Horrified by Alabama Abortion law

I'm horrified - it's dreadful. So the women's movement was all for nothing, was it? Like going back a hundred years. Why Alabama? Isn't it also one of the poorest places in the US? I can't see why this is considered an improvement to women's lives.
The women there will have to protest very strongly about this. I'd be fuming if I lived there.

Beckett

Their parents still have their parental rights. They haven't relinquished them. A child can't be placed for adoption unless the parents relinquish their rights.

Less than half of children in foster care are able to be placed for adoption because the parents still have their rights.

Also what I think we could all do is donate to Planned Parenthood and support our American sisters

Crickets. Can’t hear anything but crickets. What about everyone else?

"Many of those children aren't even available for adoption. Actually less than half of them are"

Really! Why would they not be "available"

MaggieTulliver We do not know if Agnurse is either of the things you suggest. She is almost certainly echoing the views of many of the people of Alabama who agree with the change in the law. I'm not at all sure where you think ignoring such views will get us. Perhaps to having the same laws imposed in our country?

*Maggie" you are, of course, right but it is hard for those of us who remember the bad old days when women were treated as second class citizens and are worried those days may return. As I have said I would never have had an abortion but that doesn't mean I, or anyone, should be allowed to dictate to other women

Not to mention that some women don't know they are pregnant until well past viability. If such a woman doesn't want a baby or doesn't want to be pregnant, what should we do then?

At present 22 weeks is the lower limit of viability.

What if that eventually was decreased to 6 weeks? Would you still believe abortion should be legal? If so, it's not really about bodily autonomy, is it?

You know there are pro-life atheists?

I shall wait for agnurse to reply. It is a simple question. One thing I think is getting lost, as it often does when such extremes as the Alabama law are contemplated. Those who support abortion are not so extreme. The vast majority only support it up to the point that the foetus would be sustainable outside the womb. This, in itself, makes for difficult decisions but is considerably more thought through than the extreme anti-abortionists views.

Beckett

Many of those children aren't even available for adoption. Actually less than half of them are.

Several other groupings throughout the world hold the same beliefs as her. Eg the Taleban. Just saying...

Agnurse is clearly a deluded and very troubled person. I think we should ignore her posts - most of what says is utterly ridiculous.

Please don't encourage her by taking her seriously and responding!

"There are about estimated 36 couples waiting to adopt every 1 baby placed for adoption."

Just because there are people wanting to adopt (although that doesn't explain the number of children in orphanages) doesn't mean a woman should be forced to go through with a pregnancy and childbirth.

It has nothing to do with controlling women.

Incidentally, more people in the pro-life movement are women than men.

Abortion tells women that they can't do it and that they shouldn't try. It's actually extremely anti-woman. In at least one study, 60% of women seeking an abortion said they were doing so because of pressure from someone else.

maryeliza54 that's a really well expressed post. Absolutely gets to the crux of the matter

Believing that rape shouldn't mean a death sentence for an unborn baby who was not at fault is not the same thing as saying rape is acceptable.

There are parents who abuse their children. Does that mean that we should take all infants off their parents at birth and have them raised by an institution to be sure that none of them will ever be abused?

If it were my granddaughter, I'd be suggesting that she get some counselling. I'd also be telling her these are her options:

-she keeps the baby and raises it with help
-Granddad and I will raise the baby
-she places it for adoption

The baby is already here. It's just a question of who is going to raise it.

What can we as women do to help our sisters in NI?

and I sincerely hope you are not a nurse.

I think it’s the epitome of child abuse to force a child to give birth after a rape.

I agree Dilly. I’ll try and resist.

Well GracesGranMk3 it seems clear that a female who "gets herself pregnant "(and that's a phrase that needs unpicking!) is already morally delinquent and mentally unstable so therefore unable to judge anyone's best interests. Thank goodness we have those on the moral high ground to take those pesky decisions out of her hands.

But the chilling truth is that this issue is actually not about ‘saving’ foetuses - it’s about controlling women. It really matters which end of the telescope you look down. Far right policies are never ‘women friendly’, never. Being anti choice is being anti woman not being pro- foetus, the latter is the ‘cover’.