Speaking of abortion...

Ok, I'm going a bit interactive here. This is probably a loaded question, but I'm assuming that most (certainly not all ;)) of my readers are disabled. What are your thoughts on pre-screening fetuses for disabilities? Do you think this is okay in any circumstance? What about aborting a fetus due to a known or suspected disability? Black and white? Grey? Thoughts...?

Demonstrate this!!

Today I passed a little demonstration on anti-abortion. It was very small, maybe 5 people. They were all carrying the usual signs of "stop the killing" and "life begins at (such and such) days after conception", etc. It made me really angry. I truly fail to see how saving life at all cost is the better choice. One sign said something about adoption being a choice. Yes, it's true. It's a choice. But it's not the idyllic choice always that people may think. There are tons of kids in the foster care system here and in orphanage's abroad. These kids are not always treated so rosily. They are neglected, used for money, abused. Now, this is not true of every case obviously, but if you're going to choose a side, you really have to be aware of all the elements. What if a woman is raped? Is it really in the kid and mother's best interest to promote that she go through with that pregnancy? 100% of the time?

I heard about a case in the US a few weeks ago where this woman was raped in a park. She went to the ER and did a rape kit. It wasn't until she left that a friend asked her if she had been given the morning-after pill. She hadn't been. In her trauma, she hadn't even thought of it. So, the next day they called back and asked to get a prescription from the doctor who saw her. Turned out it was against his beliefs so he denied her the pill. That is very, very, VERY dangerous, folks. In no way should one's beliefs impinge on another person. EVER. Can you imagine the feelings that would come along with carrying to term a baby that reminds you of your rape every single day? Whether you keep that baby or not. And, on top of that, if you choose to give it away, imagine how that could add to the trauma. I would doubt most mothers who give up their kids for adoption just stop thinking about those kids.

The reasoning was that any doctor is supposed to do what is best for their patient and at the time that someone is pregnant, the doctor has two patients. Well, I don't think denying abortion is necessarily best for both a mother and the child. These people are thinking about the unborn fetus and only the unborn fetus. The mother is not cared for. If she considers abortion, she is demonized by anti-abortionists, including doctors who are anti-abortion.

I think we all need to get off our moral high-horse and let people do what they want with their own freakin' bodies. We should NOT have a right to say what people do to themselves, and that includes suicide, obesity, self-wounding. We should offer people support, options, and follow-up, but it is up to them to decide what to do in the end. I have my own beliefs. They should not matter to anyone else. I watched a show on child molesters a few weeks ago. One interviewed did not see anything wrong with that. He said children are sexual beings and should be allowed to express that. I believe that even very young kids explore their bodies and their sexuality in ... very.... simple.... ways. Touching mommy's breast, etc. Under no circumstances do I believe that a child has the capacity to understand that he wants to have sex with an adult. That is wrong. That is sick. Period. Those kids need protests, signs, protection.

But that's minors. Unborn children are not born yet. I don't believe fetuses within the safe abortion age range need protecting. Save the abused children, saved the starving children, save the planet, save the abused people, save the animals, save the rainforest, help the poor, help your family, help your freinds, help your neighbour. Leave the fetuses alone.