by Ellie 36 Replies latest jw friends
I don't know if any of you Brits saw the 'This Morning' show today but they had a woman on it whos mother had tried to abort her at 7 and a half months pregnant, apparentely they gave her mum some stuff to drink which burns the baby inside and out, but fortunately this baby survived and now as a woman she is campaigning for anti abortion laws to be brought in.
So, what are your views on abortion?
I believe abortion is up to the women having the baby. She knows her body best and can decide on her own what needs to be done.
My wife and I discuss this all the time. There are so many variables that each situation needs to be looked at. There is no right or wrong.
For example: What if a 13 yr old girl is raped and becomes pregnant. Should she have to carry a rapist baby to term and then have her life greatly hindered by having to raise a child? Not to mention the physical danger of a 13 yr old having a baby.
Just my $.02
I'm not anti abortion either, but I think there needs to be stricter guidelines, aborting a baby at 7 and a half months is disgusting, I don't know how anyone can do that, why not just wait the extra month and a half an have the baby adopted?
Ellie, I'm in the states and never heard of this person before...I'm not saying what she says isn't true and she doesn't have proof but I don't see any given. The Roe v. Wade law passed in 1973 grants abortions during the first 12 weeks and put some limits on where late term abortions couldn't be preformed e.g. when the mother's health is in danger or when the fetus can't survive birth.
The vast majority of zygotes formed never attach to the uterine wall. The next largest portion detach and miscarry within days of impregnation and the mother never even knows she was pregnant. There are many more miscarriages every year than there are abortions.
That said, I don't know whether I believe a human should be allowed to make the conscious choice to end the life of a growing human except in the most extreme (and very rare) circumstances (pregnancy by rape, etc). I believe the pill being held up by Bush FDA appointees and Catholic religious dogma should be approved for use because it effectively prevents the initial attachment to the uterine wall. Once attachment is made, it can have no effect whatsoever on whether the baby comes to term.
A zygote is technically life. Any botanist can tell you that. However, the vast majority of zygotes that are formed quite naturally do not survive to become humans. Those who believe in intelligent design would do well to educate themselves about this "dark side" of the procreative process. It may reveal why some Christians have no qualms of conscience using and even recommending birth control.
If humans should truly interest themselves in making sure as much human life as possible reaches maturation, the logical conclusion would be that all women should be kept filled with active sperm as often as possible. Does that make any sense? Of course not. But think how many chaste spinsters have wasted the potential life within themselves through celibacy.
Should there be a line to avoid crossing? Yes. But I don't think I am qualified to draw that line.
AuldSoul
I have changed my mind about the abortion issue.
I now no longer feel it is the right choice except in extreme unusual circumstances.
After all even Jehovah aborts babies in the first tri-mester in the case of miscarriage.
Just like any other sin that seems like a good idea at the time, the real impact of the misdeed can return and bite like a poisonous snake and plague a conscience for the rest of life.
So many couples desire a baby! More people want babies than there are babies available.
I think a woman who is terrified of having her baby needs counseling and consoling and help.
Even very young women can give birth as evidenced in other countries where young women are married off at a young age. They have complications, but they respond to medical help. But those may be the cases where abortion might be helpful.
Giving birth involves a woman's spirituality and asks her to risk her life for another and to value the life of her unborn child. It requires alot of women.
Its understandable that today many women are not up to the challenge.
Counseling and support would prevent many abortions.
But some women never receive it from partners or family.
My present husband was adopted. His birth mother was just starting college in 1967. Yes, he was a love child of the flower generation. What a loving man he is! And smart!!!! So many natural abilities!
He has brought so much with him into this world! His birth mother would be so proud of him!!!
He wishes her well. Even his adopted mom speaks well of the girl who gave up her son. She did the right thing and could go on with her life, get her degrees and marry when it was right for her and have more children and have inner peace.
I believe abortion is up to the women having the baby
In the case of a rape - yes. I agree 100%. I would still think that in a loving relationship, they would be able to come to a mutual decision though.
In a relationship - no. It takes two to make the baby, it should be a joint decision. While the woman may have the casting vote if a compromise can't be reached, it is a decision that should normally be reached together - including whether or not terminate a severely handicapped foetus.
In today's society, making free access to birth control etc, there is generally no reason why a pregnancy should result from sex. ( I know 'accidents' can happen ) I entirely disagree with abortion being used as last minute contraception.
It makes me sick the lack of respect shown to human life, and the lack of respect shown by law and society for a mans feelings in these situations too.
Bull!
Essentially I am against abortion, but I don't feel it's my place to make that choice for other people. I can't imagine myself having one, but if I had become pregnant by rape or incest, I kind of think I would have done it. I certainly would have wanted the right to choose.
I know if it had happened to my daughter I would have wanted that option. I see articles in the paper from time to time of very young girls in their early teens or even younger who are pregnant, and I just think it's wrong to make them go through pregnance and become mothers at such a young age.
I am absolutely against it for birth control or for when you are married and have children, and just decide you don't want more. To me, that is wrong.
I am still wating for someone to show me a scripture that specifically outlaws abortion.
It was known of and practised in antiquity, but the specific word for it does not occur in the Bible. Hell, as far as the Bible goes the unborn don't even have souls in the original sense of the word.
This is curious, as the Mosaic law is NOSEBLEEDINGLY specific on a wide range of issues, and if aborting babies was as bad as screwing animals, you'd of thought they'd have mentioned it at some point as they covered the screwing animals bit quite specifically, not to mention working conditions for animals and proscribed combinations of garment materials and methods of food prepartion.
One would think that if aborton ranked up there with animal screwing and boiling kid goats in their mother's milk (which are proscribed), it would get a specific mention, but no. The main scripture from the Pentatuch applied to the subject is actually of no use as it is semantically confused and in any case doesn't use the specificword for abortion.
My assumption is that Israelites practised abortion as did many ancient peoples, and that it was not a proscribed activity.
Of course, personally I don't give a monkies what the Bible says on the subject, but as a naturalistic argument for outlawing all abortion is absurd for the reasons already given, I thought I would mention that, contrary to what some people might say, the Bible is silent on the issue.
I've decided that I'm pro-minding my own business.
