Reducing the number of abortions

To solve world problems

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mrmufin
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Reducing the number of abortions

Post #1

Post by mrmufin »

Otseng has mentioned this topic a few times, and I think it's worthy of discussion:

How can the number of abortions be lowered?

Remember, folks: this forum is for discussion toward a common objective, not for debate on the issue of abortion...

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mrmufin
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ENIGMA
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Re: Reducing the number of abortions

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Post by ENIGMA »

mrmufin wrote:Otseng has mentioned this topic a few times, and I think it's worthy of discussion:

How can the number of abortions be lowered?

Remember, folks: this forum is for discussion toward a common objective, not for debate on the issue of abortion...

Regards,
mrmufin
Here's one idea:

Develop a safe, effective, semi-permanent, easily reversible contraceptive and make it readily available to Joe or Jane public. Give it a government subsidy if necessary.
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Post #3

Post by Corvus »

I suggest that the people who have abortions be charged a percentage of income - or perhaps at different rates for different incomes, allowing it to be affordable for the poor whilst discouraging whimsical abortions. To those mothers who already have children, sterilisation should be suggested, provided freely by the government.
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Post #4

Post by Nyril »

Educate children on various birth control methods. Impress on them the extreme importance of using them. And then distribute them for no cost to the age groups in which you think abortion is most a problem (teens, most likely).

With no children being made, no children will be aborted.

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Post #5

Post by Vladd44 »

Lets see, get a republican president and a republican congress.....

Oh, wait nevermind, thats what we already have had for several years now. They give good lip service to the idea bc it generates votes, but they accept the reality that this isn't an issue that will be resolved in a legal setting.

Or, we could stand in front of clinics and tell people what horrible people they are for having an abortion bc we are so pathetic we have nothing better to do than criticize other people... wait, that ones been done too.

How about mandatory Castration for all males @ age 9, and mandatory radical hysterectomy for every female reaching age 9. Would eliminate all abortions and also the added bonus of eliminating ovarian, uterine and testicular cancer in a generation. A little drastic, but no less realistic than simply banning abortions.

The sad truth is, there is no simple answer to your question. Answers like better education for young men and women about birth control or providing needed services to those that feel a child is a financial burden they are unable to afford , are both answers that need follow through, not simple lip service. And that would require the demagogues on both sides to stop spewing rhetoric and to start looking for practical application of a policy.

Instead of spending money protesting, and acting in an undignified manner, how about using that money to educate people, or even financially bribe mothers considering abortion as their only affordable option to consider having the child. Money is a great motivation.

I must confess, the fact that 14,000,000 children under the age of 5 will starve to death this year is of great importance, and in reality a much more tangible problem.

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Post #6

Post by otseng »

In the "Putting Our Heads Together", I would suggest we leave out sarcasm if we truly are going to try to find some common ground.

I think we can all also agree that there are no simple solutions. Otherwise it would've already been implemented.

In terms of addressing problems, we need to try to look at root issues. So, I'd like to throw out these questions. Why are people having unwanted pregnancies? What can be done to address some root causes?

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Post #7

Post by Vladd44 »

1.3 million abortions a year in USA, 46+ million annually worldwide, 30 million of them in developing countries.

The UNFPA has provided more than $4.3 billion for voluntary family planning and maternal and child health care to over 160 countries. It is funded entirely from voluntary contributions, and does not pay for abortion services. Yet President Bush, for the past three years, has denied funding to the UNFPA, despite approval from Congress. UNFPA , estimates that the $34 million withheld could have prevented up to 2 million pregnancies and nearly 800,000 abortions, 4,700 maternal deaths and 77,000 infant and child deaths. A Grassroots Effort to raise the money through individuals $1 at a time exists. They have raised over $2.3 million. Operating costs are covered by independent grants, 100% of contributions go to the UNFPA. Raised funds are going toward programs designed to treat obstetric fistula, providing ambulances in Rwanda, enabling the purchase of 80 motor scooters for midwives, to reach women in remote areas and train 1,000 health assistants in basic emergency obstetric care.

There are 350 million women in developing countries most lacking basic reproductive health services. Birth control, prenatal care, and HIV/AIDS information/services. Almost 600,000 women die annually due to pregnancy related causes. 99% of these deaths are in developing countries.

To take an honest look at the abortion issue requires you to realize the problem is a lot bigger than the horrible statistic of annual abortions. Its starts at the same place it always does. Square one.
Jesus wrote: And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.


The Christians on this forum would call it their second commandment.

For me, its simply a realization that as long as the disparity between the "haves" and the "have nots" is so vast, we can never hope to move forward as a people. In this critical time, when we continue our shift from a industrial society into a technological society there is much at stake. The issue of aids treatment, disease, poverty and birthrates must be addressed in Africa and other developing regions. With an increased awareness, and a higher standard of living we can expect the greatest opportunity to impact the number of abortions performed.

To otseng, sorry if I offended you with my initial post. It was not intended to trivialize the very important issue of human life. Its just a matter of there being many things that can be done, and many things that are being done. But the headlines and the focus is shifted to mediocre politicians on both sides who rally around the abortion banner for political gain, with no intent on actually doing anything about it. Or the person with nothing better to do than wave a sign around and condemn other people.

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Post #8

Post by ST88 »

I agree with Nyril. The best way to prevent abortions is to prevent pregnancies. Education about methods for contraception and access to the contraception are necessary in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

I will go further and say that I think abstinence education is a good thing, but not to the exclusion of information about and access to contraception.

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Post #9

Post by otseng »

ST88 wrote: I will go further and say that I think abstinence education is a good thing, but not to the exclusion of information about and access to contraception.
Hey, some common ground. :P

As an aside, I was watching The Net, and even there was sex on a first "date". She even admitted, "I normally don't do this" (or something to that effect). Can movies be prevented from constantly showing that sex is necessary within 24 hours of meeting each other? Probably not. Hmm, maybe more films like Unfaithful needs to be produced. :-k

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Post #10

Post by ST88 »

otseng wrote:As an aside, I was watching The Net, and even there was sex on a first "date". She even admitted, "I normally don't do this" (or something to that effect). Can movies be prevented from constantly showing that sex is necessary within 24 hours of meeting each other? Probably not. Hmm, maybe more films like Unfaithful needs to be produced. :-k
I think the bigger need is for these movies to be given a context. This kind of material is always going to be there, but there is a need for the counter-balance of life experience and discussion of these issues out in the open. I have noticed, for example, that many parents are extremely judgmental with their children; instead of talking about the problem and possibly finding the reason for it, the parents berate the child for causing the problem -- effectively punishing the problem behavior without suggesting an alternative behavior that might have been more appropriate, let's say. This is just one aspect of laissez-faire parenting that I find disturbing. I fear that a lot of children are growing up this way, learning to be insecure about their decisions and becoming more susceptible to suggestion from the media (& other sources) as to what constitutes appropriate behavior.

That said, and to put my interpretive hat on for a moment, I think you might have missed the point of Unfaithful. For those of you have not seen the movie, please ignore the following paragraph if you would like to be surprised by it.

It wasn't that her behavior caused problems -- though that was part of it, it was ancillary to the theme of the movie. It was that there was something else she wanted but could not acknowledge it to herself, this despite all outward signs that she was perfectly happy with her life. Essentially, she splits into two personalities -- the responsible one and the hedonistic one. How can two such disparate personalities co-exist within one person? The same thing happens to the husband in the story. It is not quite the cautionary tale that I would hold up as an example for faithfulness in marriage. Clearly, the affair makes her happy, a happiness she was apparently missing. The choice then becomes whether to remain content or to shoot for this happiness.

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