Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Behind the scenes: one "political" post to provoke thought


10 Questions a Pro-Choice Candidate Is Never Asked by the Media

1. You say you support a woman’s right to make her own reproductive choices in regards to abortion and contraception. Are there any restrictions you would approve of?
2. In 2010, The Economist featured a cover story on “the war on girls” and the growth of “gendercide” in the world – abortion based solely on the sex of the baby. Does this phenomenon pose a problem for you or do you believe in the absolute right of a woman to terminate a pregnancy because the unborn fetus is female?
3. In many states, a teenager can have an abortion without her parents’ consent or knowledge but cannot get an aspirin from the school nurse without parental authorization. Do you support any restrictions or parental notification regarding abortion access for minors?
4. If you do not believe that human life begins at conception, when do you believe it begins? At what stage of development should an unborn child have human rights?
5. Currently, when genetic testing reveals an unborn child has Down Syndrome, most women choose to abort. How do you answer the charge that this phenomenon resembles the “eugenics” movement a century ago – the slow, but deliberate “weeding out” of those our society would deem “unfit” to live?
6. Do you believe an employer should be forced to violate his or her religious conscience by providing access to abortifacient drugs and contraception to employees?
7. Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King, Jr. has said that “abortion is the white supremacist’s best friend,” pointing to the fact that Black and Latinos represent 25% of our population but account for 59% of all abortions. How do you respond to the charge that the majority of abortion clinics are found in inner-city areas with large numbers of minorities?
8. You describe abortion as a “tragic choice.” If abortion is not morally objectionable, then why is it tragic? Does this mean there is something about abortion that is different than other standard surgical procedures?
9. Do you believe abortion should be legal once the unborn fetus is viable – able to survive outside the womb?
10. If a pregnant woman and her unborn child are murdered, do you believe the criminal should face two counts of murder and serve a harsher sentence?

7 comments:

  1. Here goes nothing:
    1. You say you support a woman’s right to make her own reproductive choices in regards to abortion and contraception. Are there any restrictions you would approve of?
    - Personally, I would restrict it after the first trimester, unless in extreme circumstances (like the woman's life was in danger). This would differ a lot from many pro-choicers, but I feel at that point the woman has had enough time to consider her options.
    2. In 2010, The Economist featured a cover story on “the war on girls” and the growth of “gendercide” in the world – abortion based solely on the sex of the baby. Does this phenomenon pose a problem for you or do you believe in the absolute right of a woman to terminate a pregnancy because the unborn fetus is female?
    - I think this is an issue that many actually don't discuss. However, if we are going by my first answer, you wouldn't be able to make that decision because you would miss your chance. Many women don't find out the sex of their babies until they are in the second trimester. But, let's say that it was still legal to have an abortion into your second trimester-- you really have to trust that the woman carrying a fetus knows what's best-- leaving all religion aside. We are lucky enough to live in a country that is supposed to separate church and state-- meaning our religious beliefs should not dictate our governmental decisions. It would still be heartbreaking to see this happen, but I have to have faith in humankind to know what's best for their bodies.


    3. In many states, a teenager can have an abortion without her parents’ consent or knowledge, but cannot get an aspirin from the school nurse without parental authorization. Do you support any restrictions or parental notification regarding abortion access for minors?

    - This is hard to answer because I feel like parents should know, but at the same time...many of the girls who do not tell their parents, choose not to because their parents would not approve. Abortion is never an easy decision and it leaves lasting strain on your heart and mind, but so does an unwanted pregnancy and adoption if they choose that route.

    4. If you do not believe that human life begins at conception, when do you believe it begins? At what stage of development should an unborn child have human rights?

    - This is an question, although curious, there's no way to answer it without being a jerk. My stance is pro-choice, that's it. But if you must know....I believe that a fetus is a fetus. It's skin and nerves and a heart and fingernails, but it's not a functioning brain-- just like someone who is on life support. It cannot survive outside the mother's body without life support. The mother is the life support. So, to this I have to say-- until it's born alive. But, I would like to note that the idea of someone having an abortion in even the third trimester or later makes me want to vomit.

    Might I ask you to comment on these:

    - Why should a fetus have more rights than the woman carrying it?
    - How can a fetus have constitutional rights before it is born?




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  2. 5. Currently, when genetic testing reveals an unborn child has Down Syndrome, most women choose to abort. How do you answer the charge that this phenomenon resembles the “eugenics” movement a century ago – the slow, but deliberate “weeding out” of those our society would deem “unfit” to live?
    - This could resemble the eugenics movement, but there are a lot of other cruel things that happen in this world. I was taught that should I ever face this awful decision to think deep into my heart and into my ability to provide a good life for this fetus once it becomes a child. I think my decision would be (without being actually in this position) to abort because I know that life for people with down syndrome is hard and many are fine until their parents pass. People with down syndrome struggle, they are abused, and as much as I would like to be able to protect my child their whole life-- that sometimes isn't possible. I would like to think my fetus would be welcomed into heaven with open arms.

    6. Do you believe an employer should be forced to violate his or her religious conscience by providing access to abortifacient drugs and contraception to employees?
    - Do I believe that employers who feel this way should hire people with different beliefs? No. If you plan on hiring people with different beliefs, then you should be prepared.


    7. Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King, Jr. has said that “abortion is the white supremacist’s best friend,” pointing to the fact that Black and Latinos represent 25% of our population but account for 59% of all abortions. How do you respond to the charge that the majority of abortion clinics are found in inner-city areas with large numbers of minorities?

    - I think the bigger issue here is that education levels are lower, as are incomes. I don't think this is a race issue in context of abortion. I think it's a race issue in the context of access to a good education, good parenting, and better jobs.


    8. You describe abortion as a “tragic choice.” If abortion is not morally objectionable, then why is it tragic? Does this mean there is something about abortion that is different than other standard surgical procedures?
    - I think it's a tragic choice because of the opportunity it presents if carried full term. It's the idea of having a child that you bring into this world-- the light in his parent's eyes. It's not that you are killing an existing life, it's that you aren't giving life to someone when you have the opportunity. Many people can't have children, but you've found yourself in a situation where you can, but you don't want it for whatever reason. It's your right to decide what happens to your body, it's just a missed opportunity.


    9. Do you believe abortion should be legal once the unborn fetus is viable – able to survive outside the womb?
    No. I think once I fetus can survive outside the womb-- then abortion should no longer be legal.

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  3. 10. If a pregnant woman and her unborn child are murdered, do you believe the criminal should face two counts of murder and serve a harsher sentence?
    Ahh this is tricky. So, I'll give what I would think and it goes back to opportunity-- whether this would stand in a court of law, well...we'd have to see.

    I think the criminal, in my mind should, because that woman decided to keep her fetus-- and chose to have that opportunity to have a kid-- an opportunity that would be born as a child.

    The other side of it....well, no. That fetus wouldn't have survived on its own so some defense attorney would use that against the prosecutor.

    Here are some questions for you?

    How do we determine our death rate? Somewhere around half of all fertilized eggs naturally don’t implant in the uterine lining, and never develop into fetuses, let alone babies. Does our death rate just go up a few million with the passage of this amendment?


    Should fertilized eggs and embryos get social security numbers? What benefits should they be entitled to?sely because so many fertilized eggs don’t implant. Should we change this definition?

    If a woman intentionally terminates a pregnancy in a pro-life nation, how much time should she do? If a fetus is a person and a woman intentionally terminates the life of that fetus, should she go to jail? Be up for the death penalty? In almost any other circumstance, a person who intentionally kills another person — or who pays someone to do the killing for them — is prosecuted. Why should women who terminate pregnancies be exceptions? And if women who terminate pregnancies should be excepted because they just don’t know better, should the same hold true for women who intentionally kill their born children? For women who intentionally kill strangers?

    Forty-two percent of women who have an abortion have incomes below 100 percent of the federal poverty level (that’s $10,830 for a single woman with no children, if you’re counting). When women are forced to have children they cannot afford to raise, will those children become wards of the state or simply new Medicaid recipients? Where will the state find the money necessary to support them?





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  4. I think the biggest takeaway that Pro-Choicers believe is that we live in a world where nothing is certain. We don't really KNOW anything. But, what we do know is that we are each individual human beings with life, and brains, and feelings, and emotions. We've built up our way of living in the US as a way to protect each other from ourselves. By giving the government or any religious organization a say in what we can or cannot do-- is not right. There is no reason someone should be able to tell me that I must give birth to a fetus-- especially if I was raped, a victim or incest, or simply made a poor choice in life.

    I choose to refrain from organized religion, and rather encourage overall knowledge of various beliefs. I respect the beliefs of others, as long as they don't force them upon me. Many of the debates that occur today are based in religious beliefs and are an act of forcing religion. That's the root of it for me.

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  5. I think Pro-lifers constantly try to make pro-choicers look immoral. We have morals-- they are deeply rooted, but they may not necessarily come from the same religious beliefs that you have. I think the first commenter had it right-- While we would like to see some restrictions-- in the world we live in today-- we will never get everyone to agree. It's better to let people choose and give them guidelines. If we don't, we will live in a world that no one can do anything. How is that free? How is that in our best interest?

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  6. 1) i understand that by your definition a fetus is not a life during the first trimester. What changes? Would you say that to a couple who finally gets pregnant after years of trying: "well congrats on the ball of tissue in your uterus. are you looking forward to when it will actually be a baby?" I doubt it. Why is an unwanted pregnancy defined as different than a desired one? And why the difference in restrictions depending on the trimester if "it"isn't an actual life until birth?

    2) why should religion have any effect on the choice to abort a life based on gender? In our feminist culture women fight for their rights to be equal with men and for gender differences to not matter. So why would women then choose to abort based on gender? It seems contradictory. Whatever the case may be it seems to me a sad state of freedom to discriminate against people before they can even stand up for themselves! People in this country would throw a fit if this was done to even small children. whether it's a fetus or a baby, the fact is that this choice promotes gender bias on all levels. Is that what we want of our freedom?

    3) you bring up a good point later; that many people want children and aren't able to have them. With this in mind and, as you said, both abortion and pregnancy/adoption leaving emotional and physical scars, why not encourage woman to make the sacrifice to give life to a child and a loving family? Why would abortion be the better option? Perhaps the involvement of parents would help a confused teenager to ponder such questions without rushing into a decision based on emotion.

    4) would you say this to a pregnant mother who feels her child moving within her? Do you believe that a fetus is making involuntary movements? Or might it be possible that it's brain is working and the baby is actually reacting to it's environment (as many studies have proven)? As a side note, bringing up both the issues of abortion and (in your opinion) the futility of a person on life support brings us back to the dilemma of eugenics (q. 5) which originated in our cultural mindset through the philosophies of the Hitler/Stalin era.

    To comment on your two questions:
    1) why should a living soul have fewer rights because it has not yet developed to sustainably? Take this a step further and let's look at a newborn baby. A newborn cannot live without adult care (whether a nurse, doctor, mother or what-have-you). Therefore, the caretaker is still the baby's life support. Doors this mean the infant is still disposable? It's not about a mother's rights versus the fetus' rights. It's simply about life and death.
    2) why not? A born baby has constitutional rights though not able to contribute to society. It's still not about rights. It's about life

    5) do you know that studies have proven that unborn babies feel the physical pain of abortion? How is that the "kinder" decision? The parents of Downs syndrome children are blessed with a child who needs huge amounts of love. Yes, it's a challenge, but every day humans take on challenges to test themselves. Whether it's training for a more demanding job or building endurance for a marathon. We love challenges. The only difference is that it takes a wholly selfless type of love to care for these children. Wouldn't that be the most worthy challenge of all?

    6) why should an employer have any role in someone else's decision to abort their child?

    7) then it's an economic issue? I don't think it's appropriate to
    Assume that because someone is in a higher economic class they are better able to raise healthy and happy children

    8) I agree with your reasoning of why abortion is tragic. However, is it really so insignificant as a "missed opportunity"? And if it is so tragic, why participate in a cultural mindset that not only legalizes abortion but promotes it?

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  7. 10) here's a question for you: would that double murder be different if the pregnant woman was on her way to an abortion clinic?
    Your 1st question would solely rely on the definition of life; which you would state as life outside the womb. A pro-life person (the majority anyways) would define life as the growing child within the womb. If cells do not multiply Accordingly there is no pregnancy. Either way, eggs and embryos on their own do not constitute a growing baby and therefore this is a mute point.

    Abortion requires the involvement of (at the very least) a woman and her doctor. Many women don't understand all the details; doctors do. A woman who chooses an abortion will naturally experience physical and emotional consequences. In my opinion, that is plenty. The doctor however, should be held responsible for his/her choice to perform the abortion against said laws (if they existed). I would expect him/her to be treated as any other malpractice case.

    Women are not forced to raise children. If a woman decides that she is unable to raise her child in her current circumstances then she had the choice to ask for family participation or to give her child to a loving home.

    As a thought let's consider the many stories in our nation of remarkable people who have risen to prominent places from meager (even poverty-level) beginnings. Think of the things they learned along the way and how much more grateful they are for what they now have. Do they wish they had never been born simply because their childhood was difficult? What if their mothers had denied their lives simply because she didn't have ideal circumstances?

    Again, this idea also takes us back to eugenics and the idea that a government (thru law and influence ) should have the right to weed out those citizens who are deemed worthless or unable to contribute to society whether by race, gender, health or financial status.

    Is that the freedom we want for our children?

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