| HOW CAN ONE PREVENT AN ABORTION1) | | | | were expecting their second child, but tests revealed |
| Abstinence2) If abstinence is not practical, use safe | | | | that the fetus had some severe deformities. Most of |
| birth control methods - Although there are many | | | | the brain never developed, the gastro-intestinal tract |
| Christians who believe sex is only for the purpose of | | | | was external, rather than internal, and the spine was |
| procreation, I believe sex can also be used as the | | | | severly deformed. The doctors assured them that |
| deepest physical expression of love for your partner, | | | | the child would never live more than a month, would |
| even if your goal at the moment is not to have | | | | never be sentient, and might actually experience |
| children. Therefore using safe birth control methods | | | | some pain. Also, the cost to care for such a child for |
| for this purpose would be one way in preventing one | | | | even a few days would be astronomical. But rather |
| to consider having an abortion because of an | | | | than abort, they decided to have the baby, and |
| unwanted pregnancy. And I also believe that there is | | | | everything happened just as the doctors had said. |
| nothing in Scripture that prohibits one from using such | | | | The deformities were awful, and it was obvious the |
| an approach.3) Allowing pregnancies to come to | | | | baby was in pain. It died in just about a month, and |
| term, and then putting the unwanted children up for | | | | cost a bundle. It was a horrible series of events to |
| adoption, if still unwanted. The following are thoughts | | | | witness. I can't even imagine what the parents might |
| on adoption:1. Steven says: In the U. S. there are 5 | | | | have felt. In that case, I honestly would have |
| requirements to be eligible for adoption. They are: 1) | | | | favored an abortion. That's why I remain pro-choice. |
| You must be over 18 years of age, 2) You must be | | | | Every situation is different, and ultimately, the choice |
| a resident of your state for 5 years, 2) You must be | | | | is an individual one.6) Jennifer says: I have walked into |
| able to provide financially for the child, 4) You must | | | | planned parenthood clinics to get birth control |
| be able to provide a safe home for the child, and 5) | | | | pregnancies tests, etc, and it really bothered me |
| You cannot have been convicted of a felony. Notice! | | | | when you see young girls in there bragging about this |
| It no longer matters if you're single, married, gay, | | | | being their third abortion. It angers me because this is |
| over a certain age, or the same race as the child. | | | | immoral.7) Shirley says: I'm in favor of women being |
| However, there are unspoken prejudices that are | | | | allowed to choose, though I'd prefer prevention |
| practiced by social workers who do not agree with | | | | where possible.8) Jane says: I fully support an |
| this criteria. The laws may say they cannot | | | | absolute ban on all abortions for any reason. I think if |
| discriminate, but they find ways around it. Also there | | | | Christians put their faith and trust in God, there would |
| is much extortion by those responsible for placing | | | | be no need for abortions. If a woman does find |
| children up for adoption. I've experienced this | | | | herself impregnated for any reason, however, and |
| personally. I finally did find a place where I could | | | | her life is in danger as a result, she should still lay |
| adopt at reasonable cost and with a limited waiting | | | | down her life for the unborn, if necessary. "Whoever |
| period. It's called "Special Link" in South Carolina, and | | | | will save her life, will lose it, and whoever will lose her |
| their mission is to finds homes for those kids who | | | | life, will save it". A quote from Jesus Christ.9) David |
| are hard to place. It took us just one month to | | | | says: There is no place for an abortion in this |
| adopt a child. What a blessing.2. Janet says: There are | | | | society.10) Grace says: What about a case where |
| plenty of couples who would love to adopt children | | | | the child is already dead in the womb, or a case |
| but can't because there aren't enough, due to | | | | where you have an esoteric pregnancy where there's |
| abortion. I've experience this with my teenage | | | | no chance the child will survive a birth procedure, and |
| daughter who wanted to put her baby up for | | | | in both cases, it could be life threatening to the |
| adoption and found so many applicants waiting to be | | | | mother?11) Frank says: I am pro-choice, not |
| considered by her, as she wanted to engage in this | | | | pro-abortion. We want abortions to stop just as |
| process personally. However, I do think that the | | | | everyone else would. But I feel I don't have the right |
| adoption laws should be refined and more importance | | | | to tell anyone else what choice they should make.12) |
| should be put on love available instead of money. Kids | | | | Joan says: Frank, that argument doesn't go very far |
| don't need their own room with a TV and VCR - | | | | in life. You may not think we have a choice in telling |
| they need parents to love and care for them. I think | | | | people what to do, but take into consideration that |
| the foster parenting system should be revamped also | | | | we have laws and rules everywhere we go in life. If |
| and adoption laws changed to side with the child | | | | telling someone they can't murder someone else isn't |
| more than birth parents. Too many people have | | | | a good stance to take, I don't know what is.13) |
| children and abuse them, but the gov't won't take | | | | Frank says: You're right, Vicki, but the ultimate |
| them away from them permanently because they | | | | answer is to find ways to prevent people from ever |
| gave birth to them. Big deal! My opinion is that birth | | | | getting into a situation where they would even |
| parents should be given a set amount of time to | | | | consider the option of having an abortion.14) Corbin |
| straighten out, or the children should be put up for | | | | says: Sometimes I feel Pro-Choicers are more |
| adoption. I have seen so many kids moved from | | | | concerned with the quality of life, whereas Pro-Lifers |
| foster home to foster home because the birth | | | | (so-called) are more concerned with the quantity of |
| mother is fighting off drug addiction, alcoholism, | | | | life.A 2nd Internet question that I asked on the web |
| schizophrenia, etc. The mother never straightens out | | | | sites was whether one should believe in bombing |
| and the children never find a home and grow up as | | | | abortion clinics and/or killing abortion activists. Most |
| messed up as their mother.3. Corbin says: I don't | | | | suggested that two wrongs don't make a right, while |
| advocate abortion, but even with abortion, I still see | | | | one lone individual agreed with this supposition, and |
| many unwanted kids out there.4. Janet says: Corbin, I | | | | stated many believe in capital punishment for |
| think you really have to define what you mean by | | | | murderers.3rd Internet Question: WHEN DOES LIFE |
| "unwanted". As I said before, there are children | | | | BEGIN, AND WHAT IS LIFE?1) Jim says: Life begins |
| whose birth parents don't want them, but that | | | | at conception. And that's a scientific fact.2) Steven |
| doesn't mean no one wants them. Heck. If it were | | | | says: Of course, if one believes in reincarnation, than |
| possible, I would take all of them.5. Sylvia says: I | | | | the ramifications of this question are fairly pointless. |
| think that if the laws and restrictions on adoptions | | | | And what about belief in the immortal soul - if the |
| were not so strict, then more people would adopt. | | | | soul is immortal, then this life is, again, fleeting.3) |
| The system is only hurting the children, not helping | | | | Jonathon says: Oh WOW, you do go for the easy |
| them. A couple has to wait a long time for the | | | | questions, don't you! I dont' think there is a |
| adoption to take place, resulting in babies of today | | | | straightforward answer to this. Life at conception is |
| becoming young kids.6. Janet says. One of the | | | | potential not actual, in the sense of being able to |
| problems in adopting is that the monetary restrictions | | | | survive independently.4) Sarah says: I believe life |
| are so tough that many loving people just can't | | | | begins at conception. What animates living things. It is |
| afford to adopt any child.7. James says: Only a small | | | | sustained by breathing. When a child is in the |
| percentage of those applying to adopt actually are | | | | mother's womb, its life is sustained by the oxygen |
| allowed to adopt. The social workers involved are | | | | (obtained by her breathing) in her blood. When it is |
| really implying that about 75% of the population are | | | | born it is sustained by its own breathing.5) James |
| not fit to be parents.4) Be more loving with more | | | | says: On a personal level I have always considered it |
| open communication, and less condemnation by | | | | no earlier than that the fetus could survive outside |
| surrounding relationships.5) Gender Equality - If | | | | the womb. Perhaps what worries me most about the |
| women were granted equal opportunities in all areas | | | | idea of making a person a legal person is how it |
| of life, they would be thought of more as individuals | | | | affects the rights of the mother as a human being. |
| rather than as sex objects, therefore reducing the | | | | For instance , if the mother miscarries, and the fetus |
| possibilities of their having many unwanted | | | | is legally a person, then won't every mother who |
| pregnancies.6) Mixed Nudity - If mixed nudity were | | | | miscarries have to be investigated and tried for |
| less frowned upon, curiosity about the nakedness of | | | | reckless endangerment, manslaughter, or even |
| the woman's body would be less of a reason for | | | | murder. It's this nightmare that really worries me.6) |
| males to be sexually driven toward having sex with | | | | Andrew says: Someone once said "Life is nothing but |
| women that could produce many unwanted | | | | a slither of light in between two immensities of |
| pregnancies. I know in my 3 year stint at a nudest | | | | darkness". But I believe that life really begins when |
| camp I noticed that after a while I never viewed | | | | we are able to live independently in God's creation.7) |
| anybody as being naked; I just saw them as | | | | James says: Life actually begins when God can see |
| individualsQUESTIONS RELATING TO THE REALITY | | | | your substance. But life as known by the individual |
| OF ABORTION1st Internet Question: SHOULD | | | | does not really begin until there is a consciousness of |
| ABORTIONS BE PERMITTED A) TO SAVE THE LIFE | | | | things around you and you truly begin to relate to |
| OF THE MOTHER, B) RAPE, C) INCEST, D) | | | | living.THERE'S ONE WEBSITE WHICH SUGGESTS |
| DEFORMITY OF THE FETUS, E) ECONOMIC | | | | THAT ABORTION IS NOT ANTI-BIBLICALThe |
| REASONS, F) EMOTIONAL INSTABILITY, G) AFTER | | | | author suggests that Scripture should not be read |
| HAVING AN IN-DEPTH COUNSELING SESSION OR | | | | out of context to prove a point, and that there is no |
| SESSIONS, OR H) NO LIMITATIONS? CHOOSE ONE | | | | place in the Bible that points to the fact that the |
| OR MORE OF THE ABOVE EXCEPTIONS TO NO | | | | fetus is a human being., only a potential human |
| ABORTIONS ALLOWED.THE RESPONSES COME | | | | being.1) Psalm 139:13-16 indicates that God is very |
| FROM 3 CHRISTIAN WEBSITES.1) John says: I'm | | | | much involved in our creation, but not that the fetus |
| against all abortions, even to save the life of the | | | | is actually a human being.2) Jeremiah 1:4-10 indicates |
| mother because the unborn child still has no say in | | | | that God knew Jeremiah before he was even |
| the decision, and the power of prayer is more | | | | conceived suggesting that if you consider the fetus |
| decisive than a medical opinion.2) Corbin says: I | | | | as a human being, it must have been a human being |
| personally would only choose abortions after an | | | | before conception.3) Jeremiah 1:4-10, & Luke 1:39-41 |
| in-depth counseling session or sessions to make sure | | | | indicates that these verses only relate to Jeremiah & |
| that the parties involved fully understand that an | | | | John the Baptist.4) Ecclesiastes 4:1-3 suggests it |
| abortion was not the only possible alternative for | | | | might be better to abort than to cause one to live a |
| them. I'm generally not in favor of abortions, but as a | | | | miserable life-5) Numbers 3:15 A census was taken of |
| paradox it seems that in leaving the option open for | | | | those who were only over 1 month old indicating that |
| a woman to have an abortion, you will have fewer | | | | fetuses were not considered human beings in Biblical |
| and safer abortions. This is because legal options give | | | | times.WITH THIS LATTER INFORMATION ON |
| you the freedom to make a choice, and when you | | | | BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION, WHEN DO YOU THINK |
| have this, you more often are more relaxed to make | | | | THE SOUL WOULD CONNECT WITH THE BODY? |
| the right choice. Without legal choice, you more often | | | | WOULD IT BE WHEN THE BODY RECEIVES A |
| become desparate and make the wrong choice. Also, | | | | CONSCIENCE? IF THIS WERE TRUE, WOULD THIS |
| as more and more unwanted babies (by their more | | | | ALTAR YOUR POSITION ON SOME ABORTIONS? |
| immediate relationships) are being born, you're also | | | | WHAT DO YOU THINK?The names of the |
| paving the way for more potential future conflict | | | | commentarians, except for myself, have been |
| being created by the unwanted, as well.3) Jonathon | | | | changed to protect the privacy of the Internet |
| says: I think Bill Clinton once said that abortion should | | | | contributors, but their comments are accurate.AN |
| be legal, safe, and rare, and it is the latter we need | | | | AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHI was born in New |
| to work on - perhaps more concentration, not on | | | | York City in 1931, grew up on Long Island, graduated |
| trying to prevent women in choosing abortion as a | | | | from Roanoke College in Virginia with a BA in Political |
| legal option, but on the prevention of unwanted | | | | Science, from New York Theological Seminary with a |
| pregnancies.4) Sarah says: Deciding who gets aborted | | | | Masters in Religious Education. I became a committed |
| and under what circumstances is playing God. I am | | | | Christian in 1958, and after a number of years |
| one of those unwanted babies and so is my husband. | | | | became a committed Ecumenical Christian. I worked |
| How on earth could anyone have really known 3 | | | | as an accountant in various companies for about 25 |
| decades ago that it would have been for the best to | | | | years in New York City, then moved down to |
| abort us. We have had AWESOME lives and | | | | Argentina and worked for about 21 years as a |
| contributed much to society. We are both highly | | | | Business English |
| educated, responsible individuals. We have both | | | | converstionalist teacher with some of the top |
| known from early childhood of our difficult beginnings, | | | | managers. I also became a Stephen Minister (trained |
| and been greatly loved by our adoptive parents. Yes, | | | | counselor) while down here. I've been married twice |
| our moms had a rough 9 months carrying us and | | | | (the last to an Argentine), widowed once, have no |
| then I am sure, a difficult time in giving us up. But in | | | | children, but one cat. If you want to contact me, you |
| exchange for those inconveniences, we have lead | | | | can via (). |
| incredible lives.5) James says: My cousin and his wife | | | | |