Abortion

[blushing_grace]

With the death of Dr. Tiller, I've seen a lot in the news and on blogs about abortion. About definitions and how people feel and think. And I have a question.

Are you pro-choice, pro-life, both, or neither and why?

*I'm leaving this an open post so people can post anonymously if they wish, but I'll lock it down to friends once the dialog is

Comments

[museclio]

I am pretty solidly pro-choice. I escort at Planned Parenthood so that women can make that choice. I feel that Roe strikes a pretty good balance, however the lack of third trimester abortions post Tiller worries me. many women dont' learn of hideous birth defects until their 20 week appointment - which is getting very close to the line of when the state bans procedures.

I have a rule. I don't argue the morality of abortion - that tends to be a first principles issue based on when life begins.

However, I feel that abortion should be legal and available. The only thing outlawing abortions does is risk the life of the woman. Studies have shown all that outlawing abortion does is change the method, not the total numbers. It becomes a class issue - wealthy women go to doctors who will perform an illegal procedure safely and poor women go to back alleys and risk their lives and fertility.

[vvalkyri]

and in fact there's a nytimes series about maternal mortality, now around 1000 per 100,000 in Tanzania. a goodly amount of the work done in hospitals is dealing with post-illegal abortion.

ah, here: The Deadly Toll of Abortion by Amateures: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/health/02abort.html

(semirelated to an earlier article about Tanzania's maternal mortality: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/health/24birth.html?_r=1&em)

Pro-choice

[lifeofreilly]

I'm pro choice.

I believe that the decision as to whether or not to have give birth is best made by the person who would be giving birth.

It is a private, deeply personal matter and the state has no business being interested in the occupancy status of one's uterus.

[bkleber]

strongly pro-choice: what happens to a person's body should be their own choice, and not governed by laws made by people who don't have to ever deal with the kind of situation they're trying to dictate the terms of. (Is this reverse racism against white male lawmakers? Probably

[little_carrot]

"Pro-Family. Pro-Child. Pro-Choice."
I have this on a button. When I am being a student (as opposed to being a professor), I wear it on my courier bag. I think it sums up my feelings pretty well as well.

[wanting]

pro choice i think that if you know that you are not ready to devote the time and attention and love that a child deserves and needs then abortion is better than having a child and doing a crap job of raising and yes everyone says what about adoptoin but there are allready soooo many children out there in the system why add to it while being careful and being safe is important there are times when that isn't an option or a mistake is made

[dreamtigress]

Pro-choice.

And also, pro-education, pro-birth control, and all for taking the steps to ensure that there are less unwanted pregnancies.