To be saddened that anyone would want to take away a woman’s right to safe abortion?

[Balayagequeen]

It makes me sad and angry that there are so many people who believe that a woman’s right to a termination is up for debate/political football.

It’s always privileged men too.

No woman should be forced to continue with a pregnancy that she doesn’t want.

An abortion is a very safe, simple procedure, it’s a personal and private choice, it’s discreet, no one is ramming it down anyone else’s throat or trying to persuade others to do it. The vast majority of the time is done very early on in the pregnancy. Evidence shows that there are no long term negative physical or mental effects on the woman.

As someone who works for children’s services, there are already far too many children in the care system and they can end up deeply traumatised, and having poor outcomes in life, adoptions often don’t work out and even when they do can be extremely traumatic for both the mother and child. That is not to take away from all of the wonderful adoptive parents and foster carers, but please let’s not romanticise it.

Most adoptions are because the birth parents are unable to care for the child, not because the mother willingly gave the baby up. Therefore to force a woman to give birth would potentially be the worse option for the woman, the child and any existing siblings. It isn’t a fairytale ending where a woman willingly gives up her baby to a loving couple to live happily ever after.

There are babies conceived in poverty, domestic abuse, rape, teenage pregnancies, older age pregnancies. These women should not be forced to give birth, it is not the better option for anyone.

If abortion was ever restricted in the western world then I have no doubt that it would result in unsafe illegal abortions, risking the woman’s life.

Women take all the risk with pregnancy and childbirth. They take an enormous toll on a woman body, her mental health, her life outcomes. We are not living in the dark ages, women deserve the choice.

What right does any privileged male who has probably never experienced any of these things and has probably done very little child rearing, who can never conceive or give birth, have to try to restrict a women’s access to abortion?

Are they themselves going to care for the babies born? Or will they expect that someone else will do it?

What is hilarious about the 'but all the poor women who regret their abortions' trope is that the antis are all about women who have sex 'accepting the consequences', but if someone has an abortion and struggles with it, they don't have to accept the consequences of the CHOICE they made, and deserve buckets of sympathy. Again - you can't have your cake and eat it.

If anything women are too unselfish and put others first too much.
Since abortion at that stage isn't even a thing, why do you bang on about it or care what another poster feels about it?

I don't have a problem with reasonable medical regulations restricting late term abortions, but that requires that abortion is readily available and affordable so women can terminate early. It would be stupid to simultaneously restrict access and have term limits.

In the latest figures I can find, 0.1% of abortions were after 24 weeks.

They were generally either because the mothers life was at risk, or because the child would be born severely disabled and not survive.

Are we suggesting women should birth babies who they know will die, just to full term? Or are we suggesting those women should have just died?

It’s a red herring argument, and if you want to discuss it - either of the above options are barbaric.

Your point makes no sense. So a woman a week before she is term (I think that's what was referred to) decides she doesn't want to have her baby so takes drugs to induce her labour (because that's what will happen). Her baby would be born alive at that gestation. I don't get what you are trying to prove?

Evidence that women legally abort at term, please?

Because that actually doesn't happen unless there is a serious medical emergency, and even then it's usually about inducing labour relatively early at that stage.

And your demand that women sacrifice themselves for others all the time smacks of deeply ingrained misogyny. Why should women be slaves to a pregnancy they do not want? Why shouldn't men have to put others first, for example?

They don’t have as much worth as the woman carrying them. Their worth is dependant on if SHE wants them.

And a line has to be drawn somewhere as to when a baby is equal to other humans. The moment of birth is a pretty good line. When would YOU have them considered equal.

Do pro abortion until born really think that a woman can do whatever she wants to an unborn child? That they can be eternally selfish just because? Surely sometimes we need to put others first?

And a woman can put her fetus first if she wants. But she doesn’t have to. And her life trumps the fetuses every time

When you say do anything to an unborn child what do you mean?? Give an example please.

Aaah, most women have a pessary and have to expel the fetus which is usually painful and likely unpleasant.

But honestly if women have no emotions, sorrow or regret for their abortions, more power to them. I hope women aren’t feeling any more sorrowful or uncomfortable than they have to be! I also hate the notion that women should constantly apologise and grovel over their actions. It just shows the pro life movement is steeped in misogyny

I wonder if men would put their life and self worth equal to that of a feotus. So the male leaders in our government are worth as much as a feotus. Interesting

Why ? If you don't agree with abortion no-one is forcing you to have one. Your point of view doesn’t harm anyone. But the minute you’re holding up placards outside abortion clinics you are harming people by forcing your own views on them at a time when they’re vulnerable.

If men were able to get pregnant, abortion would be legal in all circumstances and birth control would be universally free.

God this is so scary!

Britain, mother of liberalism, democracy and women's rights, 2025, we're having Tommy Robinson protests, Reform almost getting into power and women advocating for making abortions illegal. It's like a bad nightmare, please wake me up.

In an emergency we try to save the woman. We try to save the baby too but if the woman's life is at risk we will deliver a baby early, even if it's too early to survive.

Then it would be born wouldn’t it ? At that stage the pregnancy would be induced and there would be a live birth.

Absolutely it would. They'd just see it as something they need to do to make everyones life better. Its absolutely not being selfish. Women do plenty for others, being carers etc. We must remember that so, when politicians are giving their opinion on anti abortion, that it means that their opinion is worth as much as a foetus' opinion. Good to remember 😏

Care to share why?
Also are you anti abortion for you? Or do you believe you have an opinion on what decisions other women make about their bodies and their lives?

It actually has huge implications if an adults life is equal to that of a foetus. And if their life (and that of children) is considered equal, we need to treat them as such, respect a baby's opinion as much as our boss's etc. Surely it can't be a good idea regarding their life as equal. We do our best to respect kids etc and aren't doing too bad at all but there is a limit surely

@pointythings

What is wrong with having empathy for someone regretting their decision?
It’s nothing about having your cake and eating it. What a strange choice of words.
If someone feels they have made the wrong decision, they will live with regret. Should we make their life worse by saying ‘serves you right’? Is that what you do if your loved one makes a wrong decision?

Haven't read the full thread, so apologies if this has already been covered.
A question for all anti abortion or pro life people here. What about rape victims? Ehat about vulnerable pr mentally unwell women and girls who are coerced into sex, not understanding the possible outcome of becoming pregnant? Or being told of they don't allow the attacked to impregnate them, x, y or z will happen to them/their familes/the world? What about children who are forced into underage marriages? What about trafficked children? What about children raped in their own homes? Or kidnapped and raped?

Also, again if this has been covered, still making my way through the thread... but are the anti/pro lot here thinking that men should have an opinion on women's bodies and choices?

Also, putting my hard hat on here. So feel free to come for me.
I've had two abortions. One, because I was raped in my late teens by someone I thought was a friend. Morning after pill failed, and I could not have brought that baby into the world.
Second time, it was a much planned, much hoped for and loved, with my husband. Unfortunately it was an ectopic pregnancy and I would have died, the "baby" would have never survived. The pregnancy was viable.
Should I have battled out both pregnancies?

I wouldn't dream of saying 'serve you right'. I would support making counselling more easily available. However, abortion regret must not be weaponised to chip away at abortion rights - which is one of the many tactics the antis like to use. That's all I meant.

So if law allowed it then a termination a day or a week before due date for healthy baby & mother is ok? What about a month ? Or two?

No one wants to come for you, stop being dramatic

Nope, they don’t. If they are anti abortion, they can stay celibate unless TTC with a willing partner. Or they can have a vasectomy.

Mother’s life takes precedence over foetus .