Quote:
Originally posted by Ustwo
I wasn't going to mention this before, but your post sort of made me decide it has a place here.
Years ago I met a nice young lady, sister of a friend of mine, about 20ish. We hit it off pretty well, then really well. I went to visit her at her college and laying in bed she, out of the blue, breaks down crying. He tells me this story about how she had an abortion when she was 16 after she got pregnant the first time she had sex, and how she wondered if she ever would be allowed to have children (from a will I be punished stand point) or if she even should be allowed to have children after what she did.
Now I liked this girl a lot at the time (she later broke my heart) but I didn't know her that well beyond a little casual sex, yet here she was crying about an abortion she had 6 years earlier.
Sure she was the classic 'you ruined your life' scenario, a carbon copy of the abortion in fast times at rigmont high (at least it wasn't a teachers kid), and she couldn't forgive her self after words. I doubt the rabid pro-choice people would ever even dream of having pre-abortion counseling, but this girl really could have used it.
Further I have a bit more experience then most people with the whole 'teen pregnancy' issue. I never knocked anyone up, I'm to smart for that, but my family used to take in girls from an organization known as "Catholic Charities". What we did was take teenage girls who were pregnant and let them live with us until they had the baby. That way they could avoid the problems at school and at home that being pregnant in your teens can cause. The girls then gave up the children to adoption after their 6 months or so of living with us. We did this for several girls, I can’t remember how many at this point. Sure it cost them six months of their lives, and sure they have the guilt of putting the child up for adoption, but who do think sleeps better at night?
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I think the point it, it is a woman's choice, not your's, or mine.
I would fully support as much information, counselling, support as possibel be available to people considering abortion, and that they have every option - rather than being forced into doing it in any way.
Maybe the girl you talk about needed some counselling, maybe if other options available to her she would have made another choice - would she sleep better at night? It's pretty hard to judge.
Since you cared about this girl at one point, I am sure also you would be able to tell that elements of the pro-life lobby calling her a murderer is also not so much help.
But everyone facing this terrible decision, should have every option to them, but ultimately they have to make the decision, and live with it - not the state, or the church, or any group of moralists.
My mother had an abortion too, so I know how much it can hurt someone, what we need to aim at surely is helping women in these situations in any way that they need - not trying to make their decision for them.