoy me personally though? When I hear that a guy doesn't want to use condoms. I mean, he's willing to put his partner at risk for an unwanted pregnancy for his pleasure. I don't know, that bothers me so much. Random, anyway, thanks for asking your question, I hope I didn't come off mean, I'm just trying to share my opinion with you, and I appreciate you asking!
