Abortion

[Mistified]

It's illegal in Ireland and if anyone wants to have an abortion they have to travel abroad.

Is it illegal in any countries where posters live?

I am neither pro or anti as it is not a black or white issues. I am pro-choice however. I have close friends who travelled aboard for abortions and I would never condemn or judge them for it.

[-Kevin-]

I think abortion is wrong but it highly depends on the circumstances. I think like Lily-G said that if someone knowingly has unprotected sex and doesn't think of the consequences then they should not be allowed to have an abortion.I think that a persons stupidity should not end up killing a potential human being.All because someone was too lazy to use a condom.

If someone was raped and couldn't handle raising a baby concieved after being raped then I can understand someone opting for abortion. Another thing with abortions , fair enough if someone doesn't want a baby but It riles me how some people go to ridiculous stages in pregnancy and then decie to have an abortion:

In the UK it is legal for termination to be carried out up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, but most hospitals and clinics will not consider termination beyond 18 to 20 weeks.

Do people not realise that at 20-24 weeks of pregnancy how actually formed the unborn baby is!!

At such late stages of pregnancy abortions are carried out by breaking the limbs (arms , legs , neck) and I think its absolutely disgusting. At this stage a child is highly developed and life has well and truly begun for that unborn baby and then someone will decide that its expendable and go to a clinic and have it murdered using all kinds of instruments.

Its just murder plain and simple.

I do think that early abortions are a lot less problematic for me , as a lot would say that its just a bunch of cells in early pregnancy and can be passed in the toilet.I just don't understand why people would wait just so a proper child can be murdered rather than a few cells be removed and destroyed.

Another thing is about what stage of pregnancy an unborn baby can begin to feel pain and let me just say that they can feel pain well at 20-24 weeks.

"The pain mechanism has been found to be functioning in the preborn child as early as 45 days after conception. Abortion does cause pain.[6] In the film, "The Silent Scream," an actual first-trimester abortion is seen via ultrasound. The baby can be seen repeatedly moving to dodge the abortionist's suction instrument, and her heart rate doubles. As she is dismembered, her mouth opens in a silent scream"

Abortions a very sensitive subject and at the end of the day its a womans own choice and I disagree on abortion in most circumstances but there are a small few which I agree on.

It's illegal in Ireland and if anyone wants to have an abortion they have to travel abroad.

Is it illegal in any countries where posters live?

I am neither pro or anti as it is not a black or white issues. I am pro-choice however. I have close friends who travelled aboard for abortions and I would never condemn or judge them for it.

Yeah it is illegal in Ireland and rightly so I think.

If it was legal here I'm sure there would be a high rate of abortions.

I to know people who have had abortions but on the other hand I know people who have gone through hell trying to conceieve a baby of their own but it just wasn't happening yet there are girls out there who are just dropping their knickers and having unprotected sex without any regard to the trouble they could be getting themselves in.

Life is a gift at the end of the day and its being abused sadly by people thinking they can be stupid and then just go and kill the unborn baby which is growing inside them with its little heart beating.

Like I already quoted :

"The pain mechanism has been found to be functioning in the preborn child as early as 45 days after conception. Abortion does cause pain.[6] In the film, "The Silent Scream," an actual first-trimester abortion is seen via ultrasound. The baby can be seen repeatedly moving to dodge the abortionist's suction instrument, and her heart rate doubles. As she is dismembered, her mouth opens in a silent scream"

^^ just to look at this is actually really sad to think that people actually do this.

I have a cousin who had an abortion when she was past the 20 weeks mark and she regrets it to this day , she still has nightmares about the procedure as they were pulling legs , arms and heads out of her .

Has anybody seen the programme on channel 4 called "Dispatches - Abortion" ?

It was really vile as it showed some abortion processes and I watched as a small baby , fuly formed was just flung into a bag and dumped in the bin. Is this what the human race has become where we just kill babies because its inconvenient ?

It really does give you something to think about.

[Cal]

I think that people should have the choice. It's a personal decision. Having a child is something you should be sure about and be ready for. If you're not ready for it, no one should be make you have the child.

If you're ready for sex, then you're ready for a child. That's the whole point of sex - to reproduce. And if you still insist on having sex and get pregnant, then the best thing you can do is adopt the child out and not punish it for a mistake that youmade.

Having sex and parenting a child all your life are definitely not the same thing. I don't think it's fair to say it's a woman's mistake. Last time I checked there has to be a guy involved somewhere. Isn't he responsible too? I think so.

Human life occurs at conception, I know that, but fertilized eggs (the ones used for IVF) are also "human lives" and those not implanted are thrown in the bin. Judging by the arguments by pro-lifers who support IVF, that would be murder too, yet it's somehow justified.

For me, abortion isn't murder if it is within the first trimester (when 90% of abortions happen) because the fetus' health is dependent on the mother's health. So it should not be considered a seperate entity when it cannot live outside of the womb. Therefore, I support abortion for up to 18 weeks after conception.

[Miranda]

I must actually say something here, even though I thought I wouldn't.

Do you really think that if abortion was made illegal, it would stop it happening? Abortions have gone on for centuries. Dangerous, life threatening ones. Knitting needles up the [use your imagination]; gin drunk in a boiling hot bath. And endless other horrible ways with horrible cutting instruments.

If you read any sort of history or documentary literature, you will be shocked at the lengths women went to when getting rid of unwanted babies. I am NOT condemning them: as Cal said, a man is involved somewhere every time. It was just that women were forced to 'hide their shame' somehow, anyhow.

If abortion has to happen, at least lets have it done legally, cleanly where the health of the woman is not put at risk from unhygienic, dirty instruments used by some back street quack who doesn't know what he/she is doing.

I do not mean to get at anyone personally, but really! Abortion happens whether it is legal in a country or not, it just does.

I was looking also into statistics [because I am that kind of geeky type]. It seems that most abortions take place to married women between the age of 30-39 years of age, suggesting that they are generally not chosen by young irresponsible girls who sleep around.

[Lise]

I think that people should have the choice. It's a personal decision. Having a child is something you should be sure about and be ready for. If you're not ready for it, no one should be make you have the child.

If you're ready for sex, then you're ready for a child. That's the whole point of sex - to reproduce. And if you still insist on having sex and get pregnant, then the best thing you can do is adopt the child out and not punish it for a mistake that youmade.

Having sex and parenting a child all your life are definitely not the same thing. I don't think it's fair to say it's a woman's mistake. Last time I checked there has to be a guy involved somewhere. Isn't he responsible too? I think so.

Human life occurs at conception, I know that, but fertilized eggs (the ones used for IVF) are also "human lives" and those not implanted are thrown in the bin. Judging by the arguments by pro-lifers who support IVF, that would be murder too, yet it's somehow justified.

For me, abortion isn't murder if it is within the first trimester (when 90% of abortions happen) because the fetus' health is dependent on the mother's health. So it should not be considered a seperate entity when it cannot live outside of the womb. Therefore, I support abortion for up to 18 weeks after conception.

Exactly, Cal. They aren't the same thing. Bringing up a child is a huge commitment and if you seriously think you aren't ready then I have no problem with abortion. I do, think after the child has developed then maybe other options should be explored.

[Formerly Known as FKAJ]

When it comes to rape cases I'm definitely pro-choice, but under other circumstances I'd probably be more comfortable adopting it out.

[adellejefferiesxox]

The pain mechanism has been found to be functioning in the preborn child as early as 45 days after conception. Abortion does cause pain.[6] In the film, "The Silent Scream," an actual first-trimester abortion is seen via ultrasound. The baby can be seen repeatedly moving to dodge the abortionist's suction instrument, and her heart rate doubles. As she is dismembered, her mouth opens in a silent scream"

God that sent shives down my spine the poor baby! I really don't know what I think of abortion. Like I said before if you're raped at a young age under

18 then I think its fair to have the baby aborted although some people who are raped keep the baby It's a personal choice, I wouldn't hate a person for terminating the baby if they couldn't handle having a baby and yeah... I like reading people's opinions on this

[Eli]

I must actually say something here, even though I thought I wouldn't.

Do you really think that if abortion was made illegal, it would stop it happening? Abortions have gone on for centuries. Dangerous, life threatening ones. Knitting needles up the [use your imagination]; gin drunk in a boiling hot bath. And endless other horrible ways with horrible cutting instruments.

If you read any sort of history or documentary literature, you will be shocked at the lengths women went to when getting rid of unwanted babies. I am NOT condemning them: as Cal said, a man is involved somewhere every time. It was just that women were forced to 'hide their shame' somehow, anyhow.

If abortion has to happen, at least lets have it done legally, cleanly where the health of the woman is not put at risk from unhygienic, dirty instruments used by some back street quack who doesn't know what he/she is doing.

I do not mean to get at anyone personally, but really! Abortion happens whether it is legal in a country or not, it just does.

I was looking also into statistics [because I am that kind of geeky type]. It seems that most abortions take place to married women between the age of 30-39 years of age, suggesting that they are generally not chosen by young irresponsible girls who sleep around.

So glad someone brought that up!

Like in so many questions related to ethics this is very much a question of the sanctity of life versus the quality of life, and like I do in most of these debates I value quality over sanctity. And the desperate things people do to end a pregnancy only goes to show that in some cases people really know they can't go through with this.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's okay for people to just get pregnant and get an abortion, but what you can describe as irresponsible and sometimes promiscuous (in lack of a better word) behaviour and attitudes when it comes to sex and pregnancy, is a result of values that lead to a society where this is normal. And that's not going to change by making it illegal. You don't need to do a great big cultural travel to some culturally and socially far away country. To use the prime example of a western country: in the US abortion is legal because of the Roe v. Wade case back in the '70s (I think) which is basically the landmark in the history of that issue because states no longer could make it illegal. However, there are still states trying to create laws to make a lot more difficult for Roe v. Wade to rule over all of it. Bottom line is that a lot of places in the US a huge majority of the people are against abortion, and every year there are many cases of women doing fairly extreme things to terminate a pregnancy because the state's abortion limitations makes it virtually impossible for them to get a legal abortion without for example their family or partner knowing.

So does making it less accessible and more complicated make women go through with a pregnancy they know causes them a huge problem? No. It does however unsure that women actually kill both themselves and their baby in the attempt to terminate a pregnancy themselves.

That's my main reason for being what you call pro-choice. A law is not going to change the attitude that creates a problem, and that's where we need to work instead of discussing this, we need to start by making people more aware of consequences. And I'm not saying people don't know where babies come from and that's the source of the problem here, I'm just saying we need to do something to make people realise the seriousness of getting pregnant and getting an abortion. We can't end abortions altogether, but we can limit the number of them every year.

And btw, I just have to add that I am against late pregnancy abortions. I draw the line somewhere, and I'm not saying it's okay for an abortion to happen say at the sixth month, because then you have had time to make a decision before that. I'm just saying that the option should be there, because in some cases going through with a pregnancy isn't right. Yes, sure you'll love your baby when it's born, but really, if you're 15, not even done with high school, know your family will disown you and your partner leave you and know you have no way to be able to take proper care of yourself or the baby if you go through with a pregnancy, is it really still worth going through with the pregnancy at any cost? And no, an adoption is not always an option either.

[charmed60]

That's my main reason for being what you call pro-choice. A law is not going to change the attitude that creates a problem, and that's where we need to work instead of discussing this, we need to start by making people more aware of consequences. And I'm not saying people don't know where babies come from and that's the source of the problem here, I'm just saying we need to do something to make people realise the seriousness of getting pregnant and getting an abortion. We can't end abortions altogether, but we can limit the number of them every year.

I definetely agree with this. It disturbs me a bit when I see adverts on the tele advertising for abortions as if it's a quick, simple solution and I don't think people are educated enough on the emotional affect it will have on them. I wonder if abortions are becoming too easily accessible and that people should be educated (for lack of a better word) on the effect it will have on them now and in the future to ensure that they genuinely do want the abortion and it's not a whim decision. If people after that still want to go ahead and are fully aware of the consequences then that's their choice and at least they wont be living with the regret in years to come.

[Jamey-Maria]

Pro-Choice.

I respect people who think it's wrong and I also respect people who think they're unable to be in a situation where they're responsible for another life, but I CAN NOT STAND people who lecture others and condemn them for making a choice that's right for them and their specific situation. I could probably put this across more politely but in all honesty, if even half of those anti-abortion you-are-horribe-people-for-killing-potential-human-life judgemental halfwits (I'm definitley not talking about everyone who's anti abortion here, that is aimed specifically at particular fire and brimestone people who see everything in black and white) spent their time campaigning for the rights of the large number of already neglected and abused children rather than condemning people who are preventing even more of those situations then I might start paying attention.

That said I don't think it's a decision that should be made lightly at all, or as a quick fix because people arn't careful enough to use protection.