I'm going to preface this by pointing out that I'm a female who really does not want to include her own religious beliefs in this post. I have never had an abortion so I can't speak from personal experience, but I did spend some time talking with someone who had one. I also know someone whose mother was encouraged to have an abortion, but she didn't.

In addition, maybe I read this post the wrong way, but it sounded very antagonistic. Please do not take my response as a heated rebuttal, but more as my opinion.

> Women have ALWAYS found ways to abort an unwanted baby.

Women (and men) have always found ways to get crack cocaine and kill themselves with it, too. And, even though abortion is legal today, there are still women who die from back alley abortions because it's faster, cheaper and more secretive.

What is sad is that society looks down on these women who do not want to raise a child. Rather than ridicule them, why can't people realize that the women still have feelings and emotions? Can't society show them a bit of compassion? No woman should feel ashamed because she is pregnant. Instead, she should be encouraged and supported.

The same thing goes for the women who seek abortions because they don't feel they have the money to support another child. The people driving the luxury cars and wearing the expensive jewelry look the other way and ignore the poor, hurting people who so desperately need a little help and encouragement. Instead of ridiculing women who can't provide for their children, why not do something about it?

> Some of you believe life begins at conception, and many of you believe this because of your religion.

It's been 10 years since I was involved in a very intense classroom debate on "when life begins," and I'm afraid I don't remember all of the facts I used to ultimately win the debate. The material is still in a folder in a box in my closet, but I don't want to cite 10-year-old sources. I do believe that life begins long before birth, not because of biblical reasons, but because of the medical facts and information available. Consider the fact that extremely premature babies are living creatures when they are born. Yes, they need medical assistance until their organs develop a bit more, but they are obviously live human beings. If you're interested, I can try to dig up some more information on brain and organ development in the first days and weeks after conception.

> If a woman wants to get an abortion, she must visit the clinic, where she will be tested and counseled by therapists who make sure she is educated on her options, such as adoption. Then she is sent home for a week to think about it.

In most of the United States, this is not the case. Some states do have a 24-hour waiting period and I think I may have heard of a few rare three-day waiting periods, but I was unaware of any state that had a week-long one. If I am mistaken, please let me know.

> My point is that abortion is never easily accomplished. Women do not get abortions on a whim. They get them because they believe it is necessary. Do you really want even *more* unwanted babies is this world?

The sad truth is that newborn babies ARE desperately wanted in America. Couples wait for years in order to adopt a new baby.

However, the children who are not wanted are the ones who come with emotional, physical and mental problems. They already have a history, and nobody seems to want to take on such a challenge, especially since there are so many constantly-changing legal hoops to jump through. These children are bounced from foster home to foster home, and sometimes back to their original home for a little while in between. THESE are the unwanted children in our country. Why can't our society try to make something of those innocent children who had absolutely no control over the circumstances into which they were born?


Ellmyruh