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sadiebelle
Guest
And if you want to stop abortion, what are you doing to address these issues?
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InspiritCarol
Guest
Universally it boils down to fear.
There are infinite ways that fear creeps into our lives; both passively and agressively.
The way to counter this is through steadfast support and understanding.
standupgirl.org has a nice format to address these things.
I support them financially.
Also I support the local community with donations (specific and monetary) in countless places that just pop up and through advice … but most of all through prayer.
Why do you ask?
There are infinite ways that fear creeps into our lives; both passively and agressively.
The way to counter this is through steadfast support and understanding.
standupgirl.org has a nice format to address these things.
I support them financially.
Also I support the local community with donations (specific and monetary) in countless places that just pop up and through advice … but most of all through prayer.
Why do you ask?
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WKW_69
Guest
Well I support comphrensive sex education for all children by the age of 11.
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ClearWater
Guest
I think a lot of young people, today, are told in schools it’s okay to go out and have sex, just to be “safe”. Then, women are surprised to find they are pregnant, because it’s made to seem like almost an impossibility if using contraception.
Then, at least some of these people have their contraception fail or make a mistake, end up pregnant, unmarried, unprepared, ashamed, scared, not able to handle it.
Some of these people are very young, and when people are young, their judgment can be a bit questionable as their cerebral corteces aren’t fully developed. They can be immature, impulsive with sex, poor judgement leading to abortion.
I think people believe if the child would be born, it would ruin the mother’s life and the child’s, that they’d be condemned to a life of poverty.
Some have abortions, because they are having an affair. In the affair, the woman gets pregnant, and it is easier to have an abortion than face all that, publicly, explain where this child came from.
Of course, in some countries, people don’t want a child who is female, say.
In China, for instance, abortion is forced on them due to policy.
I think some people believe a baby would interfere with the woman’s career if she is highly educated, in some cases.
Some would encounter the rejection of people to be pregnant out of wedlock by family, friends etc. Some women might lose a job they are depending on, and have the boyfriend out the door, not willing to help at all.
Some are told a fetus doesn’t yet have a soul, that it’s a clump of cells, that it’s a woman’s “right” to choose.
Some worry that if they have the child, they will lose their lives, not be able to continue with their job, school, etc.
Some men get into these sexual relationships with women, promising that it the woman got pregnant, the man would “do the right thing” and get married. The woman believes him. However sometimes, when pregnancy actually occurs, the man with instead tell the woman to have an abortion, leave the woman with all the responsibility. Then, the woman doesn’t want to be a single mother.
Some religious will come down on people very hard for getting pregnant out of wedlock and my unwittingly be promoting abortion by being judgemental.
Some women may not feel they can provide for a child, or another child, that it would be to bring another child into poverty, say, that it’d simply be better that it not be born.
I think some worry about the financial and other aspects of having a child(ren), feeling they can’t provide, especially the way it’s so expensive, medical care and all the rest.
I’m sure there are a lot of reasons why women have abortions, too many to list here.
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ClearWater
Guest
I think the woman also feels she lacks the necessary support to carry the pregnancy through, in some cases, lacks support from the father, family, etc.
To even decrease abortion, we’d need to change society, itself, greatly…the educational system which promotes it, the media which accepts it and makes it seem normal. Religion would need to become more of a real force in society in what leads up to abortion, sexuality.
It wouldn’t hurt if we could do more like the old timers did. They didn’t have everything coed and all these sexually explicit movies for children…just a bunch of things.
Abstinence often is NOT mentioned as any kind of viable option in “health” class in the public schools. If it is, it’s generally said that it “doesn’t work”, is unworkable, that kids will all just all go out and have sex, regardless, to use contraception, instead.
They also hammer the overpopulation and make some people feel guilty and selfish for having kids.
To even decrease abortion, we’d need to change society, itself, greatly…the educational system which promotes it, the media which accepts it and makes it seem normal. Religion would need to become more of a real force in society in what leads up to abortion, sexuality.
It wouldn’t hurt if we could do more like the old timers did. They didn’t have everything coed and all these sexually explicit movies for children…just a bunch of things.
Abstinence often is NOT mentioned as any kind of viable option in “health” class in the public schools. If it is, it’s generally said that it “doesn’t work”, is unworkable, that kids will all just all go out and have sex, regardless, to use contraception, instead.
They also hammer the overpopulation and make some people feel guilty and selfish for having kids.
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ClearWater
Guest
Oh, in olden times, adults acknowledged the difficulty of young people’s living chaste lives due to their lack of judgement, immaturity, and raging hormones. So, they didn’t put these youths in that position in the first place. They had a chaperone system, and schools and such were separated more often by gender.
There was a sense of what was proper, reputation, etc. Movies were often censored to keep sexually explicit material out. Abstinence, modesty, and chastity were mentioned quite a bit, I think.
Now, we look at these efforts and think them foolish, laughable. However, I notice they didn’t have sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancy, and abortion anywhere near the levels we do, today. So, I wonder if the old timers didn’t know more than we do on how to handle things better than we thought. At least they had a much higher success rate than we do in many ways.
There was a sense of what was proper, reputation, etc. Movies were often censored to keep sexually explicit material out. Abstinence, modesty, and chastity were mentioned quite a bit, I think.
Now, we look at these efforts and think them foolish, laughable. However, I notice they didn’t have sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancy, and abortion anywhere near the levels we do, today. So, I wonder if the old timers didn’t know more than we do on how to handle things better than we thought. At least they had a much higher success rate than we do in many ways.
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WKW_69
Guest
We had a horrendous STD rate over the centuries. And teenage pregnancy was worse then it is today. Prior to anti-biotics all STD’s were incurable and people suffered with them their entire life. The idea that a century+ ago things were better or different is just not true.
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Lochias
Guest
How unfortunate.
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ClearWater
Guest
Do you think the RATE at which people had STDs, which is what I am referring to here, was greater…or the RATE of teen pregnancy or abortion was greater than today? I don’t know, but I don’t think so…
Yes. I know that even syphillis used to be lethal. I’m talking about morality, not medicine, though.
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ClearWater
Guest
Okay…well, we had teen pregnancy in that people did get married younger. So, touché.
Let me clarify. What I meant, I guess, was unwanted, out-of-wedlock pregnancy.
Let me clarify. What I meant, I guess, was unwanted, out-of-wedlock pregnancy.
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livingwordunity
Guest
Some might want an abortion because of ignorance or denial that there is a baby inside them. Some don’t care and believe that “choice” trumps the fact that it’s a baby that going to be killed. Some women are coerced by their boyfriend or family to get an abortion. Most use abortion as a back up to the pill since they believe that the pill gave them some kind of a right to have sex without being responsible for the baby that could result from the sex (see the Roe vs. Wade document).
What Catholics are doing is we have ministries that deal with the full spectrum of respect for human life. We believe that life is sacred from the moment of conception until old age and natural death. For abortion we have ministries that try to prevent abortions by educating women (e.g. ultrasound images). For women who have had an abortion Catholics have ministries that help them to heal by showing them the love and forgiveness that comes from Christ through the Church and the sacraments.
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DarkLight
Guest
What exactly are you considering part of sex education? I’ve found this varies quite widely between people.
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ClearWater
Guest
I believe the sex education classes in school help to also contribute to abortion by teaching kids first about contraception. Contraception will, in my opinion, in a number of cases lead to abortion, when it fails. Abortion is the last step of contraception, in a sense.
I think it’s one of the places, and later in college, is where this indoctrination begins.
I think it’s one of the places, and later in college, is where this indoctrination begins.
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lerapt78
Guest
I agree. Many reasons, which ultimately are rooted in fear.
Hi WKW_69,
I’m curious as to where you get census data for previous centuries?
What the United States Census Bureau shows for STD and pregnancy rates is compiled from the 1930’s on. As another poster mentioned, teenage pregnancy rates “back then” reflected the trend of early marriage. As statistics show, the rate of both *unmarried *teens and adults has grown exponentially. The unmarried status is the problem, and it is certainly worse today than it was in earlier decades.
One can read the entire graph for themselves here,
census.gov/statab/hist/HS-14.pdf
But just to highlight a bit of information, these are the rates of illegitimacy:
Code:
UNWED **TEEN **UNWED TOTAL (average of teen and adult women)1945 17.5% 4.3%
1950 **13.4% ** 4.0%
1955 14.2% 4.5%
1960 **14.8% ** 5.3%
1965 **20.8% ** 7.7%
1967 **24.2% ** 9.0%
1969 **27.8% ** 10.0%
1972 **30.9% ** 11.3%
1975 **38.2% ** 14.3%
1980 47.6% 18.4%
1986 60.8% 23.4%
1992 70.0% 30.1%
1998 **78.5% ** 32.8%
2001 **78.9% ** 32.8%
As we can see, the births to unwed teens (and adults) have been on a continuous rise; they rose significantly during the WWII years (as expected) and shot up dramatically during the 60’s and 70’s “free love”, contraception, sex education, etc years.
Fortunately, *teen *birth has declined since 2009. Unfortunately, the rates of unwed births has *increased *overall. This is not a positive trend, for what I assume to be obvious reasons. What I personally might assume from this is that although teenagers are perhaps being more diligent about using contraception in high school, they are still carrying the “free love” mentality that causes them to think there are no consequences to pre-marital sex once they become adults. Either they are becoming more sexually active their 20s (likely so), and/or they are becoming more lax about using contraception when they think that cohabitation = loving, responsible relationship.
census.gov/newsroom/cspan/childbearing/20120817_cspan_childbearing_slides.pdf
The rates of STDs (mainly syphilis and gonorrhea) increased overall from the years 1919 until 1953, when they began to drop. Incidentally, the early 1950’s is when penicillin was widely available at an affordable price. The rates of gonorrhea exploded again in the 60’s, and increased until it began to drop again in the 90’s. STD rates have been rising again, among both teens and adults, since 2011. Medicine merely treats the symptoms; responsible sexual behavior is what prevents the disease in the first place.
census.gov/statab/hist/HS-18.pdf
cdc.gov/std/Syphilis2012/Syphilis-2012-All-Profiles.pdf
Abortion rates rose dramatically after the passage of Roe vs. Wade. They decreased significantly in the 90’s, and have remained constant since then. The rates today are still higher than they were before abortion was legalized. The flip side of course, that unwed pregnancy is up, and is highest among the unwed. This is merely trading one social ill for another. Again, the best policy is sex within a loving marriage.
Things *were *better off overall - with regard to sexual practices, at least - back in the day.
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WKW_69
Guest
Teaching a child about sexual reproduction makes them no more likely to have sex then teaching them basic math makes them a mathematician.
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TCEL
Guest
There are lots of reasons. Failed contraception is a notable, surface-level factor. I support pro-life ministries, and volunteer at a pregnancy-clinic that provides women with information regarding access to insurance, adoption, doctors, counseling, maternity help, housing assistance, etc. We try to treat each woman as though she were Christ. Or, I pray peacefully outside of abortion clinics and, if women permit me to approach (once a young man approached me), give them a pamphlet with information regarding pregnancy-help clinics and adoption.
The next focus is on educating young people (and anyone who will listen) about the problems of abortion and contraception, as well as the healthful benefits of “natural fertility awareness.” I’m in my mid-twenties. This issue is a scourge, and has harmed so many women, men, and children.
The next focus is on educating young people (and anyone who will listen) about the problems of abortion and contraception, as well as the healthful benefits of “natural fertility awareness.” I’m in my mid-twenties. This issue is a scourge, and has harmed so many women, men, and children.
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sadiebelle
Guest
Ok. So, what I’m seeing so far is people saying that they think women have abortions because they are scared, don’t have support, are ignorant, are apathetic, denial, coercion, or I suppose a mixture of all of the above. If I missed a stated reason, please let me know.
It surprises me that no one said that some women have abortions because they can’t afford a (or usually another) child. Or that they were raped. Or that they were molested. Or that they are homeless. Or that they are very young. Or that their child won’t survive birth. Or that they will be abused for becoming pregnant. Or the pregnancy is a risk to their own health.
It surprises me that no one said that some women have abortions because they can’t afford a (or usually another) child. Or that they were raped. Or that they were molested. Or that they are homeless. Or that they are very young. Or that their child won’t survive birth. Or that they will be abused for becoming pregnant. Or the pregnancy is a risk to their own health.
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Bruised_Reed
Guest
All of the things you listed fall under the umbrella of the factors others suggested.
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Lochias
Guest
Guess they’d better learn some restraint in the bedroom, then; or, perhaps, should never have thought about getting married in the first place.
Abortion doesn’t make a woman un-raped, un-molested, give them a home or make them older.
No-one can say that with 100% certainty, and death comes for us all in the end anyway. Better to let God decide, then decide to end a human life ourselves.
Still doesn’t mean we can make the baby a victim. Parents should also be raising their kids with enough common sense that they don’t pick such an abusive spouse to begin with. Barring sudden psychiatric problems, abuse doesn’t just show up out of the blue.
…really, how common is this circumstance? Sounds a little far-fetched to me, to be honest.
Then they ought not be having sex at all (and should go without saying).
Either way, with any of those scenarios, the human baby is just that, a human baby, and it’s too late for the mother to think of only herself.
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TCEL
Guest
As a woman, rape is something that scares me, and my heart goes out to women who have been raped. It’s violent, we have laws against it, and I think rapists should get harsher punishment than they do.
I remember I was at an abortion clinic once and we were celebrating Mass. A woman stopped and came over to us, took the priest in her arms, and started sobbing. I later learned she had been raped over a decade ago. She was young and she had an abortion, because that’s what you do. She said she still thinks about that child every day. She just kept repeating that abortion is not the answer; and then she thanked us for being out there peacefully praying!
Part of respecting life means not bringing violence upon innocent life.
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