Pope Francis

[emmie]

views on abortion, with an ever increasing world population, is he out of touch, or does he feel he has to say it because of his position.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25723422

[emmie]

Hopkirk and many don't, for many its a true shock to find yourself pregnant, it happens for many reasons, not least failure of protection, there is no known one size fits all on this matter, its something that the CC should consider and the Pope to seriously stop going on about. Abortion is never made lightly, i didn't.

[emmie]

would anyone prefer to go back to the old days here then, of large families because condoms don't always work, nor i suspect do many men like using them, the pill still has side effects, but is a better method of contraception, then crossing your fingers or legs and pray.

[lady-janine]

how dare a man who has never had to suffer the anguish a really poor mother goes through in not being able to succour her child/children, care for them properly and most likely watch them die of disease or starvation dictate what she should do.

this goes for any faith. all of them devised by men and all of them failing.

[whiskeryron]

The Holy Roman Catholic church ethics

Women do not have the right to practice abortion.
Priests have the right to sexually abuse children.
Therefore more children born = more for ''The father to play with''.
End of.

You can see I love Catholicism.

WR.

[naomi24]

Mikey, the church has changed its mind about the 6 days of creation.

//The Catholic Church no longer teaches creationism -- the belief that God created the world in six days as described in the Bible -- and says that the account in the book of Genesis is an allegory for the way God created the world.//

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/06/us-pope-bigbang-idUSTRE7052OC20110106

[sunny-dave]

My views on abortion have evolved with the years - I used to be 100% behind "a woman's right to choose" which could be (and indeed was) interpreted as support for abortion as 'just another means of birth control'.

Now I'm rather less sanguine about this, but agree entirely that abortion must still be available - as others have said contraception is imperfect, people are disorganised, accidents happen and the possibility of returning to Back Street Abortionists is too horrible to contemplate.

I'd welcome a civilised debate about time limits and foetal viability, but that seems hard to get with both sides so entrenched.

The key thing though is that I have no power - my views are just that - my views alone. Whereas the Pope has temporal (as well as spiritual) power over hundreds of millions of people - that's what I really find difficult to accept.

[emmie]

SD, as do i, he wields enormous power, one word could help or harm millions, its the main reason i dislike, or indeed hate all religions, they do more harm than good in my opinion

[ummmm]

I think the upper limit should be lowered. Some babies will survive being born at 24 weeks.

[Hopkirk]

I see an odd imbalance in the world.

If I am seriously ill and suffering, no one can terminate my life even if I beg and plead.

However a human life who has yet to be born can be terminated because they are inconvenient.

[emmie]

i was talking with a friend recently, she is getting on in years, and because of the nature of her relationship with her Catholic husband, she wasn't religious by the way, endured any number of abortions, the kind we refer to as back street, because had she gone ahead with the pregnancies would have resulted in so many children, most of whom couldn't have been supported, he wasn't much by way of a father anyway, but wouldn't countenance any form of abortion, had he known what she had done, would have denounced her and most likely left.

[ummmm]

It's not about inconvenience.

Contraception always runs a risk of failing. Should women only have sex when they are trying for a baby?

What about rape? What if the unborn baby will be born with severe disabilities?

[gness]

Get a grip, Hoppy....most abortions are not because of inconvenience. You seriously think that it's not a terrible decision to have to make?

And you have Dignitas if you choose.

[Hopkirk]

... and what about those that are just inconvenient?

[sunny-dave]

That's an argument in favour of euthanasia, Hoppy - not against a properly controlled policy allowing abortion.

[emmie]

if all the abortions were to be stopped today, how many will that increase the population across the globe by, many many millions perhaps, China alone has gone for a one child policy, which has been a disaster in terms of imbalance of genders, however if many of these Chinese babies were not aborted, how many people does that add to the overall world populations, billions, how does the world, country, family support so many, if the durex fails, what then, have the child, one who may die, because you are living on 50p a day and can't afford to have one more.

[Hopkirk]

Sorry Gness, but can you substantiate your statement that 'most abortions are not about convenience'

I suspect that the majority are.

[pastafreak]

He describes it as a symptom of a culture that does not value human life. Wrong...it is *because* we value it that abortion has become necessary. There is no value creating babies who may die or be mistreated because they are not wanted,or babies who will suffer starvation,malnutrition, unnecessary illness. There was a time our planet needed more human population, and could feed it. That time is long gone

[sunny-dave]

But Hoppy, to repeat my previous point, I respect your views and would vigorously defend your right to hold them.

What I won't accept is if you then enforce them on the 100 million members of the Hopkirkist Faith.

[emmie]

i object to abortion only on gender selection, eye colour, or some fancy of the parents,
but if the child in the womb is not going to have any quality of life, no sight, no hearing, and severely beyond words disabled, would you consign it to be born - isn't that just as cruel. Some women may use it as a method of contraception, they shouldn't, but i know that it has repercussions to your life, it's not a decision taken lightly, and anyone who thinks it is is wrong.

[emmie]

Hopkirk please read this

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Abortion/Pages/Why-is-it-necessary.aspx