This post is about Abortion and everything that it entails. It was inspired by Pavi.
Now this is a topic that never gives me any peace of mind. I personally have flip-flopped between the two extremes.
No matter how it is described, no matter what the consensus is as to when life begins, in my opinion abortion is the process of ending a human life.
One can always find justification of when its appropriate to end a human life: capital punishment, war and police actions, self-defence, euthanisation, ending life-support from terminally ill patients, abortion when the foetus has an anomaly or disease, abortion in cases of rape or incest, abortion because its a woman's right, etc.
I believe that its this justification that is an individual choice. But when it comes to writing the laws for a given country, they are written with the majority opinion and/or religious beliefs. And they are written to (hopefully) cover all situations.
And that is where the real issue lies. Situations vary. Circumstances differ. One shoe does not fit all. Only when you have walked in the other person's shoes will you be able to see the view from their perspective.
Now I say all this from my own perspective, of someone who has not had any close encounters with this issue. But we do have two lil ones at home. And when I look back over the years from conception to now, I know which side my heart leans towards.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
31 comments:
For an unplanned pregnancy, esp., cases when the couple is financially, emotionally unsettled and simply is not in a position to give qualty life to their offspring, an "Abortion" at the very early stages, sounds rational in my opinion.
Telling that, I must add that the process of "abortion" takes a lot of physical and emotional strain, esp. for a woman.
This is a sword with two sharp edges - and I agree that is does not have a precise answer.
Like Romila above - I do beleive that what is the point of getting one more life into a miserable future - in such a case abortion is viable - but then many people who make it in life are also the ones who come from the lowest rungs....who struggle and make it.....so then it is not viable...
I know it's an issue where you cannot just look at the ends of the spectrum, at only the blacks and whites.
But I don't think one can justify ending a human life if it's not a forced conception. I mean, if it's a rape, I can understand, or try to understand what the woman will be feeling.
But to say that you're doing it because you're not settled yet, and because it was unplanned, is the silliest thing ever, because you're killing a human life for lack of sensible planning! That is something I cannot ever, ever understand.
@romila - I see your rational. The only concern I have is how one defines "very early stages". When does life truly begin?
@ceedy - I completely agree with you. There is no easy or precise answer here.
@QM - I understand your argument. But as Pavi mentioned, what if the mother/father are teenagers who have no idea about responsibility or sensible planning?
Cosmic, its true that you are glad you had your children. But its also true that they were possibly planned, born through wedlock, and that you had the financial and the emotional means to take care of them and raise them well. But if the child is unwanted (as in a rape case), has something like Down's syndrome (where the child may not be able to take care of himself/herself as an adult), or in the case of a teenager (who might not have any financial support or could end up having a crack baby or a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome), it would be a better (not necessarily RIGHT) decision to have an abortion. It might feel like you are killing a life but it may also be that you are protecting the baby from a terrible life for no fault of its own. BTw, I have responded to your question in Pavi's blog.
Cosmic: "Most medical researchers agree pain cannot be felt by the fetus until the third trimester of pregnancy."
That's one reason why I mentioned "early stages" altho' the point above is not yet solidly proven.
Also, for medical reasons, its less complicated and less taxing on the mother (whether its her decision to teminate or not)to abort (if decided) before the fetus reaches 3 months.
Quaint Murmur: Even a planned pregnancy can fail. Even if unplanned, "What's the use of bringing a life with no food to feed, no shelter to protect the baby from (forget about environmental turbulences)wild, violent human beings who rape, kill, molest, do irreparable physical & mental damages."
As for financially able folks who've no time and no inclination to raise a kid, why should they be blessed with an innocent kid? Why should the child bear the brunt of their negligence - here again - putting everything at risk( emotional, physical, mental health)the child will face.
Sorry Cosmic for this lengthy comment.
@solitaire - The situations you highlighted are the ones where I said that one shoe does not fit all.
About the justification that one is protecting the baby .. well the way I see it, you dont protect someone by taking their life away.
I believe abortion is an easier route, and maybe the better route, to take when one is faced with an unplanned pregnancy especially at a young age, especially when one is financially incapable of dealing with it. But not necessarily better for the unborn child. No one can predict the future of that child. Maybe it wont have a bright future, but then maybe it will.
I guess what it boils down to is the choice that the mother (or mother and father) make when in such situations. They decide for themselves .. and they decide for the unborn child.
Again, its just my perspective .. so take it with a pinch of salt :)
@romila - In my view, lack of pain should not be used as a measure to indicate the beginning of life.
And as for your other comments as to the child not having a good life, please refer to my reply above to solitaire.
And no apologies needed for your comments (whether long or short) :)
I'm visiting late :(
Its good to get the view of a parent. I blv u wld see the issue in a different manner.
n well..we have discussed in length about this and i think most of us u'stand that the decision is circumstantial.
But one thing i dont agree with is abortion of a child in case of it being unplanned by a married couple .It is not okay to end a life just 'coz u as a couple planned to have a 'relaxed life' for the initial yrs and have a baby only n yrs down the line. I know sum1 who did this abt 4 yrs back n that time i thot it was fine. But not anymore..
As for emotionally being prepared - There are sumthings in life..that one can prepare all that they want but the actual learning is on the job - having a child and getting married are egs of such things!
Financially - I'm confused abt this one. Not yet sure what i blv in.
n i just feel like narrating this incident..sum1 v.v.close to me got pregnant at the age of 18, went for an abortion,came back home the day of the abortion as if she was coming back from college(she did not tell her parents abt it), had her board exams starting in a week and was emotinally troubled for more than a year.She wld talk in her sleep n say "sorry ma,sorry my child" endlessly. I was by this person for almost every min during that phase and i pray that no woman ever goes thru' wat she did.It was unbearable.n i love her n dont think she committed any crime.It was for the best for the baby that she did what she did!
@pavi - Your friend's experience is very sad. I can now see the depth of your convictions. We all have our own perspectives based on our own experiences .. and it is not easy for us to see the other side of the equation. Thanks for sharing.
hey nice post......thoughts in it r very true...
i second ceedy's and ropmila's view point...
theyve pretty much summed up whatever i had to say :)
time for a new post, cosmic!!
Hey Cosmic, what's up? Just thought I will shake u up for a new post with a tag. Yes, you've been tagged. Please pick it up from my blog.
I will ALWAYS be pro-choice.
It is the one issue on which I have and will always have a 'side' decided as being the right side.
@nirmal - Thanks.
@pri - you are right .. it is time .. just havent had the time lately :)
@romila - Been too busy lately :( But thanks for the tag, will pick it up soon.
@deepali - You are certainly entitled to your views .. but would be nice to hear the reasons behind your convictions :)
Well the right of a person to choose should always take priority.
We mess our kids up too much any which way in spite of loving them, imagine how much worse it is when a parent doesn't want that child.
Also there is enough of sacrificing that people do, if they can avoid some they should have the right to.
Now yes I believe that when you do something wrong, you should pay the price or when you make a mistake, you need to correct it, or when you are stupid, you need to learn but that paying, correcting, learning should not go on for life.
Also what about the child? Sure the parents might grow to love the child once it is born but I don't think it is worth the risk. What if they don't? A child doesn't deserve to come into this world with love and care.
I am not even getting into the topic of rape and 'making a mistake' because that is still an extreme. I think even married couples that do want kids in the future, have a right to abort a child if they are not prepared to have one right away.
I mean who are we to say that a woman can't love her career more than being a mother. Who are we to say that 'wanting to party' is wrong and irresponsible and once someone reaches a certain age they should have a child. (the reason I mention this is because these could be reasons to abort a child).
I think I can go on but too much typing today so if you want to discuss, we can on some other day.
I also think its about time I wrote my 'Individualism' post that I had abandoned a few months ago. It relates in some way.
@deepali - Your reasoning and views are fair enough, as long as you consider an unborn foetus as a non-entity. Unfortunately, that is where the dilemma is. At what point does life begin?
Where have u been...
people are missing u...check it out...
http://scarlett-roark.blogspot.com/2008/05/blog-friends.html
Someone I know always stresses on the theory of relativity - everything is relative i.e. the validity of an action is related to the circumstances under which it takes place.
Even murder finds justification in self-defence!
Abortion, shouldnt be the solution. It would be sacrilegious to indulge in easy sex, just because you always have the ultimate option in abortion! To treat 'abortion' lightly is unfair
Yet, to turn to it, under extreme conditions , because life might have a better chance at survival, does sound justified, doesnt it?
Have crush on any blogger in bloggerville ? You feel the oomph up in your heart when you read him or her ? Do you make a point to visit his or her blog many times a day and read it being silent but are laidback to pass your message to your crush? Have a dedication or confession to make ? Please visit my blog (http://ashusdiary.blogspot.com/2008_05_25_archive.html#5685060046796232372) to enable me play a cupid for you, if you feel so. Come be a part of the fun and excitement. Let your dil dance happy happy and show off your creative tashan at my Ultra Milds space…Participate in the poll and put your suggestions. I would come up with the dedication post and roll out the methodology to confess your crush soon…..
Light up your blog and your weekend…..
Cheers,
Ashu
Hey just stumbled onto your blog and got to reading your views on abortion. Abortion when viewed in isolation is definitely a murder. But you cannot condemn every person who has opted for an abortion as a murderer. each case has to be viewed in its own facts and circumstances.
What about the girl who's become pregnant as a result of a rape? Would she want to give birth to a child which has come from such circumstances? Or what about where the choice is between the life of the mother and the unborn child? or what if the child himself/ herself has various medical complications?
@PK - Thanks for the reminder :) I am around .. just not around enough.
@beauty and beast and
@smm - I agree with both your views. Everything after all finds justification given the right circumstances.
you have not posted anything since march - wake up...the world is missing you
very true.
CJ... your thoughts echo mine completely... whereas a a part of me shrinks from the thought of an unborn baby dying by the decision ofits parents, i realize that circumstances differ and people deserve to have a choice. bringing a child into the world is a huge responsibility and can't be forced upon unwilling people.
couples should be more careful in their planning, and not keep abortion as a fall-back plan in case someone forgets the contraceptives. its notso light an issue
@little girl - Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views :)
@PK - I may be sleeping in a little while longer :)
thanks !! very helpful post!
http://www.purchaselevitranorx.com/#6cosmicjoy.blogspot.com - buy viagra [url=http://www.purchaselevitranorx.com/#4cosmicjoy.blogspot.com]levitra[/url] levitra
levitra 10mg
http://www.viagranorxpharmacy.com/#www.blogger.com - viagra [url=http://www.viagranorxpharmacy.com/#www.blogger.com]buy viagra[/url]
viagra
Post a Comment