Yeh, Ok. Some of you who already Know the Answer to that Question are going to Think that that is such a Silly Question, yet I've just Recently been Informed that the Question "Is Abortion Legal?" is Typed into the Google Search Engine Globally 90,500 Times Monthly and Locally 60,500 Times Monthly. So there are a lot of People who do not seem to Know, so here is my Response.
Are you Kidding? Of Course it's Legal, but many People here in the United States Feel that it should not be. Here is the Story...
During Most of America's History, Abortion was Outlawed as the Wrongful Taking of an Innocent Life. In the Mid-1800s, State Legislatures began Passing Strict Bans on Abortion and by the End of the 19th Century, Nearly every State had Laws Strictly Prohibiting Abortion.
In 1973, there was a Supreme Court Case Known as Roe vs. Wade, in which the Court Ruled that State Laws Banning Abortion were Unconstitutional. This Decision was Based on the Idea that the Woman's Right to Privacy was Legally more Important than the the Rights of Unborn Children. The Supreme Court Ruled that Unborn Children were not "Persons" and thus, were not Entitled to any Rights Under our Constitution. As the Result of this Ruling, Laws Banning Abortion in 40 States were Instantly Nullified and the Rights to Life of Unborn Children were no Longer Protected. Every Year since then, over one Million Legal Abortions have been Preformed in the United States.
This is not a Court Decision, however, that all Americans Agree with. Many People, Including Christians, are Appalled by how Easy it is to Get an Abortion and by the Legal Protection of what has been Called "Abortion on Demand", which is Basically the Right for a Woman to Get an Abortion for even the Smallest of Reasons. Sure there was a Clause in the Ruling that Relates to the Woman's Health, yet the Description of what this means and the Definition of the Word "Health" was so Broad that it basically Allowed for "Abortion on Demand", as I have just Described.
Ironically, the Same Groups that now Defend the Right of a Woman to Choose, "Pro-Choice", were the Same Groups that Stood Against it just Over a Century ago. In the Late 1800s, Mainstream Newspapers, such as the New York Times, Worked to Expose the Negatives of Abortion. Early Feminists, such as Susan B. Anthany and Elizabeth Stanton Condemned the Practice as a Evil that Victimized Women. Even the Professional Medical Community Lobbied for Anti-Abortion Legislation in the 1800s.
Perhaps I'll Post more Later on Different Court Cases in our History that Relate to this Subject, yet for now, I just Wanted to Get something Out there in Response to a Question that Apparently 90,500 of you are Asking.
If you Want to Know more about the Pro-Life Side of this Issue, here are some other Posts that I have done on the Subject, with Discussions of the Subject in the Comment Sections. For the Pro-Choice Side, well....there are lots of other Web Pages, so that you can Learn Both Sides of this Issue, but Please do not Only Read the Other Side. Here is my Take on the Issue.
Abortion & Fetal Development
Abortion & Do What I Want with "MY OWN BODY"
Abortion & Rape
Abortion & State Sovereignty
Biased Science because of Politics
Abortion & Pregnancy Options Analogy
Premature Baby Fawn Survives in an Incubator
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11 comments:
Abortion is as old as recorded history, at least the pharmaceutically induced type. Interesting, in
an ironic way; the ancient Greeks
prohibited abortion, but tolerated and even encouraged the practice of exposing the newborn (infanticide) if deformed or unwanted. Ironic in a 'fourth
trimester' sort of way....
Yeh, People have made a lot of Irrational Decisions and Policies over the Years. Perhaps they thought it was Wrong to Kill or Destroy something that Might be Healthy, yet not Wrong to Kill that which is not.
Our Understanding of Fetal Development has really Increased over the Years, though, so we can no Longer Conclude that the Fetus is something that is not actually Alive yet, or somehow not Human. It is most Definitely a Baby and not "just a Cluster of Cells".
The Very Fact that some Cultures Over the Years have Supported Out Right Infanticide is Evidence to the Fact that it is Possible for People to Desensitize themselves to what they are Actually doing, but this is not as Easily done as it may Appear. Most of the Girls who go through this Procedure Feel Numb while it is Happening and Many of them Cry about it Later. Some even Develop a Set of Symptoms of an Emotional Condition that has been Called Post Abortion Syndrome.
All I basically Ask for Politically is that Women are Informed of these Things so that they are Aware of the Seriousness of what they are Doing. It's called Informed Consent and Many States are quite Sloppy in their Laws relating to this, especially California.
"Perhaps they thought it was Wrong to Kill or Destroy something that Might be Healthy, yet not Wrong to Kill that which is not."
..never thought of that. I DID think of the mother who placed her newborn in a reed basket back in those days....
That was Moses and it was for the Sake of Hiding and Protecting the Baby because the Pharaoh had Ordered all the Babies Killed because the Israelite Slaves were becoming too Numerous for the Pharaoh to Keep Under Control. In this Case, Mass Murder was done for the Sake of Control.
Yes, there has been a lot of Infanticide throughout History.
Perhaps..I was thinking of the
tale of Sargon the king of Akkad:
"Sargon, strong king, king of Agade, am I. My mother was a high priestess, my father I do not know. My paternal kin inhabit the mountain region. My city (of birth) is Azupiranu, which lies on the bank of the Euphrates. My mother, a high priestess, conceived me, in secret she bore me. She placed me in a reed basket, with bitumen she caulked my hatch. She abandoned me to the river from which I could not escape. The river carried me along: to Aqqi, the water drawer, it brought me. Aqqi, the water drawer, when immersing his bucket lifted me up. Aqqi, the water drawer, raised me as his adopted son. Aqqi, the water drawer, set me to his garden work. During my garden work, Istar loved me (so that) 55 years I ruled as king."
..that was 1000 years before Moses, so the practice must be
ancient.
Interesting. It's Quite Similar to the Moses Story isn't it, in that Moses was Raised by the Pharaoh's Daughter and was therefore a Prince?
He Fled Egypt, though, after Finding Out that he was in Reality a Hebrew and in Rage, Killed an Egyptian that was Beating a Hebrew Slave. Moses, therefore Fled for his Life, yet he Later Came Back to Egypt, at God's Calling, and Challenged the Pharaoh, who was Actually his Adopted Brother and the End Result was the Deliverance of the Children of Israel (That is the Hebrew Slaves) Out of Egypt.
That's Off Subject, though, isn't it? The Original Point was that Moses was Put in the Basket and Floated Down the River for the Sake of Escaping Infanticide.
There was Infanticide in Bethlehem too at the Time of Jesus' Birth. This was Done by King Herod and Interestingly, Joseph and Mary Took Jesus and Fled to Egypt.
Sorry, have problems staying on subject. Along those lines, are
you still counseling pregnant teens? ..and are young desperate
girls easier to convince than arguing with diehards on the blogs?
Actually, I'm not any more, yet I Learned Quite a lot while I was there. We weren't Really Allowed to Talk Politics with them. Though Pro-Life is our Focus, we were Taught to Focus on the Needs of the Girls and not to just Preach at them about Pro-Life Ideas, for Preaching is not what Counselors do.
Our Main Focus was to Make sure that they did, In Fact, Understand ALL of the Facts and not just those that will be Told to them by those who Support the Idea of Abortion. We Talked to them about Fetal Development, Adoption and Parenting, as well as Post Abortion Syndrome. We were Honest with them about some of the Risks of Abortion and we Wanted to Make sure that No One was Pressuring them to Have an Abortion.
We also Talked about Abstinence on Occasion and Shared Information about STDs.
Unfortunately, many of these Girls had Already Made up their Minds before Coming to the Center, yet I do Think that there were those who wanted to Keep their Baby that were Glad for our Support.
I was Surprised at how Many of them wanted to Keep their Baby, rather than Consider Adoption. Adoption was Like the Forgotten Option, which seems really Odd to me.
I didn't do the Post Abortion Counseling, but there was someone at our Facility that did and I Understand that that can be Quite Emotional.
The Girls have to Learn how to Mourn the Loss, as well as Forgive Themselves and Realize that God also Forgives them. Sometimes it is even Theraputic to Give the Aborted Child a Name and then have a Funeral Service in their Honor. What ever it Takes to Find Healing.
Yes, it is odd that the adoption option seems rare. I know of one
recent case, but most adoptees I'm
familiar with are foreign babies.
Hopefully some counsellors will point out that adoption can turn
out remarkably well .
There has been a lot of Misinformation Put Out there about Adoption. People Think that this is a Decision of Abandonment and that Only a "Bad Person" would do such a Thing, yet in some Situations in which there is not enough Money or Family Support or in which the Pregnant Teen is not Emotionally Stable Enough to Handle Raising the Child, Placing the Baby for Adoption is a Much More Loving Thing to do and it is also a Very Noble and Brave Thing to do.
People Equate Love with Attachment and not with Reason. For Example, Deciding to Keep the Baby, Because of "Love" (That is because I Feel Attached to it) is not the Same as Placing for Adoption because of Love (That is, Because it is the Best Thing, not only for me, but also for the Child).
I Fail to see how Abortion can Possibly be more of an Act of Love then Adoption. You have got to be Kidding!
The Truth is that there are Long Lines of People Waiting for Years for the Chance to Adopt a Baby. The Truth is that the Perspective Parents are Carefully Screened and the Pregnant Teen gets to Choose which of these Parents that she wants for her Child. The Truth is that Many of these Adoptions are way more Open then they Used to be, and Notes, Letters, Cards and Pictures can be Passed back and Forth between the Adopted Parents and the Birth Mother and then Later the Adopted Child.
Usually, this is Done through the Adoption Agency and the Actual Addresses of the Parties is Kept Confidential. In the Most Open of Arrangements, though, the Birth Mother Actually has a Relationship with the Adopted Parents and the Child, is Invited to Holiday Celebrations and is Introduced as an Aunt until the Child is Old enough to Understand who this Person Actually is. Of Course, the Involved Parties Need to Agree on how Open or Closed they want the Adoption to be.
What most of these Girls do not Realize is that Adoption can Actually be a Way more Positive Arrangement then they have ever Imagined.
People Adopt Foreign Babies because they become Impatient Waiting for the Americans Ones, for the Waiting List is Very Long.
Your Link is Very Interesting, BB. I don't Think that that would Happen any more, though, for I am Quite Certain that if a Girl Knows who and where the Father is that he has to be Notified before the Adoption can Take Place.
Fathers Actually have more Rights in Relation to Adoption then they do in Relation to Abortion. Strange, huh?
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