Opinion of women who have abortions and later...

[Moooooo]

go on to be staunchy pro-life.

I wont use the FF/HP label because this is probably going to be a touchy subject and I dont want to offend anyone.

[dazzleman]

I wouldn't judge such a person negatively.

Perhaps her experience with abortion convinced her it isn't the right way to go.

Most women who have abortions suffer a great deal of emotional pain as a result.  This is something that the abortion movement doesn't like to point out when they claim abortion is as significant as having a wart removed.  But people don't grieve over warts.

[Moooooo]

Im asking because I personally know someone who had an abortion soley for financial and personal reasons a long time ago.  However, now that she's 'made it' and living the good life, she is staunchy pro-life.  I find it a bit hypocritical.

[dazzleman]

Im asking because I personally know someone who had an abortion soley for financial and personal reasons a long time ago.  However, now that she's 'made it' and living the good life, she is staunchy pro-life.  I find it a bit hypocritical.

I wouldn't judge her so harshly Nick.  You really don't know what she went through as a result of killing the baby that was growing inside her. 

Maybe she wants to help other women avoid the pain that she went through.  Or maybe she regrets that she didn't have the baby, and put him/her up for adoption.

Her position on abortion currently may have nothing to do with her current financial circumstances.

I agree that it's easy to be against abortion when you don't think you have a need for one, and are capable of supporting the kids you may have.  But there are other options besides abortion available for those who don't want a baby because they can't afford it, or aren't in a position to raise it properly.

The issue of unwanted pregnancy is one of the most difficult and life-changing issues out there.  I would be very careful about judging this woman when you have never been in this position. 

What would you do if your girlfriend got pregnant in the near future, Nick?

[Moooooo]

What would you do if your girlfriend got pregnant in the near future, Nick?

Theres no doubt in my mind that we would have the baby.  We've actually had this conversation before.  My girlfriend and I have been dating since our freshman year of highschool and plan to marry within a year or so after we graduate college.  It would definitely shake things up a bit, but we have very supportive families, so it really wouldnt be all that difficult.  We would both be able to complete college on time or at least close to on time.

[dazzleman]

What would you do if your girlfriend got pregnant in the near future, Nick?

Theres no doubt in my mind that we would have the baby.  We've actually had this conversation before.  My girlfriend and I have been dating since our freshman year of highschool and plan to marry within a year or so after we graduate college.  It would definitely shake things up a bit, but we have very supportive families, so it really wouldnt be all that difficult.  We would both be able to complete college on time or at least close to on time.

What do you think you would have done if she had become pregnant 3 years ago?

[Moooooo]

Wow, thats a tough one...  Umm, I probably would have advised her to have an abortion, but keep in mind, I was a different person back then.

Im not sure how she would have reacted...

[TeePee4Prez]

Im asking because I personally know someone who had an abortion soley for financial and personal reasons a long time ago.  However, now that she's 'made it' and living the good life, she is staunchy pro-life.  I find it a bit hypocritical.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I strongly agree with that.  I can't stand people in general who have "made it" in life and piss on where they came from.

[dazzleman]

Im asking because I personally know someone who had an abortion soley for financial and personal reasons a long time ago.  However, now that she's 'made it' and living the good life, she is staunchy pro-life.  I find it a bit hypocritical.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I strongly agree with that.  I can't stand people in general who have "made it" in life and piss on where they came from.

That may not have anything to do with it, Flyers.  You really shouldn't be so cynical.

[Michael Z]

I'm inclined to agree with Dazzleman here. I know one girl who had a very traumatic abortion and she said she wouldn't have done it had she known what it would do to her psychologically (I note that she was only a teenager at the time).

[nclib]

Most women who have abortions suffer a great deal of emotional pain as a result.

Couldn't this be due to social stigmatization?

[Michael Z]

Most women who have abortions suffer a great deal of emotional pain as a result.

Couldn't this be due to social stigmatization?

No, it's mainly psychological. I suppose, as men, we're not really in an easy position to talk, but losing a baby while pregnant can be an extremely traumatic event for women, whether they anticipate it or not.

I remain pro choice because making abortion illegal would result in women who want to have an abortion doing so anyway and simply undergoing illegal thus unsupervised thus extremely dangerous treatment (and I had this view before Vera Drake hit the cinemas). But I can understand why people abhor abortion, namely the psychological trauma which can result from it.

[Democratic Hawk]

I, guess, their stance on abortion is similar to that of the late Linda Lovelace on pornography

I can understand why women, who have had an abortion, can become staunchly pro-life in later life and I think it's grounded in the psychological effects, which they endure/experience after the termination

I wouldn't say that they are being hypocritical. Experience can make you wise after the event

Dave

[dazzleman]

I, guess, their stance on abortion is similar to that of the late Linda Lovelace on pornography

I can understand why women who have had an abortion can become staunchly pro-life in later life and I think it's grounded in the psychological effects, which they experience in the aftermath of having an abortion

I wouldn't say that they are being hypocritical. Experience can make you wise after the event

Dave

Yes Dave, I actually think that calling such women 'hypocritical' has a nasty ring to it.  Having had an abortion, maybe they know something the rest of us don't.

[TeePee4Prez]

Im asking because I personally know someone who had an abortion soley for financial and personal reasons a long time ago.  However, now that she's 'made it' and living the good life, she is staunchy pro-life.  I find it a bit hypocritical.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I strongly agree with that.  I can't stand people in general who have "made it" in life and piss on where they came from.

That may not have anything to do with it, Flyers.  You really shouldn't be so cynical.

I think what me and Nick were trying to get at is there may very well be a good chance that she is living the good life, able to finish school, etc. because she had the abortion and did have to care for a child. 

[dazzleman]

Im asking because I personally know someone who had an abortion soley for financial and personal reasons a long time ago.  However, now that she's 'made it' and living the good life, she is staunchy pro-life.  I find it a bit hypocritical.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I strongly agree with that.  I can't stand people in general who have "made it" in life and piss on where they came from.

That may not have anything to do with it, Flyers.  You really shouldn't be so cynical.

I think what me and Nick were trying to get at is there may very well be a good chance that she is living the good life, able to finish school, etc. because she had the abortion and did have to care for a child. 

I'm sure that's true, but abortion is not the only option when you have a child prematurely.  Maybe she wishes she had put the baby up for adoption instead of aborting it.

The real question I would ask is, with abortion so freely available, why are there so many people who obviously aren't suitable parents raising kids?  I thought legal abortion was supposed to take care of this problem.

[Beet]

Yes it's hypocritical, unless the women choose to subject themselves to whatever punishment they think should accrue to women who have abortions, and if they say it is murder the punishment ought to be joint principal for murder, which generally involves jail time. I have never heard of a single instance of any woman subjecting herself voluntarily to any punishment for having an abortion. It's hard to deny this is hypocrisy.

In addition, it's important to recognize that claiming to be "pro-life" takes the stigma off claiming to have had an abortion, just like it takes the stigma off claiming to be a feminist. A woman can claim to be an "abortionist" and a "feminist" and any number of things and they will be praised by conservative right as long as they are pro-life. If a non "pro-life" woman claims to have had an abortion or be a feminist on the other hand, they will be called a baby killer and a man-hater, respectively.

On the other hand, whether someone has had an abortion is impossible to verify, but it makes the person seem wise and experienced in a debate, so the only incentive for a woman to hold back is the stigma attached. Yet if she claims to be pro-life, there is no stigma, so in general unless you know them well like Nick's case, I would be suspicious of a pro-life woman's claims to having had an abortion.

Finally, in I suspect that many young women who claim to be pro-life are heavily influenced by the fashionable nature of calling oneself pro-life in certain places these days plus a misguided belief that their birth control pills are infallible.

[dazzleman]

Yes it's hypocritical, unless the women choose to subject themselves to whatever punishment they think should accrue to women who have abortions, and if they say it is murder the punishment ought to be joint principal for murder, which generally involves jail time. I have never heard of a single instance of any woman subjecting herself voluntarily to any punishment for having an abortion. It's hard to deny this is hypocrisy.

In addition, it's important to recognize that claiming to be "pro-life" takes the stigma off claiming to have had an abortion, just like it takes the stigma off claiming to be a feminist. A woman can claim to be an "abortionist" and a "feminist" and any number of things and they will be praised by conservative right as long as they are pro-life. If a non "pro-life" woman claims to have had an abortion or be a feminist on the other hand, they will be called a baby killer and a man-hater, respectively.

On the other hand, whether someone has had an abortion is impossible to verify, but it makes the person seem wise and experienced in a debate, so the only incentive for a woman to hold back is the stigma attached. Yet if she claims to be pro-life, there is no stigma, so in general unless you know them well like Nick's case, I would be suspicious of a pro-life woman's claims to having had an abortion.

Finally, in I suspect that many young women who claim to be pro-life are heavily influenced by the fashionable nature of calling oneself pro-life in certain places these days plus a misguided belief that their birth control pills are infallible.

Your view on this is very legalistic, Beet.

You're basically saying that, in a parallel situation, if a parent used drugs when he was younger, he has no right to oppose drug use by his child, and if he didn't get caught using drugs, then he must support full legalization of them.

I don't think most people, when they oppose abortion, do so out of a desire to punish the person having the abortion.  That is not in the forefront of the issue.

There is nothing wrong with a person seeing the error of her ways, and deciding that others would be better off if they didn't do it either.

[opebo]

Intolerants, like all other opponents of abortion.

That may not have anything to do with it, Flyers.  You really shouldn't be so cynical.

One can never be too cynical.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Hypocrites

[jacob_101]

I have a good friend who had an abortion when she was 19 and didn't know who she was or what she stood for.  Throughout her twenties she changed.  People grow, one way or the other.  She decided that it was wrong what she did and is now pro-life.  I see nothing hypocritical about that.

[John Dibble]

I find there's nothing hypocritical about these kinds of people - people are allowed to change their minds on things, you know. Many pro-choicers have never had an abortion, and those that do are given a perspective on things due to the experience that those others don't have. If someone was pro-life and then had an abortion simply because it was what was 'convenient' at the time, THEN they'd be hypocritical. If they are pro-choice then later become pro-life there's nothing hypocritical about it, it's simply a change of opinion.

I've talked to a few women who've made this transition due to their own abortions and they do describe it as the worst thing they've ever done and the worst feeling they've ever had. Depression wasn't uncommon either.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Hypocrites

But that applies to all Republicans.

[Yates]

I have a good friend who had an abortion when she was 19 and didn't know who she was or what she stood for.  Throughout her twenties she changed.  People grow, one way or the other.  She decided that it was wrong what she did and is now pro-life.  I see nothing hypocritical about that.

Hear, hear!

[Nym90]

It's not hypocritcal, but hopefully she can sympathize with people who were in the same position as herself.

It would seem hypocritical to argue that people should go to jail for doing something that you yourself did, unless you also believe that you should have been in jail for it, as well.