What ethical Issues are involved in abortion?

You are on a roll today Kayte!!! Anyway, my opinion is that it is wrong, yet it still should be available as an option. I know that sounds hypocritical but let me explain. I, myself, would never consider abortion for one nanosecond. There is no way that I could live with myself after taking a human life out of existence. If I did find myself pregnant unwontedly, I would give it up for adoption or at least foster care. But at the same time, I believe firmly in "Judge not lest ye be judged." I cannot fault another woman for making the choice to kill a baby. I have no business telling her what to do with her body. God will judge her in the end, and not only is it out of my hands, it was never in mine to begin with This is why I look at all these religious groups that protest in front of abortion clinics as hypocrites. Did you all forget that God gave each and every one of us free will? Do you not know that everyone will not choose God or his way? God doesn't even attempt to force us to do his will, why do so many try to do exactly that. This will come up in their judgment day, and they are the ones that will have to deal with their choices, I say leave them be.

I'm always hearing about women using abortion as birth control but I must admit I'm skeptical about that. I'm certainly not accusing you or anyone else of being untruthful, and I've not doubt it's know to happen now and then, I just wonder where the information is coming from that this is a common occurrence. To put it as simply and to the point as possible, my ethical opinion on this issue is that it's not for me to say or to give my opinion on such a personal issue. I'm beyond the point in my life where I could ever be faced with making such a choice but I'm pretty certain I could never have had an abortion myself. I said "pretty certain" because there are so many situations one could be face with and how can I say for sure about something when I've never been through it? I've always believed in and practiced personal responsibility and I'd love it if everyone else did the same, but we don't live in a perfect world and "stuff happens" even to the most responsible people. Sometimes what was an ideal situation to have a baby one day turns into a nightmare the next. One person's minor inconvenience may be another's nightmare, we're all different and our circumstances are often different even if they seem very similar on the surface. OK, I haven't been so brief, have I? To sum it up I'll say what I've said for years: I believe abortion should be legal, safe and rare. Annie

PastorKayte, After reading some of the responses I see that you are being attacked for your beliefs and for that I am very sorry. I don't have the same stand on abortion that you do; but I most certainly respect you for yours. I loved the views of the first responder, but then was a bit put off by the "judgment" factor. Even though that poster says they are not judging, but leaving it up to God to judge, I still "felt" a degree of superiority in that attitude. I will most certainly apologize if I am wrong. As to the responder who shouted that 4-5 abortions over the course of a lifetime isn't a lot, I have got to say, "WHAT?" If all the methods of birth control mentioned aren't working, I would suggest an in-depth discussion with my physician. I am not coming from a superior attitude here. I am coming from a stunned attitude. I agree with her that all of the things she mentioned that may cause a woman to seek an abortion can happen to any woman at any time; but I find it a bit irrational to think that they all could happen to the same woman over the course of her fertile lifetime. If they did, I would think that woman should have learned at least after the first 2 abortions that an abortion is not a pleasant experience. An ethical opinion is what you have asked for and I am sorry that I have just ranted in retaliation. At least my rants have been equally spread. I have ranted because one who disagrees totally with abortion, in my opinion, went too far over the line. And, I have ranted because one who is in totally agreement with abortion, in my opinion, went too far over the line. Using those as examples, I think you can safely see that I do not have a "firm" stand on abortion. As I get older, the more open-minded to all views I seem to become. Working in the mental health field and knowing that a mother can tell if her unborn child may have severe mental health combined with physical health problems during early stages of pregnancy, and be given the option to terminate that pregnancy, could be a blessing. Most of these women are in their 40s. While they know that THEY would love the child unconditionally, they also are aware that they are going to die before the child and leave the care of that child to someone else who will not love him/her the way that they did. They have the responsibility of deciding if they want to pass this child in an adult's body (who most certainly cannot care for even some of his/her most basic needs) on to a sibling or into the care of a group home. As I said, from my experience working in a mental health setting, if it were me, I would opt for an abortion. If a girl 15 or under is raped - I would opt for an abortion. Her body had not developed enough to carry or deliver a child. If the mother's health is so fragile that she cannot carry a child, I would opt for an abortion. If the mother is HIV/Aids positive, I would opt for an abortion. There are several reasons, in my opinion, that abortion is the best viable way. It is not only the best way for the mother, but in some cases for the unborn child as well. There are also many, many, many reasons to carry a child to full term and deliver. There are so many people wanting to adopt and love a baby that the mother could be the blessing they have been looking for. There is also the possibility that even though the mother thought she did not want to be pregnant or to be saddled down with a child, when glancing at that new born babe, when that tiny hand wraps itself around her fingers for the first time, or when those eyelashes flutter, she is overcome with a love so powerful that she thinks, "Oh, I thought I knew all about love, but I had no idea what it was until just this moment!" and decide to keep the baby that she had wanted to dispose of. Ethics, love, circumstances, opinions???? Just my meanderings ~Donna

I'm 39, and I must admit that I don't know how 20 somethings think. But i have to say that I have never in my life known a single woman who has used abortion as a form of birth control. And I did live a wild life in my youth. I know that the women(even women that I was friend with in my teens) had some form of birth control. If they became pregnant, they thought over the issue. And abortion in the 80's was easier than it is today. Generally, before the second week after discovering they were pregnant, they got the procedure. It was for their life and their future. Let's face it. Most young women who get knocked up do not finish hs, much less college. I have never, ever known a woman who has had to have more than one abortion. Are these personal experiences or things you have heard. I'm not doubting you, by any means. but in this day of laziness amoung young people, I would think they would find it easier to take a pill a day than to interrupt their video games to go to the clinic. My mind says that you must be mistaken. I think this is anticdotal and perhaps you need to talk with real women who have had to abort.

Abortion is an absolutely wrong and it is a crime of murder. And absolutely I am not favor for this. And I think the fetus have life and like us she/he have a right to see this wonderful world.

You said, that you believe abortion is wrong, butI am a Christian pastor and that should be my stand. If you were not a Christian pastor, would you still believe that abortion was wrong? I am a Christian and I don't believe it is wrong just because I am a Christian, I see it as murder.

hello i'm new here, amd i'm from argentina werere young and very young girls do that to. well i don't think is rigth to have an abortion because as birth control, but i don't think that abortion is wrong, what i think is that it depens of the situation, for example theres a woman who works whit my boyfriens and she is pregnant, but the fetus has a cardiac afection and doctors tell her that in the moment of the birth that baby will die,thats is a good reazon to have an abortion, right? but she was unable to doet because is illegal. now all i know is that i never have one because my conciousness will kill me but i'm not against