kikifromscotland
But the thing about 'control' in pregnancy is actually about bodily autonomy which is different from the control over what you put in your mouth. That foetus is going to inhabit you for 9 months and potentially cause you distress. leech valuable minerals like calcium from your body, act as a parasite draining you, cause you to have to take low paid time off work or make it difficult to get a job, give rise to many medical conditions, and you may have to be sliced open to get it out of you. In certain ways the foetus will 'harm' you and therefore it's the balance of the harm of a sentient being versus the harm of a (possibly) non-sentient one. This is completely different from meat eating where the human is unharmed (except that they may get a heart attack if they do eat the meat!) and a sentient being is harmed.
Animals have been proven to feel pain. Early stage foetuses almost certainly cannot feel pain. People think very emotionally on this issue and imagine an actual formed baby, but at the earliest points in fact all you have is a clump of cells. I am pro-choice with the position that women who are going to abort should do so at the earliest possible point.
Imagine that a non-human animal parasite took up residence in your stomach and was parasitic in your body. You got this parasite by swimming in a pool where the parasite lived, and although you knew the risks you also ensured that the risk was extremely low by wearing a special swimsuit that in 99% of cases ensures that you will not get that parasite. You went swimming because it was a fun, enjoyable activity, and you only get one life so you didn't want to miss out on the joys of it. However now you have this parasite, and it makes you uncomfortable to know it is there, living off of you. You also know that at this point it is highly unlikely the parasite is sentient and able to feel pain, however as it matures it will grow to be so, and once sentient, it will burst from your body in a way harmful and injurious, and even potentially fatal to you. However removing the parasite, while a simple, low risk procedure to you, will be fatal to it. Would you wait until it burst out or have it removed? What if you were pushed into the pool?
I'm not at all antinatalist and believe that babies once born are a wonderful blessing but I also believe that it's much better for abortions to take place early on than for a new sentient being to be born with a potential negative impact on his or her parents, his or her siblings, and his or herself. There are far too many unwanted kids waiting to get adopted in the UK and plenty of 'pro lifers' who don't actually think about the misery of those lives of the kids in foster care or childrens homes with nobody to love them unconditionally and nobody they can count on no matter what.
Here are some scenarios where I would see abortion as appropriate, what do you think?
1. A woman who has a physical, compulsive sex addiction, as well as a number of other emotional problems, including suffering from depression, panic attacks and having difficulty caring for herself, arrives at the doctor saying that although she has been having counselling for her addiction, she still slips up, and she has done so recently resulting in her now being pregnant. She tells the doctor that she needs to have a termination as she cannot cope mentally with a pregnancy or making any decisions for another person- she can barely look after herself. The doctor can see that being pregnant is causing her a great deal of stress and anxiety. However the doctor does point out that she may want to think longer about her decision or consider having the baby and giving the child up for adoption. At this point she freaks out and tells the doctor that if he 'won't get this thing out of her' she'll do it herself with a knitting needle.
2. A 14 year old girl attends catholic school, where there is no sex education, and her parents are very strict and don't let her watch TV or use the internet and monitor what books she reads. She has heard stories from the other girls but she still doesn't really understand what sex is and is afraid they will make fun of her if she asks. She meets a boy at church and they go for a walk together one day- he tells her he likes her a lot, and kisses her. She likes him too and is really excited to be his girlfriend. She goes round to his house one evening to do homework, and when she gets there his parents are out. He tells her he loves her and that if she loves him she will sleep with him, because that's how you show love. She isn't sure and thinks it might be wrong but he assures her it's not. She gives in in the end, and feels ashamed afterwards. The boy doesn't contact her again. In three months time, she notices she has been missing periods and is being sick a lot- her mum takes her to the doctor, who says she is pregnant. Her parents are horrified and really angry- they say that once the baby is born they will look after it, and she'll have to go to boarding school. She is scared and confused, and doesn't want this to happen, and she confides in a teacher, who tells her it would be difficult for her to raise the child herself at her age- what's more, it will be difficult to finish school if she has to be a single parent. She doesn't want a baby yet and feels too young.
3. A married couple decide the man should have a vasectomy, as due to their health problems, limited income, and the fact they are now in their mid 40s and already have grown children, they don't feel they can handle any more. The man has the vasectomy and the doctor neglects to tell them that it might not have worked. The woman gets pregnant, and shortly after this her husband is diagnosed with lung cancer. The idea of trying to raise a child while going into her 50s and 60s, and trying to support and care for her husband at the same time, and possibly having to raise the child alone if the worst should happen, makes her very distressed. She discusses things with her husband, and he wants her to make the decision based on what she wants. She doesn't want a baby.
4. A single mother of two young children, recently abandoned by her partner, meets a new guy who seems really sweet. They date for a while and then have sex, using protection. After a few weeks, they split up. She discovers that despite using protection she is pregnant and she contacts the father but he isn't interested. She is upset because she wants to do the best for her two current children and is working hard at her job to try and give them a decent standard of life, and she's not sure if the maternity pay will be enough to pay the bills and rent. She decides to keep the baby anyway. Later in the pregnancy she goes for a scan and the doctor tells her that her baby is severely disabled and likely to require round the clock care. She is really upset as she knows this will mean her two children will not be able to get much of her time and attention, the family will have to go on benefits, they will suffer for the mistake she has made.
5. A woman is in an abusive relationship which she doesn't know how to get out of. She is terrified of her husband and doesn't object to having sex with him for fear he will hurt her. She becomes pregnant and fears he will be abusive to the child once born. At the same time she now feels like it's too much of a challenge to try and leave him, if she not only has to try and get herself settled, well and safe, but also has to deal with another life as well. She thinks she will be emotionally detached from the child as it will be part of him, and she feels trapped and thinks she will be unable to ever move on if she always has to have part of her abuser with her.
6. A woman is an alcoholic and drinks heavily, she occassionally uses crack cocaine. She often has black outs, and when she ends up pregnant she assumes it occured during one such blackout. She is not inclined to take any action relating to the pregnancy, but her sister insists on taking her to the doctor. The doctor gives general advice regarding her options, but does tell her that with the alcohol and cocaine use the baby is likely to have problems including probably FAS. She agrees with the doctor that she would be unlikely to take care of the baby.
That's just a few scenarios off the top of my head, there are many more including the obvious rape scenario. Just wanted to point out that in general it's not promiscuous young girls wildly sleeping around with no protection and no regards to the consequences.
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