is abortion right or wrong?

[freyja]

i have recently taken part in a group debate about abortion. the question was 'if you found out at 12 weeks that your child may hev cerebal palsy, would you terminate the pregnancy? As without the new technology you wouldn't have normally known' i just wanted know your thoughts, because i found some of the responses from the other members of the debate quite sickening.

[kags]

I believe it is a personal and individual decision, that a woman should be offered unbiased counselling and support with her decision, and that once she has made her decision she is entitled to have it respected. I am fortunate in that I have never found myself with an unwanted pregnancy, therefore I do not know how I would feel personally in the circumstances. What is right for one woman is not necessarily right for another, and we all should be given the freedom to choose. As regards technology now offering the chance to detect birth abnormalities earlier and earlier, you cannot turn back time and undo those medical advances, so we must embrace them into the decision making process.

[Greedyfly]

Personally I see abortion as wrong unless the women was raped etc.... I know that I am no way ready really for a child but if I got pregnant by accident I would deal with it. At the end of the day if you are old enough to have sex then you are old enough to make a better decision than death. There are many other options. But that is my view.

[Greedyfly]

I have just read your question properly and to be honest if it was 100% sure that my child was to have an illness which stops them having a 'normal' life I would be devasted but again there are other options.

[tracymort]

whose to say those medical advances are safe anyway. there's alot of doubt over the safety of ultrasounds. the abortion debate is brave one to tackle. i personally feel it's wrong unless there's risk to the mother's life or the baby is extremely disabled. Social abortions shouldn't imo be allowed. if you take the decision to have sex (even with contraception, it's not 100%) they you should accept the possibility of a baby. if you really couldn't have a baby then don't do it!

[kags]

tracyh, I agree that "social" abortions are not what we should be striving for in society, but it is a bit high-handed to say that you shouldn't have sex if you can't take the consequences. People have always, and will always have sex. There have always, always been abortions, and there always will be regardless of any law, but at great risk to the mother if they are not properly and legally carried out. Having become pregnant myself at the drop of a hat (so to speak) on the 2 occasions we planned it, I looked back at my own young adulthood and realised that I had taken many risks. I am not saying I would definitely have had an abortion if I had become pregnant withour planning it, because I don't know but I would like to have had the choice. What we need is better education of young people to bring down unwanted pregnancies in the first place, and better support of those who make a mistake, or for whatever reason find themselves with a pregnancy that they do not wish to continue.

[andy hughes]

I was already with my considered opinion and once again (it's getting a habbit!) kags has stated my case perfectly eloquently. I believe it has to be the woman's decision, and yes there are endless arguments about right and wrong, but finally, it comes down to her right to choose, and no-one has the right to take that choice away, no matter how 'right' their opinions may be. We have to let others make their own choices, as we do ourselves, and the moral high ground is a crowded place, let's not make the crush up there any wors.

[woofgang]

Cerebral palsy is not a good example to choose because the disability can be mild to extremely severe to terminal. IMHO you would need to know how badly the child would be disabled before making that decision. There is a HUGE difference between an unwanted pregnancy and bringing a child into the world and dooming it to a painful and short life

[jills]

Having recently had my first baby, I can't imagine that I would ever abort a child I was carrying. But that's easy to say until you're faced with the prospect yourself of bringing up an unplanned, or seriously ill child. Woofgang, Andy and kags all make great points in their eloquent responses, and I agree with what they've said. No one has the right to judge another persons decision until you've walked a mile in their shoes. That said, the recently pulicised abortion due to a hairlip/cleft palate, I found very hard to accept, and I feel the same about 'social' abortions. It's worth taking into consideration the trauma that abortion can bring, and the consequences that follow any decision...that cannot be easy to live with, even if you know you have made the right decision for you.

[rja211077]

i'm pro choice

[vittoria]

Most of my thoughts have been well stated elsewhere, but I will add this. Recently there was a tv programme about someone with a congenital illness which caused his skin to fall off and also caused terrible suffering. He died in his 30s of cancer which was related to the condition. His mother said if she had known how much he was going to suffer she would not have hesitated to abort him. In front of such a tragedy I could not condemn this person. For whoever's interested, a recent book on a number of ethical issues is "Uneasy ethics" by Simon Lee. Likely to be in local libraries.

[haha]

Abortion is a god-send for those of us who got pregnant when we were not ready. We are able to control our own lives -- not being cared in by our own biology. I dont think abortion should be used as a substitute for contraceptives, but sometimes accidents happen. ***I would also like to say that almost any young and healthy woman can create a physical womb for a child. But a child also needs an emotional & psychological womb to thrive in also. So many people forget this! So many people in the world suffer from mental illness, low self esteem, and depression bc they didnt recieve the love, support, and respect that all children deserve. If more people waited until they were mature enough to nuture a child emotionally, and psychologically, the world would be a better place. Just because you get pregnant doesnt mean you should be a mother. I had an abortion and I never regretted it. While some may see abortion as a sin I think that bringing an unwanted/unplanned for child into this world bc you feel to guilty to abort it, or you are trying to fulfill your ego, or using the child for the love you never got, or to carry out your unfulfilled dreams, or make your bf stay with you--- to me any of these reasons is a far greater sin than abortion.

[vik1105]

I know from personal experience what it is like to be pregnant. I was 15 and I never had a period. It was only bevaise I lived with my mum alone that she realised that I had not used any tampax. Well to cut a story short we had murder about it and I ended up getting rid of the babay - at this time I was 13 weeks nad I was goig though my mock gcses Well anyway as you gather got rid of the kid but the point of the matter is that I did not tell him anything about it. I split up with him because U couls not sope with it I couldn;t look at him and feel the same about it. Now I still thinlk ab0ut my chil how old ot would be knopw what would it look like and how would I feel. I think U have got oto think is it r5ight for you? If it isnt ont do it I still not so much regret it but feel for it In a way I do regret it but looking back it is the better thingt that I could have done please email me if you want more info