Garden City, MI My feelings about abortion are not as black & white as they used to be. I used to think why would anyone oppose a woman's right to control her fertility. Now I see it as more complex. I the perfect world of not right now, we would be a society that is frank and honest about sex. Where information about birth control is part of every person's education and parents acknowledge the biological facts of life within a framework where young people are taught respect of self and have high self-esteem. Abortion should be a seldomly accessed option in a wide range of reproductive choices. People should respect themselves and their feelings enough to treat sex as a meaningful and enjoyable human activity, not a cheapened recreation. All children should have the right to grow up in environments that welcome and love them. Felicia, 34
Somerville, MA
Abortion should be safe, legal and very rare. Contraception should be socially desirable, glamorous, inexpensive, effective and the responsibility of both sexes. Babies should be wanted and loved.
Jill, 59
Saylorsburg, PA
It's an individual decision, at least for the first three months.
Jane, 60
West Linn, OR
I think the whole "just have the baby and give it up for adoption" argument is completely naive and ignorant. Yes, there are plenty of people willing to adopt WHITE babies, but what about minority babies, not to mention crack babies, babies with disabilities, etc.? But conversely, I believe that using abortion as a form of birth control is not only immoral, but disgusting and utterly vile. I hope that I never get in a situation in which I will have to make this kind of decision. I don't think I could ever have an abortion, but I don't know; I've never been confronted with the possibility of pregnancy before.I myself am an adopted child. My birth mother was a prostitute and my birth father was a Greek sailor. My real (adopted) parents could not have children, so they paid for me, basically. They paid for my womb donor to get off the streets and take care of herself. Not everyone has the means or the desire to do something like this. I was one of the lucky ones.What this whole babble boils down to is this: birth control should be easily accessible. Sexual education should begin when children hit puberty so they know what's going on. We shouldn't HAVE to have abortion, but it's needed. I'd rather have it safe than illegal. I was once adamantly pro-life, then I read the book _The Worst of Times_ (the author escapes me because one of my students borrowed the book and never returned it). It's a history of illegal abortion in America. Read it before you make an uneducated opinion on this subject like I did. Okay, I'm getting off my soapbox now.
Amy, 23
Baton Rouge, LA
Lowell, MA If you don't have to do it, don't. If you have no other choice, do. I don't really like to think about it. People are stupid enough to get pregnant that way. I have a friend who wasn't careful at all, it really was her fault. If it isn't your fault, you have more of a right to do it then someone who wasn't being careful. Aurora, 17
Montreal, Quebec CANADA I believe mothers have the right to make this decision on their own. If they don't feel up to parenting, then why bring the child into the world if they will probably end up having a miserable childhood? Gavin
Sydney AUSTRAILA When I first started doing comedy it was one of my favorite topics but the material didn't always go over very well. Things like 'feed the homeless with a fetus' got a decent 'I can't believe he said that' kind of laugh in some crowds but dead silence in others. On the actual issue I see a lot of cases where it should be mandatory. Can't feed 'em, don't breed 'em. Alias Irrelevante I think that it's overdiscussed and that it's not fair to judge anyone's decision unless you've walked in that person's shoes. Karen, 20
Marshelltown/Ames, IA I'm probably one of those people everyone hates because I am pro-choice, but only for certain situations i.e. rape, incest, etc. I would never have one myself, but if it was a friend's choice, I would stand by her side! Tracy, 24
Ocean City, NJ I personally do not agree with it. It is something that I could never do, but at the same time, my opinion is not the same as every other woman. As much as I am against it, I also believe in every individual right to make their own decision and live with their own conscience about those decisions. Katie, 24
Seminole, FL I think that, depending on the situation, it's morrally acceptable, such as in the case of rape, incest, early teen pregnancy, danger of death forthe mother, etc...I think we have enough children growing up without the care and attention they need in life. However, I am offended by the though of it being used as simply a method of birth control, or done out of convienence. In some cases, I don't see much difference between abortion and the story about the woman who drowned her two children in her car. Of coarse, when it all comes down to it, it's the woman's decision. I don'tknow how I would feel if I was pregnant. I'd probably feel pretty wierd, since I'm a guy, in fact I'd probably be living a completely different lifestyle. Socrates One
Lowell, MA This is a subject I really try to avoid having thoughts of. I have mixed feelings, it depends on the circumstance and the person. It's not something I could have ever done to one of my children. Pamela, 38
Sugar Hill, GA
I don't like it and probably wouldn't do it, but I'm not in the position to make that decision for other people
Firelady, 22
Dallas, TX
it's murder, no exceptions. if you don't want the kid, put it up for adoption, even if you were raped, b/c there are people who can't have children and it's just not right to be killing them.
Angela, 16
Bella Vista, AK
I think that it is unfortunately a necessary thing. I don't want to offend anyone, but I think a child is better off dead than being raised by someone who can't care for it. I know 3 teenage girls who are my age and have had abortions, and they are intelligent and responsible people. If they couldn't have had abortions, then their lives would have been ruined because they all made one small mistake. And that to me justifies abortion.
Shanna, 15
Cardiff ENGLAND
I believe abortion should be a decision made by the Mother and Father involved, and here are some reasons why I say this. Say a woman gets pregnant and wants to keep the baby. That is fine, however, if the man did not want the baby, now he can and will be held financially responsible for that baby. If the man would love to keep the baby and raise the child, he has no recourse to see that baby is brought to term. Even if the Mother did carry the fetus to full term, the Father could not demand child support for this child. His offspring can be aborted by the Mother at will. Even though it is the decision of the Mother, the Father has no say as to what can be done with his child. There are many situations where the Father has no say about the outcome, where the Mother has all the say. I do believe that the government should keep abortions safe and legal, however, I believe there should be stipulations made for the Father's rights.
Kevin, 33
Sugar Hill, GA
Chicago, IL baby: the other other white meat.
This thought brought to you by: Anthony, 25
Baton Rouge, LA I believe abortion is wrong. But I would never condemn a woman for choosing to have one. Laura, 35
Lowell, MA I am dedicated to the protection of a woman's right to choose. The argument I often hear against abortion is that is murder, and that there is an absolute truth that dictates that murder is wrong. I disagree with this on two points. First off, abortion is not murder because a fetus is no more alive than a group of cells in a person's hand. Second, there is no absolute truth. The situation that every woman has to manage when confronted with the choice of whether or not to have a child is very different for each person and cannot be categorized as always absolutely anything. I also think banning abortion is dangerous because they will still happen, but instead it will happen in a back alley with a hanger Eric, 18
Beverly Hills, CA USA