Abortion messaging needs to change

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Needing an abortion in the second or third trimester is known to be due to either barriers that prevented them from getting one in an earlier trimester (clinical complexity and appointment availability, cost of procedure and/or traveling, lack of support (ability to take time off work or school, arrange childcare, travel to appointments etc).

And the limits of medical knowledge…information about the health of the mother or baby that wasn’t available earlier on. As a mother to a fetus who was diagnosed with an incurable, severe non-inherited genetic condition deemed “incompatible” with life…you better believe I wanted every test, consult and second opinion. I knew I was pregnant at 5weeks. I had my first doctor’s appointment at 10wks and had an ultrasound at 11weeks and gentetic testing done. There were red flags from the start of that ultrasound. No one pushed me into termination, but do you have any idea the cost of and time in appointments and grief I spent on the next 5 weeks waiting for results to give any glimmer of hope that there was an error in the severity of outcomes? My belief is that all people who have an abortion are doing so out of the heartfelt belief that it is not necessarily the outcome they desire, but the parenting decision that is the best for them and their family.

Also as someone who didn’t find out until 20w that there was deadly fetal anomaly and had to wait for follow ups and was pushed right to the 24wk limit hoping and against hope, I believe there should be no limit ever. DH is military and we got a lecture about “how no federal funds could be used to pay for abortion” and then they handed us a folder called “for parents facing tough choices” and wished us luck. It was my MIL who right away without hesitation said that of course this was the right choice. It was my mother who found a clinic with a fetal anomaly counselor who helped us get through it all. It was my family who rallied and supported us through one of the worst things that can happen to expecting parents. It was our choice and it was the right one.

Thank your family for your service.
I’m so sorry you were treated like this by a country you’ve given up so much for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Needing an abortion in the second or third trimester is known to be due to either barriers that prevented them from getting one in an earlier trimester (clinical complexity and appointment availability, cost of procedure and/or traveling, lack of support (ability to take time off work or school, arrange childcare, travel to appointments etc).

And the limits of medical knowledge…information about the health of the mother or baby that wasn’t available earlier on. As a mother to a fetus who was diagnosed with an incurable, severe non-inherited genetic condition deemed “incompatible” with life…you better believe I wanted every test, consult and second opinion. I knew I was pregnant at 5weeks. I had my first doctor’s appointment at 10wks and had an ultrasound at 11weeks and gentetic testing done. There were red flags from the start of that ultrasound. No one pushed me into termination, but do you have any idea the cost of and time in appointments and grief I spent on the next 5 weeks waiting for results to give any glimmer of hope that there was an error in the severity of outcomes? My belief is that all people who have an abortion are doing so out of the heartfelt belief that it is not necessarily the outcome they desire, but the parenting decision that is the best for them and their family.

Also as someone who didn’t find out until 20w that there was deadly fetal anomaly and had to wait for follow ups and was pushed right to the 24wk limit hoping and against hope, I believe there should be no limit ever. DH is military and we got a lecture about “how no federal funds could be used to pay for abortion” and then they handed us a folder called “for parents facing tough choices” and wished us luck. It was my MIL who right away without hesitation said that of course this was the right choice. It was my mother who found a clinic with a fetal anomaly counselor who helped us get through it all. It was my family who rallied and supported us through one of the worst things that can happen to expecting parents. It was our choice and it was the right one.

Thank your family for your service.
I’m so sorry you were treated like this by a country you’ve given up so much for.

+1

Republicans don’t care about any women.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Needing an abortion in the second or third trimester is known to be due to either barriers that prevented them from getting one in an earlier trimester (clinical complexity and appointment availability, cost of procedure and/or traveling, lack of support (ability to take time off work or school, arrange childcare, travel to appointments etc).

And the limits of medical knowledge…information about the health of the mother or baby that wasn’t available earlier on. As a mother to a fetus who was diagnosed with an incurable, severe non-inherited genetic condition deemed “incompatible” with life…you better believe I wanted every test, consult and second opinion. I knew I was pregnant at 5weeks. I had my first doctor’s appointment at 10wks and had an ultrasound at 11weeks and gentetic testing done. There were red flags from the start of that ultrasound. No one pushed me into termination, but do you have any idea the cost of and time in appointments and grief I spent on the next 5 weeks waiting for results to give any glimmer of hope that there was an error in the severity of outcomes? My belief is that all people who have an abortion are doing so out of the heartfelt belief that it is not necessarily the outcome they desire, but the parenting decision that is the best for them and their family.

Also as someone who didn’t find out until 20w that there was deadly fetal anomaly and had to wait for follow ups and was pushed right to the 24wk limit hoping and against hope, I believe there should be no limit ever. DH is military and we got a lecture about “how no federal funds could be used to pay for abortion” and then they handed us a folder called “for parents facing tough choices” and wished us luck. It was my MIL who right away without hesitation said that of course this was the right choice. It was my mother who found a clinic with a fetal anomaly counselor who helped us get through it all. It was my family who rallied and supported us through one of the worst things that can happen to expecting parents. It was our choice and it was the right one.

PP here, thank you for sharing your story. My heart goes out to you and your family. Thank you for bringing up the funding aspect! We aren’t military, but our insurance like so many people in the area is through a government agency. Though my maternal fetal medicine specialist was otherwise in network, NO fed government funded insurance plans cover abortion care. My “choice” was to stay with my doctor and pay ~$10,000 out of pocket to have the procedure with sedation in a hospital setting at 16wks OR apply for grants and wait and hope for a slot at a clinic in DC hopefully before another 2 weeks went by.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a Liberal Christian Woman. There are many of us out there, and we are not even rare. We just aren’t being heard or considered on the topic of abortion, so every now and then I feel the need to point out the fact that we exist. I am not asking anyone to agree with my beliefs. I am just asking that you consider the fact that the messaging on both sides does not reflect the beliefs of so many of us. It is (unbelievably!) a close election, and here’s a demographic that is untapped.

The right is telling us that abortion is always murder. Period. Some say there are exceptions, but their policies do not reflect that. Democrats say that abortion=women’s rights, women’s health. Period. Many of us are somewhere in the middle.

I honestly wish the democrats would stop talking about abortion. Anyone who is open to understanding how disastrous the GOP is for women’s rights, health, and safety has already turned. the women who are left in the GOP will never see any gray area when it comes to abortion. They see it as the baby’s right to life in all circumstances. This is a deeply rooted, religious belief, and no policy or politician will change it. As a Christian Democrat, I don’t entirely disagree with them, but only when it comes to abortion based solely on lifestyle choice. I wish we could find a way to separate abortion as a lifestyle choice from the rest of it (health of mom and baby, rape and incest, family planning, procedures like D&Cs). But we lump it all together. D’s messaging really stinks when it comes to women’s rights. They let the GOP ramble on about 3rd trimester and post-birth abortions without even attempting to shut that down. I am in the legal, safe, and rare camp. Many Christians are. The message needs to be that the decision is made by women with input from their chosen support group, which could include partner, family, doctor, clergy. Yes, women need to be told by democrats that they support them leaning on clergy instead of politicians.

In all other aspects, I agree with Democrats - BC, women’s rights, abortion due to rape, incest, or medical conditions.

So many of us are perplexed by the following Trump has among Christians. Biden has been a devout Catholic his entire life. Trump isn’t even a real Christian and in no way lives in the spirit of Jesus, to put it mildly. But many Christians see it this way - Abortion is simply worse than anything he has done. Because they believe abortion=murder, and it doesn’t get any worse than murder. It is a very black and white issue for them. But a lot of us Christians do not fall in line with this. We just need messaging that considers those of us in the middle when it comes to abortion.

Other religions don't seem to have an issue with the message about abortion, and even Islam does not prohibit or place any limitations on women seeking abortion. The idea of an abortion is stigmatized enough, why should we stop talking about a normal and sometimes necessary medical procedure?

Perhaps, it's Christians that need to evolve and realize that if they want to prevent abortions, they should actually follow Christian ideas and work to ensure women and families have access to affordable medical care, a living wage, and do everything to promote a strong safety net.

I think it will Make America Great Again when Christians in America behave like this again:

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/12/curtis-boyd-abortion-clergy-consultation-service-preacher-texas-new-mexico-roe/

And focus on shepherding their flock, not castigating it.

I can remember when the Southern Baptist Convention supported Roe. Evangelicals did not seem to care about the fate of unborn babies back then, but that was before their churches were seen as a a voter block to be manipulated. Old Testament law clearly contradicts the idea that an unborn baby's life is equivalent to an adult woman's life, making the case for fetal personhood anti-biblical...but most evangelicals would rather give up Jesus than admit their failure to properly exegete. At this point politics has so poisoned the well of these churches that it's politics that has shaped their theology, not the other way around.

[Anonymous]

Stop calling them "unborn babies."

Stop talking about "heartbeats."

Let's bring science into this. (Yes, I know facts and reason are scary to Republicans, but let's make sure women know when they're being lied to.)

[Anonymous]

The messaging is about to get more intense now that JD "no rape or incest exception" Vance is the VP pick

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The messaging is about to get more intense now that JD "no rape or incest exception" Vance is the VP pick

Way to advertise that women aren’t people in the GOP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The messaging is about to get more intense now that JD "no rape or incest exception" Vance is the VP pick

^

This seems like such a profoundly stupid VP pick - for which I am immensely grateful

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The messaging is about to get more intense now that JD "no rape or incest exception" Vance is the VP pick

OMG. He has a daughter of his own. Terrible. But a bad pick for VP by trump is good for the Dems.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

They are coming for all women.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

They are coming for all women.

Yes they are.

[Anonymous]

People a total abortion ban will be a reality unless we all act. Vote blue and get out the vote. Give money. Volunteer. Don’t sit around complaining and acting helpless - be proactive!

[Anonymous]

Hasn’t Trump already gone on record saying he supports exceptions for health of the mom or baby, rape, etc?

If so, I don’t know what the problem is. I know it wasn’t always this way in the Republican party but it seems like it’s shifting to a more sensible approach. Don’t the majority of Americans believe that there should be SOME restrictions?