Obama lifts ban on abortion funds

[Monkeytrousers]

Well I never. He is a feminist!

Good for him. I don't get the whole 'women as unwilling incubators' thing.

That IS a good thing!

he is fucking doing what he said on the tin.

so far.

i am very happy indeed.

closing down the CIA blacksites and renditions also fantastic.

the fact that there was a ban in place beggars belief tbh.

hi bubble.

Hello yourself X

I think he's just great

well bush was very religious and anti abortion....so, to him it must have made sense...
to other people it was at the same level as the pope being anti Birth control in 3. world countries, etc...i.e. possibly not the best of ideas....

lets just hope Obama does make a difference long term...

just seen that, thank fuck for that.

Bush thought "oh yes we'll limit abortion in those countries by cutting funding".

his thick brain didn't tell him that by cutting that funding he was also cutting vital funding for family planning services in those countries too.

What I don't get with the pro life lobby in the UK is how the interest dries up once a woman gets to 24 weeks.

I also hate the waving of banners showing full term foetuses at a woman having an abortion at 8 weeks.

And, IME, most of the banner wavers are men.

wow. promising. so much hope. I am praying he doesn't fuck everything up, remember how hopeful i felt when Blair got in...

not ever been at a demonstration...so don't eally know...

as for te 24 week time point...I think it is that wishy washy point where a prem Baby can be viable now, etc....
I do believe, in general the earlier the better/less traumatic....but am hoping (for lack of a better word) that abortions after 24 weeks are generally for "very" good reasons (and by that time it rarely would be that it is not a good time, etc....not sure if that makes sense!

I do realise that it would be difficult to change the law and put time limits on and do the right thing....so, an open timing law is the less of the 2 "evils"!

FairLady.

The general thinking is that abortion should be provided 'As early as possible and as late as necessary.'

That said, I would like to see it lowered to 22 weeks unless there is a physical risk to the mother.

Like I said that is a difficult one...because, what would one do f a mother presesnts at 28 weeks, and knows whatever they know and they are sure they need the child aborted...

whilst I am personally not comfortable with that idea, BUT I would not be able to really make that decision for someone else.
Because what do you class as a physical risk...a mother who does not feel equipped for that child is, whilst this maybe completely psychologial, maybe not anymore physical equipped....i.e. she may feel suicidal (psychological)...but trying to commit suicide is physical and will put her life at risk aswell as the unborn life...so, it would give a shadowy line...
hence me saying that the current rule possibly is the one that legally is the "fairest"...not perfect....but workable...
however, counselling is something that money should be put into! (especially in western societies...where issues are different than other parts of the world)

Impartial counselling is the way to go, for sure.

Deffo not enough of that around.

I think often women aren;'t counseled at all...and that is sad...and I suppose that is appropriate anywhere....although, I don't know enough about 3. world culture to really know....

How long before a NeoConservative nut tries to assassinate him? Guantanomo Bay, CIA cells abroad, now abortion? The rightwing fanatics must be having mulitple strokes!

I love him for this. I think it is so so so important for women to have access to abortion should they need it, this makes me very happy indeed

Oh Ruty, I still think Blair did a good job. I know I am alone in thinking that on MN [gein]

I mean

I thought this video was interesting: pro-life protesters asked whether abortion should be illegal (they all said illegal of course) but they were then asked what the penalty should be for the woman who had an illegal abortion and they were all completely stumped.

It's like the actual woman involved just isn't even thought of at all - not even negatively. It's really odd.

notRubberAndNotADuck, you have hit the nail on the head there. It's all theory to them. They care SO passionately for a foetus, but simultaneously manage to completely dehumanise the mother.

Good man Obama. Those American Pro-lifers are worse than the Irish pro-lifers 30 yrs ago.

thing is though is that this wasn't just "abortion" funding. This directly affected family planning clinics across the 3rd world. Advice on contraception, abortion, antenatal care etc all offered at the same places.

It didn't just affect those who wanted a termination, if affected those with the same views as Bush and Co on abortion, those who simply wanted basic family planning advice and help. Was a bloody disgrace that the funding was cut in a bid to "reduce abortion figures", when it had a much wider reaching impact.