Horrified by Alabama Abortion law

It’s incredibly mealey mouthed and disingenuous to say you want the limit brought down for all the reasons Iam mentions, The chances are that the 10% of abortions carried out at 23 weeks and above include some of the most vulnerable women and girls. Can you imagine the unfettered joy of the anti choicers if the limit came down - they would redouble their efforts to abolish abortion altogether. On a more positive note it’s heartening to read of the mobilisation of women in the states against this current wave of legislation.

Iam64
My point?
It isn't always men who are 'forcing' these laws through.
If you couldn't conclude that....well...

SirChenjin
At present, a woman can abort a perfectly healthy baby, who poses no risk to her life, at 24 weeks. This is our law.
It doesn’t matter if only a tiny percentage of women abort at this stage, the point is they can.

Severe disabilities & threat to Mother’s life are separate issues as I said.

GabriellaG54

That’s a wonderful story and what a fantastic doctor.

However that has absolutely no bearing on whether another woman chooses to abort her baby or not.

We would have aborted our babies if they had downs or any other life limiting needs.

I get that night upset some posters and I absolutely respect anyone else’s decision to continue with any pregnancy as long as my choices are acceptable.

I may add in our case the obstetrician completely supported us and was 100% straight with us.

Those blaming men entirely for this legislation should be aware
anti-abortion activists are quick to point out that Alabama's ban was sponsored by state congresswoman Terri Collins and signed into law by one of the nation's few female governors, Kay Ivey.
There are women prepared either because of their own religious belliefs or some other political stance to subject other women to any sort of treatment.

Exactly SirChenjin

Very few abortions are performed at over 20 weeks anyway and those would be for reasons known to the woman and her medical team and noones business but theirs.

Really annoys me when people say’oh the limit is too high’ no no and no. The upper limit It’s there for a dam good reason and used in very special circumstances

Kandinsky does that limit apply to girls and women who don’t realise they’re pregnant because their periods are irregular? To girls and women who haven’t been able to access health care and can’t get an appointment before the magical 14 weeks? To young girls who simply don’t realise that you can get pregnant the first time?

And if you think that 24 weeks is too high for any reason would you really force a girl or a woman to continue with a pregnancy that’s incompatible with life? Or that endangers her life??

Government statistics show the number of abortions down from 2011, including those for girls under the age of 16.

The vast majority, that is 79% take place before 10 weeks gestation.

It's a fact that babies have more chance of surviving if born prematurely now than when the 24 week limit was set. The constant reference to it, as though women/girls are so careless they only present themselves at 24 weeks is plain silly. I know one couple who had their pregnancy terminate at 20 weeks because their baby was significantly physically and mentally disabled. Their older child was born with similar disabilities and had significant care needs. The mother had learning difficulties. They were broken hearted but made this decision together, with a focus on their need to care for their older child.

Gabriella - your point about the woman who signed the Alabama Bill is?

Handmaiden's Tale anyone?

I don't know how American lawmaking works but could she have refused to sign after it had been voted in?

A privileged, wealthy, white female?

Kandinsky, I totally agree with you - unless there are exceptional circumstances.

It was a female who signed the Alabama bill.

Any reduction to the limit is an assault on women’s rights.

I’d like to see the limit reduced to 14 weeks unless there is a risk to the Mother’s life or the baby is severely disabled.
24 week limit ( for any reason ) is way too high.

A friend had problems early pregnancy and went for an
8 week scan. I was stunned to see the picture - you could see the heart beating, the eyes forming and the fingers and toes forming. Not an easy decision but I think women should have the freedom to make their own choices, with counselling, and the earlier the better. Our 24 week limit is much too late.

Contraception still leaves a risk of pregnancy, the 99% it states on the box is 99% effective if taken perfectly and the user is healthy etc.
My daughter in law became pregnant on the pill. Unfortunately there was something wrong with the pregnancy that made it unviable so she had to have the pregnancy terminated.
She is very careful ( bit of a type A personality) so if it can happen to her it can happen to anyone.
I think it’s awful that through no fault of her own if she hadn’t of wanted it, she’d been forced to go through with the pregnancy if she’d been living in Alabama.
The sad thing is that woman most affected by this bill won’t have the money to move out of the state.
The little Christian faith I have has gone after hearing about what is going on there. Religion is a power structure to keep power and control with men.

Excellent posts Star

Also, I agree that people w/ disabilities can lead wonderful lives. But not all of them do. Who's to make the decision of whether or not to force a child to take that chance? Seems to me only the parents can decide.

And some of those who had great lives did so b/c they had very wise and wonderful parents. If someone doesn't feel ready or able to deal w/disabilities, how good will that child's life be? Not very, I imagine. I'm not trying to deny life to children who will be seriously disabled. Far from it. I'm saying if they are to have a quality life, they need dedicated parents. And only the parents can know if they are willing to be that.

"If there is no medical cause for the abortion, then it should be done within the first few weeks."

Problem is, most women don't even know they're pregnant yet in the first few weeks. Missouri has, apparently, passed a law with an 8-week limit - that gives most women about 4 weeks to decide. What about the woman who isn't sure, at first? Or who changes her mind for some reason? Or who is under pressure from her BF or her family to have the baby but isn't sure she wants to? 4 weeks may not be enough to make this very serious decision.

"Professor Kypros Nicolaides has saved the life of an unborn baby in a ground-breaking operation (in the womb) to correct life-threatening spina bifida, which would have meant paralysis and brain damage. "

This^^^ is amazing and beautiful! But....

"The mother was offered seversl options including abortion at 20 weeks gestation but she declined, opting for surgery at 27 weeks."

To me, the word "options" is key here. The mother had a choice, and was trusted to make the best choice for herself and her child. That's what I think every woman in that situation to have - choices.

"Reasons for caution when considering abortion? Yes."

Agreed. But not reasons to deny women the right to choose abortion. (I know you didn't say it was.) Also, "caution" means they may need to think about it for a while. Granted, the few women Iv known who had abortions, knew they were going to do that as soon as they knew they were pregnant. Just like the few single mums Iv known who decided to keep their babies, knew right away, too. But not every woman decides that easily. It's a major decision, and some women need more than just 3 or 4 weeks.

About Professor Kypros Nicolaides ..

Amazing story, by the way!

Gabriella, the subject of caution (alone) would be worth it's weight in gold regarding this topic -- as well as the fact that with abortion in place, people (male and female) can be somewhat cavalier when it comes to sex-

However, once pregnant, when determining if abortion is the best option or not people are not so cavalier -- because it's a serious decision-

Removing the opportunity to make that determination is also a serious decision -- and yet the government is becoming all to cavalier (again) regarding what a women can or cannot do-

sornding spending

Mycatisahacker
Naturally, everyone must make up their own minds and, what is right for you is not necessarily right for another woman. Each has to live with the consequences of their choices, as in every aspect of life.
My comment did not cast aspersions on any member here, it simply aired my views on abortion which are right for me.
We judge every single thing in our lives from the food we choose to the people we mix with, from the books we read to the sex, social lives and sornding habits of others.
I'm no different. I freely admit to being judgemental and anyone who says that they never judge are not truth tellers in that regard.