mn@dscvax2.UUCP (Matt Noah) (04/01/85)
>>>Second, I would not assume that the pro-choice community has not extended >>>itself to care as you indicate, and further would ask: >>> >>> 1. What has the pro-life community done to counsel women BEFORE >>> pregnancy in attempts to minimize situations where abortion >>> could be considered as an option? >>> >>> 2. What is the attitude of pro-lifers about pre-teen and teenage >>> birth control and sex education in a similar attempt to minimize >>> such situations where abortion is considered? >>> >>Give me an example of the way the pro-choice community has done anything - >>under the banner of pro-choice - to help unwed mothers. In my own city >>of Santa Barbara, the SB Pregnancy Counseling Center helps women in >>distress. On February 14, 1985 "Tender Life" in Ventura, CA incorporated >>to establish free pregnancy testing, a hotline, counseling, per-natal and >>childcare classes, job training ( for poor unwed mothers, not all are) >>and single parent counseling. In addition, real estate is being set aside >>to establish a home to house young women turned out of their homes because >>of their pregnancies. Why don't you send a check to Tender Life, PO BOX >>7610, Oxnard, CA 93-31 or call Leah Coulter at (805)-983-4231? If you >>really mean well, this is an excellent chance to help someone. >That's it, let's change the subject. All the responses you gave me indicate >things done for 'pregnant' women. What about efforts to educate women >before they're pregnant and in trouble? Your response would indicate >that you know of nothing. A woman considering an abortion gets plenty >of counseling before the abortion is performed. And, there should be >groups working on education on sex and contracetption (not necessarily >pro-choice driven). Show me one of these, and I'll contribute. No reason to change the subject since I have an answer for you. The subject I was writing on was 'help for pregnant women'. It is a massive educational effort to inform every potentially pregnant woman in this country. I'm sure you'll agree that men need education, also. The burden is not on the pro-life or pro-choice side of this issue and in fact, as you can imagine, people from both sides are working on this issue right now. Contribute to BirthRight or Tender Life (they have information on the topics you describe). >>Since one of the arguments used by the pro-choicers is that many births >>would lead to a greater welfare roll, then you stand on the side of your >>pocketbook. Not every prchoicer is making big money >>from abortions - only people who work the clinics, etc. Some of you >>foolishly defend abortionists while your rights are escaping you, e.g. >>currently a husband whose wife has an abortion has no say in the decision. >>I, for one, want my rights returned. I also want to see the next generation >>of adults brought up in a world where life is sacred; the aged, the pre-born, >>the mentally retarded, the handicapped, etc. Man should not have the power >>over life that he now commands. Making abortion illegal is a step back to >>sanity. Since abortion was made legal, child abuse in this country has more >>than doubled - is this respect for life? >I don't expect the people who work the clinics are motivated by big bucks >but rather are motivated by interest in helping unwed mothers etc.. However, >someone closer to the clinics themselves would have to answer the question >'why do you do it' better than I. As far as husbands rights, that may be >a different issue, many women desiring abortions want one because their >husband exercized his right to 'split' and left them high and dry. Do you evidence to support this? And what if the husband has been loving and supportive all along? Are you saying the woman's choice is absolute regardless of the situation? >>Cocaine is illegal and people die terrible deaths in the course of selling >>and distributing it. Would you then propose to make cocaine legal? Do you >>think it would be a wise decision? Give me the scenario (legal, moral, etc.) >>in which drugs such as cocaine would be acceptable to you? >The very fact that cocaine is a big business is testament to the fact >that illegality has little effect on whether people use it or not. >(Illegal != socially unacceptable). Personally, I would advocate >the legalization of cocaine, not because I think that cocaine is a >good thing, but because I object to MEGABUCK$ (there's that financial >motivation again) being siphoned out of the U.S. with no control, taxation, >etc. Off the subject of abortion but the IRS taxes cocaine dealers/distributors, etc. regularly now. The IRS purposely does not cooperate with the FBI because it would make their tax collecting very difficult. This information comes from my cousin's husband who is regularly out of the country 'collecting taxes' as a special investigator for the IRS. >>Why is the incidence of child abuse higher in families where the child >> was born in a WANTED pregnancy? >This is interesting, tell me more. It has to do with the fact that the decision to abort is most often an emotional one and has little to do with how one feels 2 months, a year, etc. later. In other words, an unwanted pregnancy does not translate into an unwanted child; if one's measure is child abuse statistics. >Keith Doyle Matt