A Possible Solution to many Abortion Issues

Saying that the information out there does nothing for kids who have no access to it, though. About 25% of 11 year olds have a consensual sexual experience now. With this being more common, telling kids at an earlier age about sex and sexual congress of any kind is even more important for schools to engage in because parents don't, or won't, or when they do throw bullshit like abstinence-only at them. This, when the statistics show that abstinence-only education doesn't work.

"We" in the proverbial sense of the word, in regards to Paganism and my experience and conversation with people in the community is that the community has a far more healthy and health-conscious way of relating to sex than most other walks of faith. We raise them healthy in sexual education by being forward and honest about sex, sexual education and raising our children not to revile their bodies, but to treat them as sacred, because they themselves deserve that treatment.

It begins with the parents, guardians, school, religion, etc., and ends in the individual's, a child or not, choice. If you do not give an individual the necessary information to make an informed choice, if you do not give the individual the support structure with which to make a good, informed choice such as using contraceptives, even with the pill, then they will not because they are either cowed by their family, religion, society, or sheer ignorance. The ignorance displayed by people is not because they ignore the science or ignore the education...its because our society does a pathetic job of teaching them anything worthwhile that works long or short-term.

Again, about 25% of kids age 11 have had a consensual sexual experience. When I went to school, you had a single sex education around age 12, and you took health class sometime in your sophomore, junior, or senior year of high school. None of this was practical advice; nothing like showing you how to use a condom, or that you even SHOULD, or use a diaphram or a dental dam, etc. Nothing.

When parents, society, the religion, and any other important factors in the growth and development of an individual do not contribute to healthy respect for sex, sexual experience, or the prevention of pregnancy, but sweep it under the rug and say "Not my problem", the problem is perpetuated. Yes, at some point a person NEEDS to take personal responsibility...but we should also understand that we don't have the systems in much of our society set up that teaches even that much anymore.

I have difficulty with this notion that it is "difficult to ask [anti-abortionists/pro-lifers] to contribute their tax money for murder" when each and every one of us pays tax dollars that go towards things that we would just as soon not support. The same case can be said of money that goes to states with the death penalty, or other programs a given individual might disagree with but that other individuals find value in. Shouldn't this be a simple matter of: you live in America, you pay taxes for various services regardless of whether or not you personally use them or see them as necessary, so just deal with it?

This issue is never, ever going to go away. If you believe abortion is 'murder' then don't have one. Even if it means saving your life. Die in your religious glory and take the embryo/fetus with you. Since "god" aborts nearly 50% of all conceptions in the first eight weeks I'm sure 'he' really won't have an opinion on the subject one way or the other.

I'm 64 years old. I've had six pregnancies. Two resulted in two living children. I've had an ectopic pregnancy, a spontaneous miscarriage and two safe legal abortions and no, I don't live in guilt or regret because I don't believe the soul attaches to the body until the first breath. So I guess you could say I've been through just about every pregnancy related experience possible. I have a nursing background as well. The last 10 years of my career I worked in a NICU. I've seen the very premature to the grossly deformed. I've wept with grieving mothers/parents and rejoiced when they took their babies home. Some with life long disabilities which too often resulted in divorce because of the financial and mental strain. I was there in the bad, old pre-Rove V. Wade era when women either had to jump through hoops to get a safe legal abortion or resort to more horrible techniques like inserting a sharpened pencil into their cervix with the resulting massive infection and yes, death of the fetus. I'll never forget a police officer coming into the woman's room to interview her for her 'crime'. I thought to myself "what a waste of police time" and became even a more staunch supporter of women's right to privacy and choice.

Those who proclaim they are so 'pro-life' have a bad tendency to also support the weapons industry which kills millions including pregnant women yet are against social services which help the poor and needy. They proudly vote against single payer healthcare which would reduce the burden of trying to provide health coverage to the working poor. These are the same people who think it's good for children to live in abusive homes and decry welfare but have no problem ponying up millions in taxpayer dollars to put one criminal through the legal system and then spend millions more to get them to the lethal injection room.
Making abortion illegal or nearly impossible (hey, just keep killing doctors who provide abortion services and that will accomplish the goal)won't stop it from happening. The wealthy will always have access to a safe, legal abortion but it's those who make less than a living wage who will suffer the most. These women will resort to self-inflicted abortions or turn to those who have little skill. Apparently we are a society that's strong on punishment and weak on good sense and compassion.

I've thought long and hard about this subject and think I've come up with several means of greatly reducing the need for abortions:
1. Have a single payer health care system. This would relieve the burden of expensive and ever increasing insurance costs, especially on families who make less than $75,000 per year.

2. Instead of minimum wage pass a law that would provide a living wage. Many women have abortions because they simply can't afford to have another child.

3. Teach every child over the age of 10 all about their bodies, how they work and how birth control works. Don't allow pharmacists to refuse to give women their birth control meds. If it bothers their so called conscientious then they can find work elsewhere.

4. Give parents increased deductions for childcare costs. Why do we give billions to the Wall St. gamblers but inspite of our insistence we are so pro-family, make it so difficult for parents to find good, affordable child care. Why do we think that paying childcare providers such crap wages is going to provide good quality services? We should treat childcare providers with the same respect we give teachers or nurses.

If we could institute these four points America would see a great reduction in the need for abortion.