For all those opposed to abortion rights, you need to read this.

[napi21]

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/abortionuslegal/a/abortion.htm

By 1965, all fifty states banned abortion, with some exceptions which varied by state: to save the life of the mother, in cases of rape or incest, or if the fetus was deformed. Groups like the National Abortion Rights Action League and the Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion worked to liberalize anti-abortion laws.

The Supreme Court in 1973, in the case of Roe v. Wade, declared most existing state abortion laws unconstitutional. This decision ruled out any legislative interference in the first trimester of pregnancy and put limits on what restrictions could be passed on abortions in later stages of pregnancy.

So allthose people saying it just should be delegated to the States are really trying to outlaw it all together!

[rpannier]

1. To be fair about this...

That was 42 years ago.
To assume leaving it up to the states would produce the exact same result is spurious reasoning.

That being said, I don't support the repeal of Roe v Wade and I think it's a bad idea to leave the legality of having an abortion up to the state. Especially since some states have tried to restrict the medical procedure and then make it illegal to get medical help in another state.

[Erika]

2. Yep, they think white men and theocracy should rule a woman's body

How Taliban of them.

[BoneDaddy]

14. Erika

are you aware of how many women do not support choice? Quite a number so desist with the white male comments please, as all of the white males I know support choice, even the republican ones. Don't turn this into a irrational male bashing opportunity.

[Jack_DeLeon]

3. I'm indifferent on abortion...

I can understand how some people truely believe that abortion is murder.

If you truely believed it was murder wouldnt you think it was wrong too. Myself, I think it might be, especially more so the later you wait to have one.

On the other hand I do think there are too many people in this world, and abolishing abortion would mean even more people, more over crowding, more poverty, more crime. So it is probably a good thing that abortion is legal.

Finally you have the womens right to choose. Personally I think we would have less problems if most women would choose to take birth control pills regularly unless they wanted a baby. I think abortion is wasteful in time, money, and health. Better to not get pregnant in the first place. If guys could take birth control pills I'm sure most of them would so they wouldnt have to worry about paying for a baby that they didnt want, why dont women do the same?

All in all legal abortion is probably a good thing althought I'm sure some people will call me an asshole for my reasoning on it, then again I'm a "man" so some people will say my opinions on abortion dont matter anyways.

[Erika]

4. If all men used condoms, women wouldn't have to worry

But you would rather lay the responsibility on the women. The good old boy system.

Better yet, only have sex with a woman you choose to be the mother of your child, and she agrees, or keep your damn zipper up.

[hfojvt]

5. maybe 85% of the time

http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/conceptbl.html

vs. 95% for the pill, or 30 times more reliable than condoms if each is used correctly.

I used a condom once, and found the sex to be very unsatisfying. YMMV.

[REP]

13. Both Sexes Need To Step Up To The Plate

Preventing pregnancy is a two-way street; both have a lot to lose if an unwanted pregnancy occurs - especially the woman, since it happens in her body, whether the pregnancy is carried to term or not. Men can lose 18 years of money by letting one single sperm out of their control with a partner who is not dead-set against maternity or sterile (or sterilized). If both partners can do something to prevent pregnancy from occurring, all the better.

[Jack_DeLeon]

6. Pills and Condoms

Responsibility?

Would you say a woman is responsible for her body?

Isnt it more responsible to take birth control pills than to have an abortion? Prevention > Cure.

Or are you an abstinance or abortion is the only way kind of person?

[Clark2008]

7. And to add: some (actually more and more every year) women

can't take birth control pills. We have severe reactions to the hormones contained in them.

Besides, even birth control pills and other forms of birth control aren't perfect. Both of my children were conceived while I was using some form of birth control (other than the pill, which I can't take). And I was married both times and able to afford it (I am due with my second child any day now).

Nothing in life is perfect. Just wanted to let you know.

[Jack_DeLeon]

10. True enough...

One girl I was with wasnt able to take the birth control pills for medical reasons, and that is understandable.

The thing is though, what percentage of women is that the case for? What percentage of those that had abortions could have used them in the first place.

[Forkboy]

8. "I think abortion is wasteful in time, money, and health."

Is it still wasteful if it's the woman's health?

Personally I think we would have less problems if most women would choose to take birth control pills regularly unless they wanted a baby. I think abortion is wasteful in time, money, and health. Better to not get pregnant in the first place. If guys could take birth control pills I'm sure most of them would so they wouldnt have to worry about paying for a baby that they didnt want, why dont women do the same?

We entered a new century over six years ago.Feel free to join in anytime.

[Jack_DeLeon]

9. Yes...

having an unnecessary operation is generally never very good for your health, if the option is having one or dying though then yeah having it is better. When the choice is having an abortion or not getting pregnant in the first place obviously one is better than the other.

Incase you didnt read my post I do think having abortion as an option is probably for the best, althought I'm sorry I'm a bit more pragmatic in my view rather than seeing it as the fundamental right that some people believe it is.

Personally I think we would all be better off if we did more to addressing the issues that cause women to want abortions rather that just fighting for having abortions.

I might be wrong since I dont go around interviewing people who have had abortions but I think the biggest reason is probably because women get pregnant and decide they dont want to raise a child, or think that they cannot afford to raise one properly. If that is truely the case shouldnt we be trying to do more to improve sex education and make birth control more available. Unless you are one of those people who think abstinance is the only way, which I think is ignorant.

[REP]

12. No One "Wants" An Abortion; They Either Need One Or They Don't

There are two ways to end a pregnancy: childbirth or abortion.

For many women who chose abortion, they chose it because they no longer wish to be pregnant. That's why a woman would "want" an abortion - she's pregnant when she doesn't wish to be; she "wants" an abortion the same way someone with an abcessed tooth "wants" a root canal. It's not as though women go out and choose between getting their nails done or an abortion; it's the way an animal chooses to chew off its leg when caught in a trap.

There may be other considerations - she can't afford a child, she doesn't want a(nother) child, she can't take care of a(nother) child - but what she's dealing with at the moment is an unwanted pregnancy. She has two ways to end it.

There is no doubt that access to birth control needs to be improved, and that birth control itself needs to be improved. Additionally, barriers to surgical serilization for young people - both male and female - need to be done away with; if doctors aren't going to try to talk 18 year olds out of having that second baby, they need to stop denying voluntary sterilizations to men and women in their 20s.

[gollygee]

15. What percentage of abortions do you think are performed on women who weren't using birth control?

I really have no idea. My assumption has always been that they were performed on women whose birth control failed. Which certainly happens.

I can't use hormonal birth control either, for what that's worth.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

16. See the problem is you don't understand birth control all that well

With oral contraceptives you must take them everyday at the same time. If you just happen to be late taking a pill your birth control could possibly fail. If you get the stomach flu and happen to vomit or have diarrhea before the pill is metabolized again your birth control could fail. If you are given a course of antibiotics that can cause your birth control to fail. These failures are not included in the statistical accuracy of the pill since they were caused by the pill not being used as prescribed. Which sometimes isn't easy to avoid.

Oral contraceptives are great, but they're not as rock solid fool proof as some people think.

Then you have people such as myself who are unable to take contraceptives due to health conditions. Yet I also cannot risk being pregnant. I had one child when I was 18 and my health conditions became obvious shortly after that. I was still denied at that time the right to be sterilized due to the nature of my illness and the fact that not all people with my condition are unable to carry to term. I had to prove that I was unable by either miscarrying in a fashion that appeared to be related to my condition or developing complications during my pregnancy that were life threatening and could be related to my illness. Then and only then would my situation be reviewed.

I do want to make it clear that I'm not saying birth control pills aren't the best alternative for women who are trying to avoid pregnancy, I do. I just want men to understand that if they're having unprotected sex with a woman on the pill and thinking they're safe from becoming a daddy, they're wrong. I do recommend using two (or more) forms a birth control which should always include a condom if the couple is not ready to deal with the issue of an unwanted pregnancy.

[ninkasi]

11. I have quite enough

soul searching to do regarding my own life. I will be 64 next month, so am beyond the age to have an abortion affect me directly. For my daughter, and my nieces, for my granddaughters, I want them to be able to choose their own futures. Regardless of what my personal views on abortion may be, I want my family, and your family, to choose the course that they want.

I will take the course that I deem best. Other people can do the same, as long as freedom of choice is the law. Remember, if someone is opposed to abortion, there are no laws forcing that woman to abort. On the other hand, if the woman truly feels that it is in her best interests, and the interests of her already born children, I don't have the right to prevent her from doing what she feels is best for herself and any children she may already have.

For a party that wants government out of our lives, the Republics certainly do interfere with politics enough. Maybe that's because no government influence means no social safety net. Maybe it just means monitoring our behavior in the privacy of our bedrooms.