Controversial Topics

[D'Snowth]

And it stops women from menstruating... hmm... I'm probably gonna sound really old-school saying this, and it could be my upbringing talking, but sounds a little unnatural.

Well, you can ask my mother about that... she had hers a couple of years after I was born, and she said not having periods anymore was a big plus... UNFORTUNATELY, she says it DOES come with a lot of side-effects, including short-term memory loss and insomnia (both of which hit her hard).

Exactly. Personally, regarding abortion, I'm very much pro-choice. It is not /my/ body, so therefore it's not my choice, it is up to the woman. It won't be neccessarily abad choice if they decide to abort...

But to kill a defenseless baby simply because it's not wanted anymore is such a harsh and inhumane thing to do/

 

[frogboy4]

Hey, apparently even Laura Bush is pro choice and supports gay marriage too! She's been voicing her respectful dissent toward her husband’s views on her book tour. Surprising.

I think most people have a negative view of abortion, but it seems that more of us have an even worse view of the government making medical decisions about an individual's body. That's the catch 22.

To add another numeric cliché...hindsight is 20/20. The best deterrent for abortion in young people is honest and open education. That includes information about contraception along with the many reasons why waiting is best. This discussion begins much earlier than conception. There are too many zealots out there that believe any bit of sex education opens a Pandora’s Box of behavior that wouldn't happen otherwise. That's foolish.

Every American President has at least taken the guise of being a religious person while holding office and none of them have been wild about abortion. Bill Clinton said it best when he stated in 1996 to the DNC that, "Abortion should not only be safe and legal, it should be rare."

I believe it should be far rarer than it's been, but I don't believe that either side of the issue has really helped the case along for that. I've known young girls who have made both choices. Some of the ones who chose to end their pregnancies have regretted it deeply and some have not, but none of them are happy about that situation in the first place.

Of course, public schools have a responsibility to provide all of the appropriate information to students, but this debate, like many, belongs in the home. Just my thoughts...as an adopted person.

 

[Kiki]

Well, you can ask my mother about that... she had hers a couple of years after I was born, and she said not having periods anymore was a big plus... UNFORTUNATELY, she says it DOES come with a lot of side-effects, including short-term memory loss and insomnia (both of which hit her hard).

Yeah, the side-effects is what I find worrying. Wow, insomnia and short-term memory loss? Hrm, I don't like the sound of that! Hehee, but this is coming from someone's who's medicine consists of linseed oil and German herbs.

But to kill a defenseless baby simply because it's not wanted anymore is such a harsh and inhumane thing to do/

Me being... er, me, I can see where your coming from, and I like hearing about the opinion of others on this rather touchy subject. What cheeses me off the most is when people use it as an excuse to have unprotected sex. It's not something you want to think about lightly, if one was to have an abortion, so many people are just careless, but adoption in also a great option. I think it depends on the situation. Again, I am pro-choice, but it just annoys me how careless some people can be.

 

[Drtooth]

Every American President has at least taken the guise of being a religious person while holding office and none of them have been wild about abortion. Bill Clinton said it best when he stated in 1996 to the DNC that, "Abortion should not only be safe and legal, it should be rare."

As the aliens on the Simpsons said, "Abortions for some, paper flags for others!" I personally think it should be about knowing what options there are. It ISN'T all that easy a choice anyway, some people actually decide against it if they think about it. All and all, I agree with the Frogboy on this... personally, I don't care for EITHER side of the debate.

 

[ryhoyarbie]

But to kill a defenseless baby simply because it's not wanted anymore is such a harsh and inhumane thing to do/

Having children and regulating them to a life of poverty is also a harsh thing to do. I remember the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and watching news showing people lined up in the streets because they didn't have a home anymore, and some of those people looked like single mothers who had 3 or more children. As it has been mentioned before, if someone wants to have a child and can support them financially and emotionally, have that child. However, if one can't meet both of those two categories before bearing a child or children, then don't have them.

Yes you could have the child and then put him/her up for adoption, but there are too many children out there who may not get adopted. Where they end up is anyone's guess. That's why I mentioned abortion. Yes it's a touchy subject and I do believe abortion should be the last option, but if all other options have been weighted out, then abortion might be the only thing left.

 

[RedPiggy]

It's all this nasty political and psuedo-religious stuff that follows it around I find hypocritical.

At the risk of inviting huge walls of flame, it's definitely "pseudo-religious". The biggest PLers who have that opinion based on religious concepts don't seem to understand their sacred text says no such thing as "ensoulment begins at conception" and "thou shall not kill fetuses". In fact, it's worse to kill the mother than it is to kill a fetus. The first one will get you the death penalty, while the second is like a fifty-buck fine. The biggest quote from the bible that is used isn't related to fetus ensoulment at all. Saying God knew me millions of years ago doesn't mean I was alive millions of years ago. You can't drive the CAD version of a car -- you can only drive it once it's physical and functioning properly.
Religion says we are sacred until for plot convenience we aren't.

Well, you can ask my mother about that... she had hers a couple of years after I was born, and she said not having periods anymore was a big plus... UNFORTUNATELY, she says it DOES come with a lot of side-effects, including short-term memory loss and insomnia (both of which hit her hard).

I take it she either didn't get the requisite hormones afterward or it just didn't do well in pill form?

This discussion begins much earlier than conception. There are too many zealots out there that believe any bit of sex education opens a Pandora’s Box of behavior that wouldn't happen otherwise. That's foolish.

I once got into a heated debate regarding abortion. I still do, LOL. Anyway, I asked, "Why not just teach boys and girls that there's more to life than sex?" I was completely ignored. There IS a way to avoid the nastiness of abortion and the chances of adoption ... teach people to be responsible. No one apparently wants that....

 

[Drtooth]

At the risk of inviting huge walls of flame, it's definitely "pseudo-religious". The biggest PLers who have that opinion based on religious concepts don't seem to understand their sacred text says no such thing as "ensoulment begins at conception" and "thou shall not kill fetuses".

Personally, I wouldn't mind it either way, but the same people who run on a Pro-Life Platform (as I expressly said) have no qualms about bombing innocent women and children (and yes, one scary boogieman) to prove points that shouldn't be proven... or so that Haliburton gets a nice big fat no bid contract.

Anyway, I asked, "Why not just teach boys and girls that there's more to life than sex?" I was completely ignored. There IS a way to avoid the nastiness of abortion and the chances of adoption ... teach people to be responsible. No one apparently wants that....

You know what I say? We should HAVE Sex Ed in schools... I mean, if someone can make ANYTHING sound unappealing and to drain anything remotely fun out of it, it's a public school teacher. I still have trouble reading full books.

 

[RedPiggy]

I also want to see more "parenting" classes in school. You know, the crying toy baby that won't shut up for 24 hours. Let kids realize what's REALLY coming their way. It's not just cooing over a kid in a stroller. Once they realize they're gonna have to feed the kid about every hour to two hours for a very long time, that might kill some of their desire to have one right away.

 

[Drtooth]

I wanna see a parenting class that teaches parents that it really ISN'T Chester Cheetah or Grimace's fault their kids lock themselves in their room with a case of Doritos, an X-Box, and 50 gallons of Mountain Dew every day after school.

 

[RedPiggy]

LOL ... reminds me of my mom. My babies (our Lab puppies) like to sit and stare at her when she eats, and she feels honor-bound to share her food. I'm like, "Uh, Mom? Just because someone wants something doesn't mean you give it. You're supposed to be higher than them on the ol' totem pole."

It's amazing I got through childhood ...