[net.abortion] Abortion a Symptom ?!?

mn@dscvax2.UUCP (Matt Noah) (03/14/85)

>>               o 98% of all abortions are done because, in the words of
>>Dr. Irvin Cushner, an abortion supporter, the women undergoing abortions
>>"do not wish to be pregnant at this time."  Dr. Cushner, of the UCLA Medical
>>School, testified before a 1981 Senate subcommittee that only 1% of abortions
>>are performed because of any physical health problems of the mother.  The
>>May/June 1984 issue of FAMILY PLANNING PERSPECTIVES, a journal affiliated
>>with Planned Parenthood, states that "most abortions have no strictly
>>medical indication."

>>Ken Arndt

>To me, this indicates that the root of the 'pro-life' problem is centered
>around 'unwanted' or 'untimely' pregnancies.  Abortion is the symptom of
>the problem, not the problem itself.  If the pro-life people would help
>counsel women before they get pregnant so that they wouldn't get into 
>situations where they wanted an abortion, then I as a pro-choicer would have 
>no problems with them.  But, they prefer to wait until the problem has already
>gotten out of hand, and THEN tirade about it.  As far as I'm concerned, 
>by that time, it's too late, they've missed the boat.  No woman figures
>on abortion as a 'birth control' BEFORE she gets pregnant.

>Keith Doyle
>{ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax}!trwrb!cadovax!keithd
>"You'll PAY to know what you REALLY think!"

Abortion is a symptom of a problem - agreed.  At least you agree that an
unwanted pregnancy is a problem.  Abortion is a problem all in itself,
too.  To draw an analogy ... jealousy is sometimes a reason for murder.
Jealousy is a problem just as murder is.  If the reasons for murder can
be eliminated, then the act of murder goes away.  Now, let's focus on
eliminating jealousy.  Since jealousy is a problem, let's eliminate the
reasons for jealousy ... gets absurd rather quickly, doesn't it?  It seems
to indicate that we can't eliminate all the reasons for the *bad* things
that occur.  
It is just as much the responsibility of pro-abortion people to care for 
the mental well-being of women considering abortion.  Don't make us
responsible for something you refuse to shoulder.  Tirading is needed when
one is speaking for one as helpless as an unborn child.  I and many other
pro-lifers will continue to tirade for as long as the civil and human
injustice of abortion continues.
Believe it or not, some women DO see abortion as a birth control method.

Have you seen the film "Assignment Life"?  I challenge you to spend the
time viewing this film.  I doubt you have the conviction to dedicate
the time to educating yourself ... or do you?

Matt Noah