Personaly I feel it is a woman's right to choose because she is the one who has to deal with the side effects later in life such as depression. However I don't think it should be used as a form of birth controle. There are too many people out there who can't have children and putting a baby up for adoption would help for their dreams to have a child come true. What are your thoughts on this matter?

Risk to the mothers health, sexual assault from family or stranger, birth defects such as child's brain not forming, or child dies before birth would be good reasons.

Use regular birth control, but abortion should always be an option.

More like side effects of relief and being able to provide for any children she had previously.

Except the children in the system (in America, at least) are largely unadoptable, because one or both of their biological parents hasn't signed over custody. People want to adopt babies - it's the way it's always worked, and our system is set up against adoptive families, because of an insane belief that blood relatives are always best.

I do not believe people should be using abortion as birth control. Women should have plenty of information about birth control, and if they have a second abortion, then they should be getting an information session about their various options and proper usage.

We don't kill children because it's murder; they're been born and are able to live independent from their parent. A fetus isn't a child, it's a fetus. It becomes a child after it's born, but before that it's classified differently.

Most abortions are performed in the first trimester--the fetus is usually extremely small or just a clump of cells. There isn't awareness or thought, and the idea that a fetus feels pain during an abortion is a myth. Only a tiny, tiny fraction of abortions are performed after the first trimester, and an even tinier portion of those are performed late in pregnancy. Late-term abortions are almost always done because the fetus is dying/dead/causing problems that put the mother's life in critical danger.

The issue then becomes one of rights--pro-life arguments essentially put the rights of the fetus above those of the mother, who is a fully-realized and sentient person. There are also creepy issues of control: many people will put disclaimers on their abortion opinions (ex. "I don't believe in abortion except in cases of rape.") and believe that everyone should live by what THEY think is morally acceptable. The problem with disclaimers is that they usually pan out to mean "If this was forced on you, I guess it's not the worst thing if you have an abortion. But if you were having consensual sex, this baby will be your punishment." The problem with morals is that they are entirely subjective, and limiting the rights of other people is obviously bad.

My final issue is that the idea that abortions are done because of "discomfort or depression" is incredibly trivializing. Pregnancy can be extremely difficult and very painful both mentally and physically, so just dismissing it as just "discomfort" is pretty insulting. The idea that depression isn't a valid problem either is EXTREMELY problematic. Depression isn't just feeling sad--depression is a serious illness that takes an enormous toll on people. If someone with depression is forced to carry out a pregnancy that they don't want, the results can be catastrophic. But the real bottom line is that it doesn't matter what the reason is for someone getting an abortion--it isn't your uterus. It is literally NONE of your business if someone wants to get an abortion or not. You don't think people should have them? So what, don't have one. But don't think that limiting someone's rights to their own bodily autonomy is something that you should feel comfortable or justified in doing.

I think it's terrible. Abortion isn't meant to be used for 'birth control', in fact it can only make getting pregnant again, much harder. However, all that said, i don't begrudge anyone for making a choice for their own future well being.

I'm totally supportive of a woman's choice. I don't judge them & I cannot possibly know each and every female's personal situation, so I basically have very little opinion, I guess. I don't know that I'd say I have very little opinion really, but when it comes to a woman's reasoning behind her choices or anything like that, it's none of my business and I will never make it my business, because I feel like to do that (make her choices my business so that I can decide whether I think what she chose was right or wrong) would be to judge. So I just support them. I support other females & would expect (but know it isn't often given) the same support myself, if ever needed.

However, when abortion is continually used as a means of birth control, when someone who absolutely does not want to have a child, I can say I don't think it's the healthiest or safest alternative to birth control. I just wish more people knew more about how to prevent unwanted pregnancies. There is a lot more to know than most people think & it can be done in more ways than most people think, surprisngly.

I have more of an opinion on what someone chooses to do with their children when it directly affects me -- say they are not caring for the child and I am picking up the slack all by myself. I have an opinion on that right now. I have an opinion when I am seeing children suffer and hurt and go through struggles they shouldn't have to because their parents' multiple bad choices. If I'm seeing a child hurt and deal with things all because of multiple bad choices from a parent (and I happen to be extremely understanding in every case, so it has to go real far for me to get to that point) then I start feeling like I'm being put in a situation where I'm forced to be less... hmm.. Less supportive maybe is the word. Or I get a little bit upset for the kid, and sometimes a bit angry at the parent because I cannot always be what a kid can only get from their actual mother & it sucks to not be able to do something about the kids' struggles and pain. That is what I have an opinion on.

Otherwise, I'm not judging. The last thing a woman needs who has had an abortion is more guilt put on her, more condemnation because I can guarantee most of them feel it already, and plenty. Plus I'm not God. The only thing I think fellow females should do in this ordeal is to support these women because as easy as it is to see them as viscious monsters, the sad truth is that they are most likely hurting and in need of someone. This is what I have experienced, in seeing girls I know who have had abortions. I know a couple who have had multiple. I don't know why they didn't just take the pill -- perhaps they had a reason? I don't really question it.

No, I don't think abortion is the best or healthiest solution to unwanted pregnancies. It's not the easiest or the cheapest either. But it still happens. I don't know why. I happen to think that it is not a matter of how any of us feel about women who choose to abort, but more about why they choose to do it multiple times and how they can be helped. How they can be offered a different, less harmful & damaging solution.

And it also wouldn't hurt if we started putting rapists behind bars for once. Holding them accountable, for once.

"...in fact, it can only make getting pregnant again, much harder."

Actually, that is mostly a myth. Abortion rarely affects one's ability to become pregnant again later in life, even multiple abortions. The only reason it is possible to have some affect is because of the D&C procedure weakens the cervix & can cause scarring on the cervix & uterus sometimes. Or because of the D&C from the abortion (or miscarriage) can result in the cervix dilating ("incompetent cervix"), but even that is often stitched to prevent it from being an issue & dilating too soon.

Abortion causing it to be harder to become pregnant again would mean that miscarriage where a D&C is necessary would also do the same thing -- lessen the person's chance of being able to become pregnant again later, which it very rarely does as well. Of course not every miscarriage requires a D&C, but you see what I'm saying I think.

And just another thing, the 2 people I know who have had more than 1 abortion each, they are both pregnant right now & both have had zero trouble becoming pregnant again multiple times after having abortions. So it certainly isn't as hard as people think. I remember being told this in health class, in high school too (that abortion can lessen the chances of becoming pregnant again).


P.S and I am one of those people out there who can't have children, who has lost the only two I was able to actually become pregnant with. And yet I still find it in my heart to understand that just because I hurt over losing mine and I supposedly "cannot" have children, this does not mean every other female feels the same way. Just like I wish that I had been able to keep mine, there are plenty of others out there who feel just as strongly on how they desperately do not want one. We tend to look over the more complex things -- more deeper into other's lives. Personally, from my eyes, it looks a lot worse for these kids who are stuck in violent homes, tossed around to other people everyday, or stuck in a foster home than for a kid who never had to suffer through it, but I'm not saying that's the case for every kid. Not at all, but I think forcing a woman to "have it" and then later toss it to some foster home for it to be tossed around in, or like an above commenter said, to be stuck not able to be adopted out into a loving home (P.S. #2. Not all those lovely adopting homes are loving and wonderful) isn't what I could consider to be this equally good solution to the mom having it and keeping it, as most people tend to think of it as. It's like people see it this way: she should have to have the child, but what she does with it after is nothing. Oh well, at least they made her have it. No it can be up for adoption, in an orphanage, living silently in a violent home because that mom truly didn't want a kid! Or even worse! Everyday I read stories in the news where yet another parent has been caught violating or cutting or some other type of horrrific crime on their child. Placed in trunks, etc. If she don't want it, why do we want to force her to have it when it's likely that later in life, the kid could grow up in torment?