Abortion is an extremely heated topic and I really don't know why, well actually I do. I find it strange how people try to argue one way or the other on it. To me this is like saying, is it right to kill an adult? The answer is clearly it depends on the context. If somebody is greedy and robs a bank and kills people on the way out, most people would say this IS NOT right. If somebody goes to war to fight for their country and kills somebody most people would say this IS right. You see, one act can have different results based on the context of the event.
This same line of thinking applies to abortions (and everything in life). If somebody is getting an abortion to cover up a robbery or a greedy act then it is probably a bad thing. If somebody is getting an abortion due to factors outside of their control then it is probably a good thing.
The context and facts about abortions
So let's take a look at the context of majority of abortions in the United States. 1% of all abortions occur because of rape or incest; 6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems regarding either the mother or child, and 93% of all abortions occur for social reasons.
Let me be very clear that somebody being raped is a very tragic and unfortunate event. For this 1% of people it probably makes sense for an abortion to be understandable as their actions leading up to this were most likely not a result of their conscious behavior. There could have been a number of unfortunate scenarios that the victim really had no way of avoiding. Due to this context it makes sense where an abortion could be a very reasonable decision based off careful thought and analysis of the situation.
6% of abortions being performed due to health problems of the mother or child also seems like a fairly reasonable context to allow for the abortion of the birth. A lot of times health issues are not always in the mother's or child's control and can be something that is pretty random. However, there are those cases where certain health actions could be the result of behavior caused earlier in life that is now acting as the consequence to those errors.
A staggering 93% of abortions are performed due to social reasons. Social reasons can mean a number of things and it is important to understand the context of these cases. Though many social reasons, it is extremely hard to find a reason where the actual facts presented add up to anything that seems like a fair and reasonable explanation for aborting a child.
For instance, some people may have an abortion because they accidentally got pregnant while using birth control. Well, accidents do happen and sometimes people have to suffer the consequences. Having a child may be a tough consequence for both the parent AND the child, but it is what it is. They had the conscious choice of preventing their actions and they did not choose to. To me, this context seems very clear that the person made a mistake. Sometimes mistakes have small repercussions, sometimes they do not.
Another example out of this 93% of child abortions may be because the mother and/or parents are not mature enough to raise the child. Again, the context is on the edge. If you're able to make mature adult decisions such as not raising a child, why then were you making adult decisions such as sex? This sounds like another case where things just don't add up.
Conclusion
While it is important to know what science points to as the beginning of life, it is still irrelevant to understanding that over 9 out of 10 abortions are performed due to human mistakes and lack of self-control. Should this be legal or not? You be the judge.
5 Comments
Very interesting article, although I'm wondering where you got your statistics, you never cited your source. In my opinion if someone is not ready to have a child, then they should get an abortion. You say, "Too bad, it's their mistake," but usually when people make a mistake that big it not only effects their lives, but the lives of those around them.
Imagine a young mother has to drop out of highschool and get a deadend job for the next 18 years so she can have enough money to raise her child. Perhaps if she would have had an abortion instead she would have completed college, gotten a degree in biochemistry and went on to develop a drug that would effect hundreds of lives. Instead she wastes not only her life, but the life of her child when she is too busy working 2 jobs to teach them things that will make them a productive member of society. And thats a relatively good scenario! Things could definitely get worse if the mother gets on welfare and starts producing even more kids so her welfare check increases. Now she isn't only effecting her life and her childs life, but she is effecting the life of every tax payer in the United States!
I think one of the major things wrong with america is poor parenting. I belive that someone that is 15-18 years old is generally too emotionally and financially immature to have a child. This leads to bad parenting, which in turn leads to a society that will eventually collapse in on itself.
I got the facts from: http://www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html, however there are a number of other sources on the Internet that are all very similar such as: http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/abreasons.html
Your story is interesting but let me put it this way. It doesn't matter whether the mother has a child or not, the fact is most people have dead end jobs regardless of their situation. Having a child may make it harder for her to achieve success, but that is not the sole determining factor on whether she will or not. Majority of people without children are still employees with no ambition working dead end jobs. You're betting on something that doesn't have a direct correlation with having a child. And if somebody is getting an abortion they are probably lacking certain traits that it takes to NOT work a dead end job. It takes self control and discipline to NOT be an employee, and the way I see it, getting pregnant due to the 93-percentile reasons does not display those characteristics.
I agree with you that it is poor parenting. That is exactly and precisely what it comes down to. Most children from better families do better than children from worse families, that's just the way it is and it makes perfect sense on why this is.
The solution to this problem is better parenting and raising children with discipline. Children should not run loose and live in slumber as so many Americans do. There is nothing wrong with having fun or doing cool stuff, bet when it goes overboard and problems start to occur, such as children getting pregnant, the situation really needs to be re-assessed. If it's not hurting you or others fine, but if it is hurting you (via a child) then it's probably not a choice that is in alignment with truth. The consequences may be tough but why does this matter? It's the degrees of difficulty which really throws people off and I find that unfortunate.
Let me also say that I think many people look at this life as the only thing that matters. They don't see the big picture of how they fit into eternity and progression towards God. Because of this they think somebody suffering for 18 years with a child is a bad thing because it wastes their life. On the contrary, it uses their life to bring them closer to God. The struggles for both the child and mother are the tests to help them grow.
You may then say, well that's not fair for the baby because he/she didn't get a fair start. How do you know what's fair and what's not for the child (AKA the spirit living inside him/her). Not all children have the same start in life and some may have a terrible life. Could this not be a form of hell for the child for things they had done in other tests? Terrible people are all around us and many say they are going to pay for those mistakes at one point. Could this not be some spirit paying for acts they caused in another life? Could they not have been a mother that had a number of abortions while finally dieing while giving birth to her last child? This does not seem unreasonable at all and it fits into the big picture of eternity seamlessly.
I think people are too caught up in the 80 years we have on life here and don't understand that 80 years of torment is a small piece of the eternal pie.
So my position stands. I do feel sympathy for the mother, but I also understand why the mother and child use this as a growing piece so it doesn't bother me at all. Show me where I am wrong and I will gladly re-consider.
If a young girl gets pregnant and doesn't have a spouse to support the raising of the kid, generally its a wise idea to give it up for adoption instead of killing the thing. There are many many people here in America and abroad that are looking to adopt kids that aren't able to have one of their own. No kid should be flushed down the toilet because another kid makes a mistake. Please don't make two mistakes and compound the situation.
If you go back 15 years later and have a conversation with the girl you will more often than not find that they are remorseful for what they did. I honestly don't know what people's agenda are when they advocate for abortion, but it is not in the best interest of the child or the mother.
"While it is important to know what science points to as the beginning of life"
The beginning of life is not scientific, it is a value judgment. There is no way the beginning of life can be disproved. I believe there will debate about abortion because it is a value judgment.
"It is still irrelevant to understanding that over 9 out of 10 abortions are performed due to human mistakes and lack of self-control."
This is why I support sex education and why I support making birth control easily accessible.
k so ive never left one of these before but this is a subject that i feel VERY strongly about. my mother did expect to have me. she wasnt ready. love,family, and health is all a baby needs. my paretnts werent ready and they could have got an abortion. my mom was a bartender and my dad works at a tire shop. WOAHH big money right?? i love my life and family. i was raised polite and beautiful. im now graduation school early to go to florida university to be a dentist. maybe im not getting spoiled with millons but i have people who love me and i have been givin the chance to live.
so thats my storyy. have u people ever heard of adoption?? there are tons of couples out there who want a baby so badly but just cant. dont take away an inocent life because u were irresponsible and made mistakes. u should be ponushed!! not the baby who was only made by ur stupidness!! i understand if there is an illness involved or rape but these girls that are gettin abortions b/c their not ready for kids?? protection!! have that baby and give it away. the least u could do is give them the chance to live even if it is with another family. they'll grow up knowing that their real parents loved them enough to give them to someone who could make their lives better than what they could provide. SUCK IT UP PEOPLE!! dont be killin inocent potential beautiful life. give it a chance wether or not ur not the one rasing it. dont be so damn selfish!
