Rethinking My Stance concerning Abortion - Mea Culpa

[Wisc Badger]

Yesterday in another Abortion post/thread I indicated that I thought that the Roe V Wade decision had been badly reasoned.

I must today apologize for my statments, you see I did not take the time to think it completly through like I should have.

I am a recovering Republican and come from a conservative background and I knee jerked my opinion and I should not have.

I think that abortion is a very serious matter and making a decision to terminate a pregnancy can never be an easy one. I also think that a male can never completly understand a abortion decision since he:

a: Can not get pregnant and therefor can not experience or relate to all that goes into a woman carrying a child to term.

b: Does not understand what it means to be a woman bringing a child into a world that may not be able to be cared for correctly.

This does not mean that men do not or should not have a outlook on the issue only that a male can not relate to it as well as a female IMHO.

I have been exposed to much commentary and teaching/preaching that states that Roe was/is bad law.

I have a grand total of one Constitutional issues class in my lifetime and that one slanted the Roe decision as I indicated.

I have a terrible feeling that it (abortion) like so much else in life that I have learned in the last 3 - 5 years is much more of a grey area than black and white, good or bad.

I have learned that to make a sweeping judgement on something is to most likely be wrong about it.

I am truly sorry about my knee jerk reaction and I received many thought full posts in reply to my original post.

Thank you DU universe I do so enjoy the interaction on this site.


:dunce:

[MidwestTransplant]

1. No need to appologize. You were expressing your opinion

and that's what the board is here for.

Welcome by the way.

[demnan]

2. Here's my take on this issue

A person's body is their own realm and this is not a decision that needs government interference. I look at this as a civil rights issue. A fetus is not a human being and is still part of a woman's body. On the other hand, abortion is an extremely painful decision on a woman's part, and if she would like other options, I'm all for providing them. Why can't the "pro-life" people offer these options without threat of cohersion or intimidation. If they want to offer adoption services or help for new mothers, that's also fine with me, but don't intimidate women and deny them their rights.

[bluestateguy]

3. I am pro-choice, but I believe a good liberal CAN be anti-abortion

As long as that person is really pro-life and not just pro-birth: anti-war in Iraq, anti-death penalty, pro-national health care, pro-education and pro-drug treatment.

[Warpy]

4. Wow

Well, nobody said you had to like abortion. In fact, I don't think any of us do, not even the ones who have chosen to go through it. It is expensive, embarrassing, and very painful. It may also be necessary.

However, the bottom line should always be that antiabortion laws kill women. That is their only effect. They stop safe abortions and put the procedure into the hands of butchers.

The most we can do is make it as rare as possible by adequate sex education, adequate and freely available birth control, living wages, and economic and social support for women who are abandoned as soon as they become pregnant. All these things will reduce the need for the procedure, although they won't stop it entirely.

[distantearlywarning]

5. That rocks, Wisc. Badger!

Abortion is a grey issue for many of us on both sides of the fence. I consider myself barely pro-choice and don't like the fanatics on the left or the right. One thing I wish that we could all do is think about this issue in a reasoned and just way - a lot of times it seems like both sides are completely polarized, don't listen to what the other is saying, and have an immediate crazy knee-jerk response. I would also like to see more attention paid to the science behind this issue.

Don't know about anyone else, but I'll make you a deal - I'll listen carefully to what you say and consider it if you'll do the same for me. We can be two grey people in a black-and-white country.

[Wisc Badger]

6. I never want to see a Woman miss treated or damaged

I just can not stand it, and if the lack of abortion laws would cause this, than COUNT ME AGAINST IT!

I am convinced that abortion is not an easy choice, I also want that choice to be available to women (although regulation concerning clinic cleanleness, and proper training of providers would seem to me to be allowable).

I also want to be a good christian but what do I accomplish as a church by forcing unwanted or dangerous pregnancies to term?

I am also not comfortable with abortion being used as just another type of birth control. I would rather the government provide/fund birth control options for both men/women.

AGAIN IS STATE: NO HARM TO WOMEN!

[mcscajun]

7. You are truly awesome!

Great post…it's rare to see someone allow us into his thought process like that.

[Jackie97]

8. Well, I guess I can identify with that one.

I also come from a conservative background and sometimes do the same things.

Welcome to DU.

[Wisc Badger]

9. You people on this site are

THE GREATEST!!!:cry:

[MichiganVote]

10. Well you know, clear back at the start of this country, abortion

was an accepted form of population control by some of the settlement groups, including the Quakers at one time.