Is it a sin??????

[JudyHon]

Surely an abortion means more than the ending of a pregnancy; it is the termination of a life and the potential of a being. Some, rather prosaically, attempt to dismiss an early-stage life as nothing more than a cellular agglomeration, as it suits their purpose. Presumably they would not be in any measure of distress if they or their partner miscarried at an early stage, since the belief would tell them that it was not a valid life lost anyway. I doubt it because any normal person within a normal context rejoices at the prospect of life resulting from them. If they would still hold the same view then fine but do not impose your pro-abortion views on others (I say that as presumably this repudiating tactic works both ways).

I wasn't aware that anyone here was expressing 'pro-abortion' views. I thought that was the one-child policy in China? Maybe a pro-life tactic to avoid using the term 'pro-choice'. But it suits your purpose to avoid using the 'choice' word as 'imposing views' of freedom of choice sounds a bit daft in this context. Imposing views that women must complete their pregnancy does not.

For the record I find the very idea of abortion absolutely repellent, but when I hear cases of women scratching out their foetus with coathangers causing great injury to themselves and rendering themselves barren, or even resorting to suicide rather than see the pregnancy through, I cannot help but arrive at my pro-choice position.

[Piamed]

I wasn't aware that anyone here was expressing 'pro-abortion' views. I thought that was the one-child policy in China? Maybe a pro-life tactic to avoid using the term 'pro-choice'. But it suits your purpose to avoid using the 'choice' word as 'imposing views' of freedom of choice sounds a bit daft in this context. Imposing views that women must complete their pregnancy does not.

For the record I find the very idea of abortion absolutely repellent, but when I hear cases of women scratching out their foetus with coathangers causing great injury to themselves and rendering themselves barren, or even resorting to suicide rather than see the pregnancy through, I cannot help but arrive at my pro-choice position.

Life and death are antithetical terms. Summarily, your comments are tantamount to an assertion choice is synonomous with death. Quite preposterous in anyones view, surely. I can't fathom the rest of this paragraph of your post unfortunately.

That you reconcile the plight of desperate women scratching out the life inside them with a general perception that it is ok to kill it so long as its by some other means defies reasoning and again is somewhat paradoxical to your stated position of being repelled by the thought of abortion. Death is death period. It's quite pathetic to position pro-choice as some soft fuzzy good ending for all concerned. A life is being terminated. You seem to be aware of that but at the same time are in conflict.

[David House]

Life and death are antithetical terms. Summarily, your comments are tantamount to an assertion choice is synonomous with death. Quite preposterous in anyones view, surely. I can't fathom the rest of this paragraph of your post unfortunately.

That you reconcile the plight of desperate women scratching out the life inside them with a general perception that it is ok to kill it so long as its by some other means defies reasoning and again is somewhat paradoxical to your stated position of being repelled by the thought of abortion. Death is death period. It's quite pathetic to position pro-choice as some soft fuzzy good ending for all concerned. A life is being terminated. You seem to be aware of that but at the same time are in conflict.

This issue is so very much more complicated than those who hold the "pro-life" viewpoint wish to present it. I don't think anyone is "pro-abortion" and I certainly feel it has to be the choice of last resort, when it becomes the least worst option. I respect those, who through their own personal religious convictions, would never wish to have one, in any circumstances. I just wish that they would accept that there are many who do not share that view and then do their best to comfort and support those who through circumstances either feel forced into having to abort or are recommended to do so by their doctor.
I think there is a lot of confusion going on, partly brought about by the wonders of modern science. These days it is not simply the mother who can feel the changes going on in her womb, both she and her partner can "see" the developments through scans. I can understand why you might then believe that what you are feeling and seeing is a "baby". It is not though. It is still work in progress, incapable of existing independantly. It has the potential to become a baby, but may not for several reasons. It is not yet "alive" so cannot be killed. Abortion is a nasty business, but it is not murder and it is almost evil to describe it so, for it seeks to make already emotionally distressed women feel guilty. Pity the poor, with already too many mouths to feed and knowing that she cannot feed another, denied contraception by an ignorant Church and then denied a safe early abortion. Pity the mother, whose own life is under threat, having to give birth in all circumstances. Don't tell me that this is what God commands, for sure He has more pity than this.

[JudyHon]

Life and death are antithetical terms. Summarily, your comments are tantamount to an assertion choice is synonomous with death. Quite preposterous in anyones view, surely. I can't fathom the rest of this paragraph of your post unfortunately.

That you reconcile the plight of desperate women scratching out the life inside them with a general perception that it is ok to kill it so long as its by some other means defies reasoning and again is somewhat paradoxical to your stated position of being repelled by the thought of abortion. Death is death period. It's quite pathetic to position pro-choice as some soft fuzzy good ending for all concerned. A life is being terminated. You seem to be aware of that but at the same time are in conflict.

I can’t fathom the start of your post, myself, but it appears you are putting words in people’s mouths.

There is no difficulty in reconciling - however abhorrent I personally might find a practice, I can only guess at what must be going through a person’s mind when they would resort to mutilating themselves and put their lives in real danger rather than see the pregnancy through to term. Perhaps the deaths that sometimes do result are less important? Oh no, death is death. You seem to see things is such black and white terms.

I think in such cases their right not to be forced into such an extreme and intolerable situation subordinates the right to life of their foetus. It is living but it is not a person.

No one is positioning pro-choice as happy ending. You create yet another straw man. It is in my opinion the least bad option, and not a ‘general perception that it is ok to kill’.

Do you advocate that women who are raped and become pregnant must give birth also? What about where severe birth defects are picked up in a scan, and the child wil have no real quality of life?