Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I realize that I’m just an idiot teenager with no life experience, who slept through science class, but here’s my opinion:
Abortion makes me sad.

Awesome!

It makes me sad too. It’s a very sad thing. Almost no one is “pro” abortion. In fact, most people who push for abortion rights also push for birth control, sex ed, and health care to PREVENT abortions.

In a perfect world, birth control will always work, horny teens with limited frontal-lobe development wouldn’t have unprotected sex, no one would get pregnant until they were ready (financially stable & in a loving, nonabusive relationship), babies would be all healthy, etc. But we don’t live in a perfect world. You’ll learn that as you become older. People have sex. Abortions will happen. Regardless of the laws.

If you want to prevent abortions, go push for education (not just abstinence), healthcare, and free contraception. Those are effective ways to reduce unwanted pregnancies and abortions.

Gah. Stop saying this. Or at least, use the disclaimer that YOU ARE ONLY SPEAKING FOR YOURSELF. I am pro abortion. I highly support abortions for anyone who does not want to be pregnant. And I feel negative shame about it. What should make you sad is white men making decisions about women’s bodies. About women who are raped, people who sit in prison for abortion or even miscarriages.

Pro-abortion: in favor of the medical procedure in which a pregnancy is terminated. Hey, it’s me.

When you say “abortion is sad” and “no one is pro abortion” you’re ceding extensive ground to the other side. You’re (likely without realizing it) furthering the narrative the abortion is fundamentally bad or evil and that women should be ashamed if they have them. You’re buying into the anti-choice rhetoric. Stop it!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Every single person on here should be pushing for free & effective birth control.

Should be -- if their professed concern for the unborn wasn't a pretext for being opposed to unsanctioned sex. They talk about Roe v. Wade, but they're really against Griswold v. Connecticut where the Supreme Court ruled that a state's ban on the use of contraceptives violated the right to privacy. If you've ever heard a "pro-life" person mocking Constitutional penumbras, that penumbra language about a Constitutional right to privacy that protects access to birth control (and abortion) came from Griswold.

Greater access to contraception reduces abortion, but pro-life advocates resist pro-contraception policies because they're truly opposed to unsanctioned sex. Pregnancy is righteous punishment for f*cking.

You missed a big point in the post above: it was a PRIVATE donor, not a taxpayers money. NO ONE prevents you to fund free contraception for all in your state. NO ONE. GO FOR IT.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love young people expressing themselves and how they respect life.

They love it until they find themselves unexpectedly pregnant. Then the lightbulb goes off about how important legal abortion is. I witnessed this personally 7 times growing up as friends who were against abortion in theory were all for it when it was THEM.

It is say that you surround yourself with such a circle of friends. There are no "unexpected" pregnancies. Your friends just idiots. Once you began having sex, no matter what type of birth control you use, there are always a chance that you can get pregnant. It is like jumping with a parachute. There is always a chance it wont' open. So, to say it is "unexpected" is just stupid and ignorant.

I too got pregnant "unexpectedly" when I was in college. An dI was pro-abortion back then. And for some reason, having a life inside me, changed my mind. I kept the baby, even though the father didn't want anything to do with my pregnancy. I graduated from college, went to grad school (with a toddler), and got my post-graduate degree as well. I married now, and have two more children.

So, in other words, when faced with the CHOICE, you made the CHOICE to have the child? That seems like a good CHOICE for you at the time. The point is that you weren't forced, were you? You CHOSE.

I don't know ANYONE who is forced to get pregnant unless it is a rape. It is ALWAYS a choice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love young people expressing themselves and how they respect life.

They love it until they find themselves unexpectedly pregnant. Then the lightbulb goes off about how important legal abortion is. I witnessed this personally 7 times growing up as friends who were against abortion in theory were all for it when it was THEM.

It is say that you surround yourself with such a circle of friends. There are no "unexpected" pregnancies. Your friends just idiots. Once you began having sex, no matter what type of birth control you use, there are always a chance that you can get pregnant. It is like jumping with a parachute. There is always a chance it wont' open. So, to say it is "unexpected" is just stupid and ignorant.

I too got pregnant "unexpectedly" when I was in college. An dI was pro-abortion back then. And for some reason, having a life inside me, changed my mind. I kept the baby, even though the father didn't want anything to do with my pregnancy. I graduated from college, went to grad school (with a toddler), and got my post-graduate degree as well. I married now, and have two more children.

Yes, but kids are still maturing -- they may struggle with good judgement in difficult situations. In the heat of the moment (add in teen hormones), they may not make good choices about sex or birth control.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3621648/

"Recently, investigators have studied various aspects of the maturation process of the prefrontal cortex of adolescents.17,18 The prefrontal cortex offers an individual the capacity to exercise good judgment when presented with difficult life situations. The prefrontal cortex, the part of the frontal lobes lying just behind the forehead, is responsible for cognitive analysis, abstract thought, and the moderation of correct behavior in social situations. The prefrontal cortex acquires information from all of the senses and orchestrates thoughts and actions in order to achieve specific goals.

The prefrontal cortex is one of the last regions of the brain to reach maturation, which explains why some adolescents exhibit behavioral immaturity. There are several executive functions of the human prefrontal cortex that remain under construction during adolescence, as illustrated in Figures 3 and ?and4.4. The fact that brain development is not complete until near the age of 25 years refers specifically to the development of the prefrontal cortex.19"

Free, long-acting birth control will help with this significantly.
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/PSD_TitleX3_CFPI-Report.pdf

"In 2008, the Colorado Department of Public Health
and Environment (CDPHE) secured funding from
a private donor to launch the Colorado Family
Planning Initiative (CFPI), an expansion of the
Family Planning Program that would provide
training, operational support and low- or no-cost
long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) to
low-income women statewide. LARC methods are
defined as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants.
By the middle of 2015, the initiative provided
LARCs to more than 36,000 women. Between 2009
and 2014, birth and abortion rates both declined
by nearly 50 percent among teens aged 15-19 and
by 20 percent among young women aged 20-24.
Public assistance costs associated with births that
were averted among women aged 15-24 totaled
between $54.6 and $60.6 million for four entitlement programs."

Every single person on here should be pushing for free & effective birth control.

So, why every liberal wont do the same? Sponsor free birth control for everyone.

Anonymous wrote:
Every single person on here should be pushing for free & effective birth control.

Should be -- if their professed concern for the unborn wasn't a pretext for being opposed to unsanctioned sex. They talk about Roe v. Wade, but they're really against Griswold v. Connecticut where the Supreme Court ruled that a state's ban on the use of contraceptives violated the right to privacy. If you've ever heard a "pro-life" person mocking Constitutional penumbras, that penumbra language about a Constitutional right to privacy that protects access to birth control (and abortion) came from Griswold.

Greater access to contraception reduces abortion, but pro-life advocates resist pro-contraception policies because they're truly opposed to unsanctioned sex. Pregnancy is righteous punishment for f*cking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love young people expressing themselves and how they respect life.

They love it until they find themselves unexpectedly pregnant. Then the lightbulb goes off about how important legal abortion is. I witnessed this personally 7 times growing up as friends who were against abortion in theory were all for it when it was THEM.

So what does this say about their character? or really, human nature?

Most people are in self-preservation mode. Most are selfish. Most judge w/o having any true experience with a topic. The whole immigration thread is one such example. It's easy to judge when it doesn't directly impact you.

So you can be anti-abortion if you're not affected by an unplanned/unwanted pregnancy.

But even if this is human nature, there are still many who don't fit the mold for many reasons.

For one 15 yo who's negligent (and who knows why? impulsive? poor parenting? rebellious?), abortion may be the only answer. For another, keeping the child may be an option b/c she's seen others around her keep their babies. And although premarital sex is against her religion, she's keeping the baby b/c abortion goes against her religious beliefs too. Maybe she decided to initially keep the baby but at birth has a change of heart and opts to give the baby up.

I've taught MANY teens who decided to keep their babies, and for some, this decision negatively impacted their lives. For others, with loving support of extended family, the decision was fine. Most of the time, however, the father was absent.

I personally don't know how I feel about late-term abortions, however. I sometimes think this decision is a slippery slope, but I'm not my sister's keeper either.

LARC (long-acting reversible contraception) devices include IUDs and implants, like Nexplanon.

https://www.acog.org/Womens-Health/IUDs-and-Birth-Control-Implants

ACOG's Committee on Adolescent Health Care recommends LARCs as first line contraception for adolescents:

https://www.acog.org/Clinical-Guidance-and-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Adolescent-Health-Care/Adolescents-and-Long-Acting-Reversible-Contraception

AAP recommends LARCs as first line contraception for adolescents:

https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/AAP-Updates-Recommendations-on-Teen-Pregnancy-Prevention.aspx

Anonymous wrote:I realize that I’m just an idiot teenager with no life experience, who slept through science class, but here’s my opinion:
Abortion makes me sad.

Awesome!

News flash, for a lot of us women who have had abortions, it made us sad too. It's not some willy-nilly decision like oh how about a I get a manicure today, nah, today I'll get an abortion.

What didn't make me sad was the fact that I had this choice and the ability to shape my life as I saw best for me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love young people expressing themselves and how they respect life.

They love it until they find themselves unexpectedly pregnant. Then the lightbulb goes off about how important legal abortion is. I witnessed this personally 7 times growing up as friends who were against abortion in theory were all for it when it was THEM.

It is say that you surround yourself with such a circle of friends. There are no "unexpected" pregnancies. Your friends just idiots. Once you began having sex, no matter what type of birth control you use, there are always a chance that you can get pregnant. It is like jumping with a parachute. There is always a chance it wont' open. So, to say it is "unexpected" is just stupid and ignorant.

I too got pregnant "unexpectedly" when I was in college. An dI was pro-abortion back then. And for some reason, having a life inside me, changed my mind. I kept the baby, even though the father didn't want anything to do with my pregnancy. I graduated from college, went to grad school (with a toddler), and got my post-graduate degree as well. I married now, and have two more children.

So, in other words, when faced with the CHOICE, you made the CHOICE to have the child? That seems like a good CHOICE for you at the time. The point is that you weren't forced, were you? You CHOSE.

Like what kind exactly?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love young people expressing themselves and how they respect life.

They love it until they find themselves unexpectedly pregnant. Then the lightbulb goes off about how important legal abortion is. I witnessed this personally 7 times growing up as friends who were against abortion in theory were all for it when it was THEM.

It is say that you surround yourself with such a circle of friends. There are no "unexpected" pregnancies. Your friends just idiots. Once you began having sex, no matter what type of birth control you use, there are always a chance that you can get pregnant. It is like jumping with a parachute. There is always a chance it wont' open. So, to say it is "unexpected" is just stupid and ignorant.

I too got pregnant "unexpectedly" when I was in college. An dI was pro-abortion back then. And for some reason, having a life inside me, changed my mind. I kept the baby, even though the father didn't want anything to do with my pregnancy. I graduated from college, went to grad school (with a toddler), and got my post-graduate degree as well. I married now, and have two more children.

Yes, but kids are still maturing -- they may struggle with good judgement in difficult situations. In the heat of the moment (add in teen hormones), they may not make good choices about sex or birth control.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3621648/

"Recently, investigators have studied various aspects of the maturation process of the prefrontal cortex of adolescents.17,18 The prefrontal cortex offers an individual the capacity to exercise good judgment when presented with difficult life situations. The prefrontal cortex, the part of the frontal lobes lying just behind the forehead, is responsible for cognitive analysis, abstract thought, and the moderation of correct behavior in social situations. The prefrontal cortex acquires information from all of the senses and orchestrates thoughts and actions in order to achieve specific goals.

The prefrontal cortex is one of the last regions of the brain to reach maturation, which explains why some adolescents exhibit behavioral immaturity. There are several executive functions of the human prefrontal cortex that remain under construction during adolescence, as illustrated in Figures 3 and ?and4.4. The fact that brain development is not complete until near the age of 25 years refers specifically to the development of the prefrontal cortex.19"

Free, long-acting birth control will help with this significantly.
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/PSD_TitleX3_CFPI-Report.pdf

"In 2008, the Colorado Department of Public Health
and Environment (CDPHE) secured funding from
a private donor to launch the Colorado Family
Planning Initiative (CFPI), an expansion of the
Family Planning Program that would provide
training, operational support and low- or no-cost
long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) to
low-income women statewide. LARC methods are
defined as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants.
By the middle of 2015, the initiative provided
LARCs to more than 36,000 women. Between 2009
and 2014, birth and abortion rates both declined
by nearly 50 percent among teens aged 15-19 and
by 20 percent among young women aged 20-24.
Public assistance costs associated with births that
were averted among women aged 15-24 totaled
between $54.6 and $60.6 million for four entitlement programs."

Every single person on here should be pushing for free & effective birth control.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love young people expressing themselves and how they respect life.

They love it until they find themselves unexpectedly pregnant. Then the lightbulb goes off about how important legal abortion is. I witnessed this personally 7 times growing up as friends who were against abortion in theory were all for it when it was THEM.

It is say that you surround yourself with such a circle of friends. There are no "unexpected" pregnancies. Your friends just idiots. Once you began having sex, no matter what type of birth control you use, there are always a chance that you can get pregnant. It is like jumping with a parachute. There is always a chance it wont' open. So, to say it is "unexpected" is just stupid and ignorant.

I too got pregnant "unexpectedly" when I was in college. An dI was pro-abortion back then. And for some reason, having a life inside me, changed my mind. I kept the baby, even though the father didn't want anything to do with my pregnancy. I graduated from college, went to grad school (with a toddler), and got my post-graduate degree as well. I married now, and have two more children.

DP

It sounds like you made the right decision for you.

There are a lot of different reactions women have in that situation. I'm glad you found a way to carry through with the choices you made, and that you seem not to regret them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love young people expressing themselves and how they respect life.

They love it until they find themselves unexpectedly pregnant. Then the lightbulb goes off about how important legal abortion is. I witnessed this personally 7 times growing up as friends who were against abortion in theory were all for it when it was THEM.

It is say that you surround yourself with such a circle of friends. There are no "unexpected" pregnancies. Your friends just idiots. Once you began having sex, no matter what type of birth control you use, there are always a chance that you can get pregnant. It is like jumping with a parachute. There is always a chance it wont' open. So, to say it is "unexpected" is just stupid and ignorant.

I too got pregnant "unexpectedly" when I was in college. An dI was pro-abortion back then. And for some reason, having a life inside me, changed my mind. I kept the baby, even though the father didn't want anything to do with my pregnancy. I graduated from college, went to grad school (with a toddler), and got my post-graduate degree as well. I married now, and have two more children.

There is nothing wrong with caring deeply about your political positions. That doesn't mean the depth of your emotion is relevant to whether you can or should restrict other people's actions, because people feel strongly on all sides.

Policy shouldn't be made on the basis of who cries or screams for joy loudest. If you are going to limit other people, you have to be clear on the facts and reasons, and you should have to make a consistent, informed case for it. Be passionate, sure, but don't make that a substitute for knowing what you are talking about.

Anonymous wrote:I love young people expressing themselves and how they respect life.

They love it until they find themselves unexpectedly pregnant. Then the lightbulb goes off about how important legal abortion is. I witnessed this personally 7 times growing up as friends who were against abortion in theory were all for it when it was THEM.