The way I see it, we abort people all the time. We abort the poor, we abort criminals, we abort citizens in countries we invade, we abort people in third world countries, the list goes on and on.
I'm very much pro contraceptive, and I do not believe that abortion should be a form of contraceptive, however I do believe that there are people who should not have children. If a 13 year old girl makes a single mistake and becomes pregnant, then her life changes forever. I believe that in these circumstances, along with rape and incest, abortion should be an option. If abortion is an option under any circumstances, it should be legal. I also agree with the population control argument.
On a more personal note, my wife and I had our first child last August. When Autumn, my wife was 4 months pregnant, we had a test done that would screen for mental retardation. We then made a list of birth defects for which if our child tested positive, we would have terminated.
I know for anyone who has a family member that is mentally handicapped, that seems rather callous. Allow me to explain. A child born with severe mental retardation will not have a normal life. More than likely, they will be the victim of violence and bullying during school, and will be completely dependant upon the parents for the duration of their often short life. This is by no means ironclad, and I'm sure some grow up without enduring this. But in my experience that has not been the case. Handicapped children are mercilessly ridiculed throughout their time in school, and it just seems cruel to condemn a child to that. So we would have aborted, and it would have haunted me for all of my life. But that would have been my burden, and not my child's. I would not want my child to suffer because I lacked the courage to approach the situation rationally and make a decision based upon what was best for them, not myself. It isn't a dig at anyone who made the opposite choice, just my own feelings on the matter.
Anyway again, I feel that if abortion should be a viable option under any circumstances, it should remain an option across the board.
I'm very much pro contraceptive, and I do not believe that abortion should be a form of contraceptive, however I do believe that there are people who should not have children. If a 13 year old girl makes a single mistake and becomes pregnant, then her life changes forever. I believe that in these circumstances, along with rape and incest, abortion should be an option. If abortion is an option under any circumstances, it should be legal. I also agree with the population control argument.
On a more personal note, my wife and I had our first child last August. When Autumn, my wife was 4 months pregnant, we had a test done that would screen for mental retardation. We then made a list of birth defects for which if our child tested positive, we would have terminated.
I know for anyone who has a family member that is mentally handicapped, that seems rather callous. Allow me to explain. A child born with severe mental retardation will not have a normal life. More than likely, they will be the victim of violence and bullying during school, and will be completely dependant upon the parents for the duration of their often short life. This is by no means ironclad, and I'm sure some grow up without enduring this. But in my experience that has not been the case. Handicapped children are mercilessly ridiculed throughout their time in school, and it just seems cruel to condemn a child to that. So we would have aborted, and it would have haunted me for all of my life. But that would have been my burden, and not my child's. I would not want my child to suffer because I lacked the courage to approach the situation rationally and make a decision based upon what was best for them, not myself. It isn't a dig at anyone who made the opposite choice, just my own feelings on the matter.
Anyway again, I feel that if abortion should be a viable option under any circumstances, it should remain an option across the board.
"In our youth, we lacked the maturity, the decency to create gods better than ourselves so that we might have something to aspire to. Instead we are left with a host of deities who were violent, narcissistic, vengeful bullies who reflected our own values. Our gods could have been anything we could imagine, and all we were capable of manifesting were gods who shared the worst of our natures."-Me
"Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation; all of which may be guides to an outward moral virtue, even if religion vanished; but religious superstition dismounts all these and erects an absolute monarchy in the minds of men." – Francis Bacon
"Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation; all of which may be guides to an outward moral virtue, even if religion vanished; but religious superstition dismounts all these and erects an absolute monarchy in the minds of men." – Francis Bacon
