why is abortion such a hot topic

[Blue_Roses]

when birth control is not? It blows my mind that the fundies hate to think of abortion, but yet they refuse to acknowledge their teenager son or daughter could be sexually active.

I counseled women--and girls--facing unplanned pregnancies and you would be surprised at the number of "southern baptist" patients we had. In fact, I saw one that I had known for years in our southern baptist church. She couldn't believe that I was a counselor for women facing unplanned pregnancies, but needed my advice when she came in our clinic.

I hate this debate and usually avoid, mainly 'cause it's such a personal issue, but I think it's a valid question: why complain about abortion when there is no funding for birth control? Obviously most of us who are pro-choice know the answer to this, but I am interested in those who feel differently.

[murielm99]

1. People aren't supposed to have sex outside of marriage.

And if they, do, and the womam gets pregnant, it is her fault. She has to pay for it. She is a disgrace.

Funding birth control means acknowledging that people have sex, whether or not they are married. It means women have some control over their bodies and their lives.

We couldn't have that, now, could we?

You would think they would support birth control if they hate abortion so much.

[2Design]

2. they don't want to stop pregnacy...they want to have lots of little

christians around...

The only people really reproducting at quite a click are non white, and lots of non christian......they want to keep control....

that is the same for catholic church....

The white people will be extinct soon....oh well.....

[Cleita]

4. Ya know, if I see one more racist

post by white people about how those other human beings that aren't white enough taking over, I'm gonna start to think that maybe it isn't a bad idea. If white people want to make themselves extinct so be it. Trust me. No one else is setting out to do this. Get over yourselves white people. The rest of us don't care if you prosper or die out. We have our own problems.

[Cleita]

3. It isn't,, but it's a good way to divide people.

One of these days, I would like to see a law that states that no man has any right to pass any legislation about a woman's body and no woman has any right to pass any legislation about a man's body. This would end this stupidity forever.

[BlueLogic]

5. Birth control is the answer to the "abortion problem"

If you want to think of it as such. We need to get the kids more educated about safe sex rather than keep nailing abstinance. There is nothing wrong with abstainance, but it is obviously not stopping too many kids.

For me it always comes down to this. If a couple is not responsible enough to have safe sex, then they sure as hell are not ready to raise a child.

[REP]

6. Sounds Good, But

The abortion rate is about equal to the failure rate of contraceptives. In other words, most women are using birth control correctly, and the rate number of unintended pregnancies corresponds to the failure rate of properly-used contraceptives.

Being pro-lie is an easy way for losers to make themselves feel better about their pathetic little lives.

[LibraLabSoldier]

7. Clarification Please?

What do you mean? Birthcontrol methods properly used have a low failure rate, usually only about one or two percent. If you use two forms of contraception together, that one or two percent drops drastically. I dont understand this fascination of "punishing" women with having an unwanted child. What about the man in the situation? Why does he get to walk away?

[REP]

9. Simple

Take the number of sexually active women in the US and the rate of unintended pregnancy; factor number of abortions and it comes to about 2% - the same as the overall failure rate for contraceptives (remember, BC Pills have a 1-2% failure rate, but barrier methods such as the Sponge and condoms have a higher failure, about 20%; additionally, the fertitlity of younger women is higher than that of older women).

Don't understand what you mean about 'punishing' women. I support abortion rights, and see abortion as a responsible way to deal with a an unintended pregnancy.

[LibraLabSoldier]

15. OK.

I thought a wingnut had wandered in and was preaching...I have got to switch my mental gears from LNF!!

Did you know that military hospitals will perform elective abortions on female servicemembers up to 18 weeks no questions asked? Why isnt that good enough for the rest of the country?

[Warren DeMontague]

10. How about this... if a pro-lifer isn't responsible enough to be out there

working for funding and research into safer, more effective birth control, (which has not seen any major medical advances in 40 years)... working to ensure that everyone who wants birth control has access to it.. working to ensure that teens are informed about contraception and, again, have access.. working for universal health care, and a liveable minimum wage, two things that might make a single poor mother trying to raise a child alone something other than a cruel joke in this society... working to ensure societal support for healthy, stable gay relationships, which don't generally result in unplanned pregnancies... and working to ensure that people, teens in particular, know about other sexual alternatives, including not only abstinence, but masturbation, mutual masturbation, oral and even anal sex, none of which (done properly) should result in an unplanned pregnancy...


...yeah, if a pro-lifer isn't responsible enough to be out on the forefront of at least some of those issues (and I've almost never met any that are) then you know what? That pro-lifer is full of shit.

[Born Free]

8. They want to make abortions illegal

They will fight any postive programs to reduce abortions, they will refuse to pay any additonal taxes to help the children once they are born. The only thing these people are interested in is making abortions illegal, they belive that making it illegal will fix everything. After all, the war on drugs has been so successful in their eyes.

[DaveSZ]

11. religious fanaticism and sexual repression are the problem(s)

If you look at the most sexually open Western countries such as The Netherlands and Belgium, they have the lowest teen pregnancy and abortion rates.

The Southern US states as a collective whole have the highest teen pregnancy rates in all the country.

This is not a coincidence.

Humans will always be humans, but a sexually repressed upbringing can stifle important information young people need to know to avoid pregnancy.

I was raised in one of those households (I’m a recovering Catholic), and had to learn everything on my own from reading.

I’ll never do that to my kid if I ever have one.

I wouldn't favor abortion either for my own child, but it's not my right to tell another person what they can and can't do.

[onebigbadwulf]

12. Simple: it's genocide vs. oppression

Neither side will EVER give in! EVER!

[sweetheart]

13. Abortion is an attack on womens rights

Abortion is a hot topic because "some" men and women are vigourously
anti womens-rights. They feel that if women go about without
their burkha's and have economic equality with men, that the world
will fall apart. This is unthinkable to them, so they say it is
against "god" so they can absolve themselves of responsibility for
personally screwing over women.

It is hot, because women have tremendous power in their sexuality
and that this power cannot be contained by traditional masculine
dog-pissing and barking. These dog-men believe that they "are"
their DNA and that if they don't make lots of babies, then they
haven't lived. Women with the rights to not make those babies is
again unthinkable. Women without AIDS who put criminals in prison
for waging preventable war and mass murder is again unthinkable.

The men want lots of babies to perpetuate their egos, and want to
repress women to give themselves a feeling of power in otherwise
petty and small lives.

Since all human beings have a feminine side, the repression of women
is a global and pressing issue fought by proxy in the abortion
discussion. In effect, it is a civil war refighting the sufferegettes
cause re-founded... as teenage pregnancies are more likely to be
poor and less likely to vote... and everything the repukes do is
to reduce people's likelihood of voting so their small minority
can continue to repress the majority.

[Blayde Starrfyre]

14. -

The thing about the Christian stance on birth control is that they don't approve of anything that prevents a child being conceived or born. So techincally, shouldn't they also be against abstinance?