Pro-lifers! Do you believe that abortion should be illegal?

Kate CP - posted on 03/08/2010

Jackie, you're right abortion and birth control should not be considered the same thing. However, IF it were made illegal the extremists could, and probably would, argue that the morning after pill (Plan B) and IUDs are FORMS of abortion (even though they're NOT) and should be made illegal, too. Once you eliminate ONE form of birth control you pave the way for others to be eliminated, too. But abortion IS a form of birth control. It SHOULDN'T be used regularly or as a first course of action to prevent a pregnancy or birth. But it CONTROLS birth: it *is* "birth control".

Kelly - posted on 03/08/2010

Sorry Gillian, yes, I meant Sense. I've had problems with that word since I was a kid (not sure why I still miss it so often being that it bugs the crap out of me when people mix up Their, There, and They're, but I do). Anyway, I don't have time to carefully spell check my posts here (or even proof read them for content, which is why so many of them end with "does that make sense?") because I only get to hop on for a minute or two at a time, I do apologize that the context wasn't clear enough to understand the meaning.

Back to the topic, I am not trying to change anyone's mind; I know I won't, and I am fairly sure abortion will never be illegal, but I do hope it becomes better regulated and more expensive (In my state, you can get one for $800, which I think is ridiculous considering the cost of many more important and less involved procedures).

Less than 1% of abortions performed each year are performed for rape victims, and less than 3% are performed on women who would be in danger of death if they carried the baby to term, which means the vast majority of women receiving them are using abortion as birth control.

Shavaune - posted on 03/08/2010

I have to say that I'm pro-life BUT I don't think abortions should be illegal. Ya, I know I'll probably be flamed for saying that, but that's my honest opinion! I don't think woman should be forced to carry a child and give birth. In a perfect world all woman would be able to mentally, physically and emotionally deal with being pregnant and having a baby but the reality is that we don't live in a perfect world. If a girl really doesn't want to be pregnant then she will find a way to end it with or without help. So making abortions illegal would do more harm than good in my opinion.

BUT I find it difficult to stomach when it's used as a "birth control" method. I wish that girls were a little more educated BEFORE they got pregnant about what an abortion would be like. I also believe it should be done in the 1st trimester early on and not in the late trimesters. A later term abortion should only be done in extreme cases where the life of the mother is in danger or the fetus has an extreme defect of some kind. And like Corena said I wish there was some sort of process where they are making a more informed choice about what they are actually doing. I don't think it's something that should be done lightly. But like i said, in a perfect world...

Corena - posted on 03/08/2010

In an ideal world it would be illegal, in my opinion. I don't think that will ever happen.



I DO think that it should be a legal requirement for women to have and see and ultrasound BEFORE they make the decision.



If we are going to make "choice" the be all and end all, then make sure it is an informed choice.

Shannon - posted on 03/08/2010

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!

Jackie - posted on 03/08/2010

When I am saying I think it should be illegal the thought of the slippery slope to banning any and all BC doesn't even enter into my mind. Using birth control is being proactive and doing something to PREVENT the pregnancy. In my mind, once you put yourself in a situation of being pregnant its your responsibility to follow through with it. So I don't even see how its realted to banning birth control. And in the same respect, there is NO birth control that is 100% effective aside from not having sex, so if you chose to have sex, you are choosing to accept the potential responsibility that comes with it. If you don't want that child, ok - give them up for adoption. But you should still have to see it through and give them a chance, b/c you knew it was a possibility to get pregnant.

Melissa - posted on 03/08/2010

Yes, I do. There have already been some great points made which I more than agree with and could not have put it into words myself.

Chatty - posted on 03/08/2010

I never even intended it to be another debate about abortion! I only wanted to know ( from pro-lifers ) if they thought abortion should be illegal? That's it! Not even necessarily a debate; just a question! :)

Kate CP - posted on 03/08/2010

Okay, let's keep this thread to the abortion debate and NOT start the whole "anti-vaccine" debate PLEASE?!?!

Susanne - posted on 03/08/2010

ewww i never knew they used it in vaccines, which ones?

Amy - posted on 03/08/2010

well, they use aborted fetal matter in vaccines....so wonder what they'd do if it were illegal.[one of the reasons we don't vax]. hm...... I don't like abortion. but then again if i had a ten year old daughter that got raped and ended up pregnant and carrying a baby could kill her or something...i used to think it was black and white, but it's just shades of gray now to me. I don't think any kind of right like that should be taken away. it's ultimately that person's body to do with what they will. it's like mandating us to take birth control until 25 or something. it should be our choice - good or bad. they take that away, what else will we let them take away? it's just like when they tried to ban alcohol...so many people just did it anyway illegally, what's the point? it just made the situation worse. as much as i don't like it, i don't want it illegal.

Susanne - posted on 03/08/2010

Im 16 weeks at the moment and i havent had my anomoly scan or even my blood tests to see the risk factor for downs so 16 weeks is probably a bit early. But 28 weeks is way too late it should be brought down significantly. Theres babies that are 24 weeks that have survived premature births so its a bit sick. I honestly couldnt imagine how anyone could abort a perfectly baby thats kicking about inside them.

Lady - posted on 03/08/2010

Although I belive in a woman's right to chose I do completley agree Jennifer that 28 weeks is far too late to terminate exceplt in extreme medical cases - i personally would lower the gestation age to nearer 16 weeks - by that time a woman should know she is pregnant and have been able to make the decission by then.

Jennifer - posted on 03/08/2010

I don't agree with abortion except in the circumstance of the woman being raped. I myself would never have an abortion - every child is a blessing whether they were planned, birth control failed or even if they are going to be born with a genetic condition such as Down's Syndrome. I believe once the foetus' heart starts beating it is a baby. In the UK you can have an abortion up to 28 weeks. Whilst I don't think it should be illegal, the time span in which you can have one should be reduced. By 28 weeks the baby is moving and can feel pain. Each to their own people have their reasons for having an abortion and whilst I don't agree with it, making it illegal won't solve anything - drugs are illegal but do people still take them? Tighter laws are needed but outlawing them completely will lead to a road of disaster, with backstreet abortions resuming resulting in man y deaths!

Lady - posted on 03/08/2010

No Kelly if your mother had chosen to abort you YOU would never have been born . Just as the millions and millions of people who are never born each second of the day - every egg, every sperm, every embryo that doesn't take and natrually aborts is a potential person that will never be born. Because you are now a thinking feeling person with life experience and memories and everything else that is a very horrible thought but a fetus is not a person with all those things - it just potentially has them just like a sperm or an egg.

Please don't take this next bit a critisism because it's really not meant to be, I'm no great speller at all - it takes me twice as long as it should to write each post because I go back and check and even then make tonnes of mistakes lol!!! - it's just that on a lot of your posts you ask if it makes 'since' and I'm assuming you mean 'sense' - ie 'does that make sense?' I'm just trying to clarify what you are asking - hope you don't take offence because there is none intended and like I said I can't spell for toffee.

Heather - posted on 03/07/2010

Abortion WAS illegal...remember? That didnt work and woman had back alley abortions in deplorable conditions, or they did it them selves. Abortion, whether you agree with it or not, has to stay legal so that woman have a place to go where the conditions are clean and actual medical professionals are doing the procedures. Many people have fought long and hard to keep abortion legal...some have lost there lives to protect this right...why should we go backwards?

Brittanie - posted on 03/07/2010

In an ideal world I believe it would be. That is because I believe that life starts at conception, but those are my beliefs and I know not everyone feels the same way.

Kate CP - posted on 03/07/2010

Kelly, there is no point in arguing over this because neither of us will change the others' mind. The law in the US states (depending on the state) that a fetus is not a person until the fetus would be viable OUTSIDE of the mother's body. THEN it is considered a separate person from the mother and not a part of her body. THAT is the difference between a fetus/embryo/zygote and a BIRTHED infant.

Rosie - posted on 03/07/2010

i am pro-life for myself, but pro-choice for everybody else. i didn't understand how anybody could ever have an abortion. that was until my best friend had an abortion. she's happily married and her husband and her had chosen not to have any children. they were happy with the pill and also used condoms to be "extra sure" that she wouldn't get pregnant. she's very responsible, and didn't go out sleeping with whoever, and tried to prevent it from happening, but it did. she had an abortion. her husband had tried to have a vasectomy but was refused one because he wasn't 25 yet. are they the irresponsible monsters that i had envisioned people who had abortions to be? no.

abortion should remain legal for people like her, and if that means others that abuse it slip through, that's fine with me. i can't see taking away someones right to do what they feel they need to with their own body. i even believe that life begins at conception, but in the debates that i have with myself over this, the right to choose wins everytime.

Kelly - posted on 03/07/2010

I honestly don't believe abortion will ever actually be made illegal, but I do hope for more regulations on it, and perhaps a higher price tag.

I understand how the "when does a fetus become a life" issue is so important to whether abortion should be legal or not, but I just do not understand how one can say a fetus and a baby are not the same thing. All of us were fetuses before we were babies, and we were babies before we were adults. As adults and babies we have certain rights, so why should they not have been extended to us as fetuses? I guess, what I'm saying is, if my mother had chosen to abort me (and she very nearly did) would I have still been born? My sister was planned, so if I was aborted as a fetus, would *I* be *me* in my sister's body? She likes sports and never plans to have kids. I love art, and am a devoted mother. I see myself as more than just my body; my body is mine and I can do with it what I want, but there is something more than a unique body that makes me who I am, that sets me apart from others. I consider that entity which is contained within my body to be *me* and I don't know if I would exist if I had been aborted as a fetus. Does that make since?
That is why I think it should be illegal--because if it is illegal to kill a baby, it should be illegal to kill a fetus which is just a less developed baby.

Kate CP - posted on 03/07/2010

I'm not saying that abortion should be or CAN be used as a form of every day contraception. I'm saying that making it illegal could (in all probability WOULD) lead to the elimination of every day contraception such as IUDs and the pill.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 03/07/2010

I don't agree with abortion as a form of birth control. I think if needed it should be used in an emergency/extreme cases so I guess that's why I don't see things going downhill like that.

Kate CP - posted on 03/07/2010

Yes, it would lead to removing my choices for birth control. How many pro-lifers believe that IUDs are a form of abortion or that the morning after pill is a form of abortion? So you take away THOSE choices and how soon is the pill on the chopping block? It's a steep, slippery slope that shouldn't be messed with.

Susanne - posted on 03/07/2010

Im four months pregnant at the moment and this fetus im carrying is technically a fetus to the medical profession, to me it is my baby, now, in a month and in 5 months when its born. Life is precious but making it illegal wont benefit anyone, when it was illegal we had backstreet abortionists who were killing women.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 03/07/2010

I think that's just the way a pro-life person sees this topic. I don't think that if the laws are changed that it will lead to such extremes as not being able to pick your husband. I also don't think that abortion will be made illegal. Laws are in place for reasons, such as to protect people, and to most pro-life people making abortion illegal would protect that baby (who in our minds is a person).

Kate CP - posted on 03/07/2010

Because by taking away my right to choose to keep a pregnancy or not you pave the way to take away my right to choose my birth control, to choose my husband. And yes, that's the way it used to be years and years and years ago. You take away one choice and you're on the slippery slope to losing all choices.

Jackie - posted on 03/07/2010

I'm not going to go to far into this one b/c I always get attacked on this topic, but yes I do think it should be illegal. In some ways this is an irrelevant topic to pro-lifers. I know alot of arguments are "my body, my choice". But when you are pro-life you wouldn't have an abortion, so to me....if I wouldn't do it anyways, whats the big deal with not having the choice. It's not taking anything away from me by taking away the choice...it's just protecting an innocent life.

On the other responses, Kudos to someone finally pointing out the newborn adoptions are in high demand.

Keisha, the only reason I disagree with you is b/c you are saying shouldn't be allowed to have kids later, but abortion is ok if they were raped. If they were raped they didn't chose to have irresponsible sex...so seems like you are contradicting yourself. B/c it would be pretty bad to tell someone well u were raped and had an abortion so now you can never have your own child. But this said with I don't personally feel that should even be an exception given the high demand for adoptable newborns.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 03/07/2010

I agree with Kelly and Sara. Yes, but it probably wouldn't work. I understand that there are horrible situations where abortion is done. I, personally, don't like the idea of someone just walking into a clinic and having an abortion because they didn't want to get pregnant. I agree that if you choose to have sex then you should be aware of the possible outcomes. I have caught a couple episodes of '16 & pregnant' and when asked ALL of them (of the shows I watched) said they did not use any protection. These girls did keep their babies, but I know there are a number of girls who don't. It just bugs me that there are people who don't want to get pregnant, but then take no precautions to prevent pregnancy (and I'm not saying this is the case with every accidental pregnancy).

Teresa - posted on 03/07/2010

Yes, I do.

Good Day! - posted on 03/07/2010

And so goes on the debate about the definition of "life." No one will win.

Let's stick to the original question. If you believe abortion should be illegal because you are taking life then say so. But we don't need both sides arguing over whether it actually is a life. That wasn't the question.

Kate CP - posted on 03/07/2010

Kelly, once the child is born then it's an "already born human". It has taken it's first breath and it can survive outside of the womb.

A fetus is not a person yet. It hasn't developed enough to survive outside of a womb. It's little lungs can't hold air. It's eyes haven't formed retinas or corneas. It's liver can't filter toxins properly. It's not technically alive. So, no not the same thing as a living infant, child, or adult at all.

Chatty - posted on 03/07/2010

Hi ladies! I totally appreciate all of ur opinions but I think we've gotten off topic a bit! I wasn't asking you to argue for or against abortion; I was just curious to know, specifically from pro-lifers, if they felt abortion should be illegal? That's it!

Lady - posted on 03/07/2010

I understand what you are saying Kelly but just because you have sex does not mean that your are choosing to have a baby. Taking birth control, using condoms, taking the morning after pill if things go wrong are all ways of women choosing NOT to have a baby. And an abortion after none of these things have worked is the same choice. The fetus could not survive without being part of the womens body which is why it's her choice to make and no one has the right to take that choice away from her.



And Keisha many women who have had an abortion are wonderful mothers putting their children first at all times.

Kelly - posted on 03/06/2010

"And if that didn't work or I didn't take it, it would again be my CHOICE to terminate the pregnancy."
I agree with you up to this point. What if the abortion didn't take (yes, I know that is rare now, but in some countries where they are still using old technology they do not actually suck the baby out, they let the woman pass it naturally and sometimes the baby lives), if that didn't work, would you still have the right to terminate the baby's life after it was born? Should women in these countries have the right to terminate the baby's life if it is born alive after they attempted abortion?

"By the way, the argument about using your body to kill some one is ludicrous. We're talking about the choices a woman has for her own body and person not whether or not some one has the choice to take the life of an already born human."
Wouldn't the fetus in the woman's body be the same as an "already born human" if allowed to live? I guess I'm saying I don't understand why a fetus, a baby, and an adult would have different rights to live. i.e. I, myself, have been a fetus, a baby and an adult, so I am really glad I was afforded the right to live before I was born because I never would have become a baby or an adult if I hadn't been a fetus first. Once a baby, I still couldn't survive on my own, so I had a right to be taken care of by someone else, so the fetus should have the same right since it is just too young to be called a baby, just like a baby is too young to be called an adult--It's all the same being, just in different stages of development. Does that make since?

The way I see it, the WOMAN has the right to choose whether to make the baby or not, but once she's made that choice, the BABY has the right to live, and since she is the one who make the choice to make it, she should at least be responsible for it until it is born.

Kate CP - posted on 03/06/2010

Yes, it is my CHOICE to have sex. It would also be my CHOICE to use contraceptives or not. If my actions resulted in a possible pregnancy it would be my CHOICE again to use the morning after pill. And if that didn't work or I didn't take it, it would again be my CHOICE to terminate the pregnancy. All choices and all MINE. NOT YOURS.

I think abortion is wrong, too. I think it's really gross and hideous. But it's not my place nor is it any one else's to tell a person what they can and can't do with their body . Period. By the way, the argument about using your body to kill some one is ludicrous. We're talking about the choices a woman has for her own body and person not whether or not some one has the choice to take the life of an already born human.

Chatty - posted on 03/06/2010

Thanks Kelly! I know this is a touchy subject but I do appreciate you not only letting me know that you think it should be illegal but more importantly why! I'm just tryin to understand why everyone feels the way they do?!! I find a lot of people don't explain themselves properly so I do appreciate you! Knowledge is power!

Kelly - posted on 03/06/2010

I think abortion should be illegal or at least heavily regulated by laws. I know I will not change anyone's mind here, but it sounds like the OP is interested in why pro-life people who feel abortion should be illegal feel that way, so here are my responses to the usual pro-choice arguments I hear.

1) "The government has no right to tell me what I can/cannot do with my body"
R: Technically, the government has been telling us what we can and cannot do with our bodies since the beginning of governed civilizations. I could use my body to strangle someone, but that is unlawful because it harms another life.

2) "Making abortion illegal would take away my choice"
R: I don't really understand what is meant by the word "choice" in this argument without more explanation, so I will assume you mean the choice to use your body to create a baby or not to. If that is the case, making abortion illegal will not strip you of that choice. Any woman having sex should know that babies are created when sperm enters a woman's body and fertilizes the egg. If she does not want to use her body to create the baby, she should not allow the sperm to enter her body (i.e. don't consent to sex). She should also know that NO birth control is 100% effective, so given the knowledge about how babies are made, she should understand that every time she consents to sex, there is a 1+% chance she could create a baby. If she understands that, and still consents to sex, she is thereby "choosing" to use her body to create a baby.

3) "What about cases of rape and incest?"
R: There would be exceptions to the law in those cases. Some continue to argue that there should be no exceptions to the law because that would open the door to exceptions for everyone, but that is simply unfounded. There are exceptions to nearly every law on the books--Murder, man slaughter, and assault are all legal in cases of self defense, and nearly every tax law in existence has some sort of exception to it.

4) "If there is an exception for rape, that would lead to a lot of girls filing false rape claims and innocent boys/men going to prison for rape."
R: DNA can be taken from the fetus and matched to the alleged rapist if the girl knows the person who raped her. The rape kit will also tell the doctor weather the sex was forced or consentual, so if there are no signs of forced sex, there will be no charges. (that is already law) If she does not know who raped her, no charges will be filled (no different than now). Now, there would probably still be lots of women who lie about being raped by someone they do not know to get the abortion, but they would have gotten it whether they had to lie about it or not, so it doesn't make a difference.

5) "It is not a 'baby/person' until it is viable outside the womb; it's a fetus, and we call it that for a reason."
R: Black people were not called 'people' for several hundred years, but it doesn't make them any less people. I could call you a peanut, but you would still be a person. Main point: It is alive, and if allowed to grow, it could grow into a fully articulate adult.
When we have an abortion, we are essentially taking the baby out of the womb and putting it in a trash/bio-hazard bag. How is that different from taking the baby out of the womb and putting it in a trash/bio-hazard bag at birth? In either case, the baby dies because it did not get what it needed to survive.

6) "We don't know when the fetus becomes a baby."
R: No, we don't which means if it becomes a baby at conception, we are murdering babies. Why take the chance at being wrong?

7) "Unwanted babies would over crowd the orphanages."
R: Not True. There is a HUGE shortage of newborns on the adoption market. If you want a newborn, you have to wait YEARS for one to be available. The adoption market is over flowing with older kids, but these are not unwanted newborns who were never adopted, they were removed from abusive homes, lost their families, or were given up for adoption at older ages. If a woman is going in for an abortion, she already knows she does not want the baby and can place it for adoption at the time she would have had the abortion. She would carry it to term (as is her responsibility since she chose to create it) then give it immediately to the adoptive parents--I assure you, there is no shortage of couples hoping to adopt a newborn.

8) Making abortion illegal would lead to more "back ally" abortions, which are dangerous for the mother."
R: I do think that making abortion illegal would lead to more "back street" abortions, but if a mother put her child in the trash at 8 months gestation, we would all consider her a murderer and want her to die or at least go to prison, so why should that be any different for a mother who puts her child in the trash at 4 months gestation? It's the same child. I guess that would probably go along with arguments 5 & 6, sorry if it is out of place.

That's all I can think of at the moment, but if there are more arguments for the pro-choice side, I would be interested in reading them.

Chatty - posted on 03/06/2010

Thanks ladies! Just so you know I don't take offense to anyone's opinions as long as you don't directly attack me as a person! I respect ur opinion and although I don't agree with everything, I do ' get ' where ur coming from! Abortion isn't for me either but....



Sara: I totally agree with you when you say: " I think abortion is wrong. I don't see a workable solution to making it illegal so maybe the middle ground is to have more regulations? "

Good Day! - posted on 03/06/2010

Kind of a crazy question to ask a pro-lifer ;)

Yes, in an ideal world I think it should be illegal with the exception of medical reasons.

BUT, I do not think that making abortions illegal would work. There would be a huge backlash against it. And people that may not have opted for abortion before it was legal, might just go underground to have one now just because it was a right that was taken away. Look at prohibition in the 1930's. All that did was increase consumption of alcohol and they had to repeal the amendment. I think the same would happen if abortion was made illegal today.

I think abortion is wrong. But I don't see a workable solution to making it illegal. Maybe the middle ground of more regulations would be the right thing to fight for?

And I don't think I'm taking away anyone's choice. When you chose to engage in sexual activity you must realize the risks. Pregnancy is one of them. Not ready for that responsibility? Maybe be more responsible in knowing when you ovulate (pretty fool proof, read "Taking Charge of Your Fertility") and being diligent with birth control and taking preventative measures.

Okay so you say, "It's my body and my right." What about the baby's right to have a chance at life?

And I think I need to stop. I probably already said more than was called for by the OP. This is just such a tough topic.

Alison - posted on 03/06/2010

This is always an issue that leads to bashing when someone goes against the grain and expresses an opinion. I'm sure aspect of my post will offend too.



I am pro life, but I'm not sure the issue should be about the law. Personally I see it as more of a doctor-patient relationship rather than a social right. I don't like pro-choice groups who advocate abortion and I think doctors should have more imput into when a woman should be able to get an abortion.



Originally the law was intended to provide abortion in desperate situations, but now people are having them because it fits in with their schedule. This was meant to be a measure of last resort. I'm not saying it should be illegal, but I think the original purpose of the law should be followed.

Keisha - posted on 03/06/2010

I don`t think that abortions should be illegal, I think that there are certain situations that a woman might need an abortion. Think about it... how would you feel if if you got raped and knew that you had absolutely no choice but to carry your attackers child in you for all those months? Or if you find out that the fetus has a life-threatening illness. I think it would be really really hard to cope with and in that case I would want an abortion. But just as a backup plan for your stupidity I think that is VERY irresponsible. As long as you have all the necessary means to raise a child then I think that you should you have to... sorry let me re-word that... WANT to raise your child. Perhaps make it so that if you get an abortion that you have to get your tubes tied? This is just my personal opinion but: if you are foolish enough to let yourself get pregnant in a situation where your own child growing inside of you doesnt even make you want to give it the best possible life either by finding it a loving family through adoption OR straightening your own act up then I dont think that you should be able to have kids later on in life...even years into the future... that complete disregard for your own child`s life should prove that you are far too selfish of an individual to be a good mother... good mothers ALWAYS put their children first.

Kate CP - posted on 03/06/2010

I find it interesting that there haven't been any responses to this yet. And for the record: no, I don't think it should be illegal.