1. I am not a fan of using abortion as a form of birth control. That being said, just because I wouldn’t choose to end an unexpected pregnancy as a result of my irresponsible decision, it doesn’t mean that other women shouldn’t have the right to decide, considering their individual circumstances, to shape their destiny as they see fit. There are a variety of reasons why someone would consider abortion as an option:

Economic
Social
Age
Health

Who am I to say that someone can afford to pay for a child? Who am I to say that a woman should have child that could potentially threaten the mother’s life? Who am I to say what it is like to be pregnant at a relatively young age? Who am I to say it is acceptable to bring a child into dysfunctional social situations?

I have no right to demand that a woman put aside her concerns to meet my individual morals -the ones I would use to convince the woman to choose an alternative method of dealing with the situation. Since we all experience life in unique ways, it’s simply not right for me to demand one person act as I would act in a hypothetical situation that I can only ponder about. Humans have a fascinating ability to represent ideal choices and situations as the realistic portrayal of life, as if we are robots living the same exact lives.,

Rape, incest, genetic defects, potential life threatening situation – these are, from my point of view, justifiable reasons to have an abortion. However, I know a lot of women who feel that the motivation behind a given abortion are inconsequential to the debate itself. Why? Because, contrary to popular opinion, women don’t choose abortion as if they are choosing a new outfit for the day. It is an emotional process that is extremely difficult, highly personal, and often arrived at as a last option.

Woman 1: “What are you doing this afternoon?”
Woman 2: “Oh, I am having an abortion! We can go out after I get done!”

Hyperbolic, somewhat satirical – yes, by design. Because that’s simply not how abortion comes about – or how women feel about such a difficult decision.

Do I support adoption? Absolutely. Not all people do. Not all people want to know that they have a child living somewhere else, never knowing their biological parents. The very idea bothers some people.

I am against partial birth abortions – or late stage abortions. If the child can live out of the womb, an abortion should not be a viable choice. That’s just my opinion. If the child cannot exist without the mother, I don’t see how that child meets the criteria of “personhood”; thus, having equal rights to a woman, who does have rights.

As to disagreements between father and mother … It’s easy for the man to say, “But I want this child.” The women is the one who carries the child to term. She is the one who goes through the medical care. Since she is the one providing for the fetus, she should have the final say. Now, in an ideal world, it would be nice if two people could come to some kind of agreement. No matter how you look at it, this is a tough choice.

What rights does the man have? At what point during a pregnancy does the man’s rights override the woman’s rights?

Yeah, I’m not buying into anything that can’t be substantiated. We know that Palin is in favor of abstinence school programs, not aggressive sex education courses. We know Palin is using her Down Syndrome baby for political gain. We know Palin leans to the extreme right as a result of her religious views. She would gladly force women who don’t share her values and opinions to wallow in previous forms of female-based oppression. For her, it is an acceptable – an enjoyable – role for women. Many, many women disagree with her. And since McCain decided to use her to sway Clinton supporters says a lot about how McCain views women.

Like I said, beyond the fact that she is inexperienced in foreign affairs, the VP choice is an insult to modern women who value their rights and choices.

Just my opinion. But I appreciate the conversation.

-Heather

Thanks for taking the time to debate… I love intellectual discussion. I think I should make it clear, that I am NOT a Palin bandwagoner… I just like where the race has gone now..

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You might be against abortion, but don’t you think every woman should be able to make a decision for herself? After all, she is the one who carry the baby, care for it, pay for it, and everything else.

See, what about the fathers rights? What if you and I were in a long relationship. We had always decided not to have kids or get married. Then you get pregnant, and I am excited and you are not… What if I tell you, I will raise the child on my own. I will take full responsibility for it. I will even pay you for your time in carrying it… I mean thats what a surrogate does right?

Where are my rights when you decide not to? I mean we are both in this relationship… what if I can even prove that you were negligent in taking your birth control? Still no rights! What if the doctor told me I had such a low sperm count, that I had a 1 in a billion chance of conception and this was my only one? Still no rights?

I don’t believe a person should be forced to carry a child from a rape, or incest like Palin does, but I certainly think a man should have some rights….

Randi,
Check your facts about the biological child thing… That was the media screaming about how her latest child is actually her 17 year old daughters. Which of course has been disproved as her 17 year old daughter is now 7 months pregnant, and the child is only 5 months old….

My whole point is that there is enough sensationalism out there as it is… at least we as responsible people should check up on our fact.

Jason