I don’t believe we can say that one person has a right to choose abortion but another person doesn’t have the right to live based on their age or mental acumen (or other reasons) because what about that human’s potential right to choose? See how the circle goes on and on in my head? You are therefore putting the right to terminate over the right to live which in my mind is backwards because life, to me, is the most sacred thing. It’s what we all strive for – health, happiness, love, understanding, compassion – everything that life involves. But some humans are not given that chance, and to me that is discrimination and it’s wrong on every level.

I don’t believe in making something legal just to appease the minority or for the “just in case” scenarios. Over 90% of abortions are done for personal convenience reasons.

While I am staunchly pro-life, I can see the other side of things, like when life of mother or fatal prenatal diagnosis is at hand, I get that. I know most pro-life people say “put it in God’s hands” and that is wonderful if you are a believer but some are not. While I do not agree with it, I can understand this viewpoint.

What I find to be an absolute outrage is abortion for personal convenience or birth control (a tad too late, but you know what I mean). There is no excuse.

In cases of rape or incest there is plan b which can be ontained over the counter for a minimal amount of money (last I checked it was around $40 in my area, significantly less than an abortion) or from Doctors, county health departments, etc. It can be taken (recommended) up to 3 days after unprotected sex. I know it’s not 100% effective but it’s an option.

I just think personal responsibility plays a big role in this. If you choose to have sex you are choosing to put yourself at risk for HIV/AIDS, other STD’s and, of course, pregnancy. Choosing to abort because you don’t want a child is murdering a human. I know it’s cliche’ and most pro-lifers throw “murder” around like it’s nothing but “termination” sounds too cold to me. Call it what you will, but the end result is the same.

As for women who tried to miscarry on their own, that is tragic but a rare scenario. It’s like saying (forgive me for the lame comparison) we should legalize meth because some people score bad meth and die, so if we legalize it it will be safer and less people will die. You get my point.

That’s just a little bit where I am coming from. I do respect your opinion but I am so passionate about this and while I will hear the other point of view and consider it, it is likely I will never change my mind. All humans deserve the right to live – without the right to life we are taking away all other rights they were to have, including reproductive rights. In a female fetus at (roughly) 20 weeks the structures that will become the ovaries house roughly 6 to 7 million potential egg cells. In most areas she will not be viable. What about her reproductive rights?
The moment the sperm and egg combine the gender is determined. A unique human has been created. It is *not* part of the mother but think of it like a car parked in a garage (lame, I know).

Anyways, I know this isn’t very coherent. I am exhausted after a long day but I appreciate the retort and respect you for it. Have a good night.

Giving people the freedom to choose means that sometimes they’re going to make, what you or I might consider, a stupid decision… but that’s their right. You have the right to vote for the “wrong” person, or the right to get shit-faced drunk. You have the right to dress however you want, even if someone else considers it to be “inappropriate.” The problem with taking away rights is that you have to have a standard. Which rights do you remove? Who gets to decide?

You can choose life. You can choose not to have that life. What *I* don’t understand is why we don’t maximize education both of women’s bodies and available resources so that girls and women really CAN choose. I think Dear Redhead had every right to get heated about this ad… it would have made a much larger statement if Focus on Family had DONATED the money it cost to run this ad to Planned Parenthood, where they do a huge amount of education. But instead they went for this silliness?

Commercials like this are pointless, inane propaganda.

For me? I believe humans have the right to live. Regardless of stage of development (is a toddler worth less than a teenager? Fetus, infant, toddler, adolescent, adult, etc. – All stages of development.), regardless of mental acumen, regardless of place of resident, race, ethnicity, physical development, gender and so on and so forth – they deserve the right to live. Empowering women(and men) to discriminate based on these matters is wrong — no matter who it involves — born or unborn.

I think Elizabeth Cady Stanton said it best:
“When we consider that woman are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit.” Letter to Julia Ward Howe, October 16, 1873, recorded in Howe’s diary at Harvard University Library

I think the pro-choice community should be ashamed of themselves for the literal shit fit they threw over Tebow’s ad. Being pro-choice means supporting all choices involved, including -gasp- life. I know, funny concept. Interesting how the pro-choice folks who shat their pants over this showed their true colors: they are pro-abortion. Pro-choice? Nah. If they were really pro-choice they would support chosing life just the same as supporting death, er, I mean abortion.

Interesting article. It got my blood boiling and my mind working. Thanks!

Kind of like Viagra vs. birth control. Guess which one my insurance covers .

When you combine this tendency with their extreme need to present “balance” to the point of creating a false equivalency then you will see this sort of thing keep happening. I don’t really understand why this happens. If something is bs, call it bs and move on I say.

Regarding the assclown (I prefer assclown over asshat though that word )? He is a white male with all the privilege and none of the negatives that others have seen, especially women. So, lacking that thing we call empathy, he cannot understand, even as a mental exercise, why a woman might feel that way. He knows he can’t actually defend the position so he resorts to crass comments and attacks. I don’t think he feels threatened, instead he more like they are trying to attack what he views as the rightful way of things. I’ve known guys like this before, they think they have some god given purpose to be in charge or something. Strong women are ugly hags who can’t get a man. Men who actually can express emotion are girlie “fags” who aren’t real men. Men who respect women are “weak.” Etc, etc.

I don wonder though. Was any of this really about abortion to begin with or was it just some exercise to raise money and flex some clout? I have to wonder about this. A lot of these groups use a wedge issue to raise money and then push their own, power seeking, agendas. Abortion is probably the mother of all wedge issues next to race and guns.

@GI Joe & Mad Hatter – Delighted to have had some “fucktardery” brighten-up your days. Thanks for stopping by, welcome to the column. And Mad Hatter – I’m putting you down for “1″ in my “Made Guffaw” column Cheers!