Posted by Racer on January 7, 2001, at 17:10:49
In reply to Warning!Nothing in msg about dep. Topic may offend, posted by Rach on January 7, 2001, at 9:47:18
OK, I don't, but you're right, the subject line drew me right in! LOL
As for abortion, that's a tough subject. Abortion is morally neutral. It simply means the end of a pregnancy, without a live birth. I should know, having experienced numerous spontaneous abortions.
(BTW, that last line was there for one reason: to remind people that this can be a painful subject. I want children, and the miscarriages I've experienced have been horrendously painful for me. Guess what? I've never known anyone to choose a medical abortion and not go through similar pain.)
Realistically, if elective abortions are outlawed, the only women who will suffer will be poor women and women in rural areas. The women who have money and access to good medical care will still be able to end pregnancies safely. Why? Go talk to any good doctor in an urban area. They already have their networks in place, at least in my area.
About ten years ago, when it first looked as though elective abortion might be outlawed, my doctor told me and every other woman of childbearing years in her practice that we didn't have anything to worry about. She and a number of other doctors had already agreed to provide safe elective abortions for anyone who asked. They would simply prescribe the procedure as a medical necessity for psychological reasons.
How many county clinics do you think are going to do that?
And for any of us who remember the debate before Roe v Wade was decided, the reality of illegal abortions, the number of women we knew then who died or came close to dying from those illegal abortions, the real effect of bearing children who could not be supported, the psychological aftermath of putting a child up for adoption, all this tells me that outlawing abortion is a really bad idea.
I don't believe there are many women out there who see abortion as an alternative to using contraceptives. There are some out there, just as there are some people out there robbing banks. Abortion is too serious and personal a matter to be legislated. The medical technology exists, and therefore it must be protected.
BTW, a friend of mine just lost one of his best friends. She had a stroke in the last stages of pregnancy, due to that rise in BP that some women experience. She was in an irreversible coma, they took the baby, and took her off life support. She was in good health, athletic, and not yet 30 years old. Let's remember that childbirth is still dangerous for women, too.
OK, I'm done with my diatribe. Hope you enjoyed it...
poster:Racer
thread:3753
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20010105/msgs/3764.html