I wanted to open up dialogue about the law passed in Texas this week. It essentially made any abortion after detection of fetal heartbeat illegal. This can be as early as 6 weeks, before the pregnant person is even aware of the pregnancy.
I am concerned about the implications this could mean for patients who are unable to access care...
Another question I have (help me legal side of AN LOL) is this: so part of the law says that any private citizen can sue an entity involved in aiding with an illegal abortion. This includes providers, their staff, and even the ride service driver. The private citizen does not even need to know any party involved including the person terminating the pregnancy. If they win they are entitled to up to $10k in damages... but how can you claim damages when you don't even know the parties involved (and therefore would not be impacted) by the procedure being carried out?
I hope this does not go against guidelines, but regardless of where you land politically abortion is a medical procedure and falls under the realm of healthcare and I feel like it should be discussed.
Please keep things civil, I know this is a topic that many are passionate about.
I am a Christian. I am also pro-choice. I could not have an abortion myself because I always wanted children but was only able to have one. However, I lived in the age of back alley abortions and the deaths that resulted from them. I don't want to see us regressing to that. I believe it should be a woman's choice whether she have an abortion or have a pregnancy and give birth then give up a child or keep the child. It is a very hard choice either way and a woman should be supported in her choice, not made to feel like a criminal for making that choice. There are already too many children in our overburdened foster care system, we can't safely take care of the ones we already have there. Now the government is saying you have no choice but to give birth to this child; what you do with it after is your choice. So now we're going to have many more children born who are born to mothers who either can't or won't support them, so that's more in our already stressed foster system. What kind of life will that be? Or living with a mother who resents the child she was forced to have. Abused either physically or emotionally, growing up in that kind of environment damages any child. Don't let the government or religion make this their business when it should be a personal matter between a woman and her doctor.
I have a question to add to this already complex issue. Does anyone think that the father of the baby, within a consensual sexual relationship, should also have a say within the outcome of the baby he has helped create?
I have a question to add to this already complex issue. Does anyone think that the father of the baby, within a consensual sexual relationship, should also have a say within the outcome of the baby he has helped create?
Unanswerable, given that the circumstances resulting in an unwanted pregnancy are so widely variable. My personal view is that forcing a woman to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term is slavery.
Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
cinlou said:
I have a question to add to this already complex issue. Does anyone think that the father of the baby, within a consensual sexual relationship, should also have a say within the outcome of the baby he has helped create?
I'm not down with forcing a woman to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term, It sort of has a handmaids tale feel to it.
IMO the rights of a potential human being will never overrule the rights of an actual human being
I have a question to add to this already complex issue. Does anyone think that the father of the baby, within a consensual sexual relationship, should also have a say within the outcome of the baby he has helped create?
I feel the father should have a say, but only if he's prepared to take all responsibility for the child he helped create
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
cinlou said:
I have a question to add to this already complex issue. Does anyone think that the father of the baby, within a consensual sexual relationship, should also have a say within the outcome of the baby he has helped create?
I feel the father should have a say, but only if he's prepared to take all responsibility for the child he helped create
Are you really going to trust the word of a teenage boy or a guy on drugs? These are the cases I see in family court. We have no way to make our world perfect. It's prett y awful to see what happens to these kids before and after they have to be removed. It's a cottage industry at this point.
Sure, not saying his is the final say, just that he should be heard. If he is financially and physically able to take responsibility for a child, then that should be taken into account, but the mother and her doctor should be given final say.
Sure, not saying his is the final say, just that he should be heard. If he is financially and physically able to take responsibility for a child, then that should be taken into account, but the mother and her doctor should be given final say.
And what about situations in which the woman did not consent to having sex in the first place?
Sure, not saying his is the final say, just that he should be heard. If he is financially and physically able to take responsibility for a child, then that should be taken into account, but the mother and her doctor should be given final say.
If he legally has no say, then why does he need to be heard? He can't force the mother to give birth to hand the baby over to him so where should he go to be heard? Who would listen? A doctor isn't relevant to this conversation. They don't have any say in ownership of this potential person either.
heron said:
And what about situations in which the woman did not consent to having sex in the first place?
The cruelist forced birth of all except having to watch an infant die right after delivery.
Sure, not saying his is the final say, just that he should be heard. If he is financially and physically able to take responsibility for a child, then that should be taken into account, but the mother and her doctor should be given final say.
It just occurred to me to ask, given by whom? A court? If a woman is forced to carry to term by court order, how is that different from slavery?
If that "say" is given by the woman, herself, isn't that between the pregnant woman and baby daddy? How is that personal choice a matter for others' opinions about what should or should not happen? What "should" happen is what the pregnant woman decides is best for herself.
As I said, the question in the OP is unanswerable - essentially meaningless, IMO.
Mommavik, ADN
84 Posts
I am a Christian. I am also pro-choice. I could not have an abortion myself because I always wanted children but was only able to have one. However, I lived in the age of back alley abortions and the deaths that resulted from them. I don't want to see us regressing to that. I believe it should be a woman's choice whether she have an abortion or have a pregnancy and give birth then give up a child or keep the child. It is a very hard choice either way and a woman should be supported in her choice, not made to feel like a criminal for making that choice. There are already too many children in our overburdened foster care system, we can't safely take care of the ones we already have there. Now the government is saying you have no choice but to give birth to this child; what you do with it after is your choice. So now we're going to have many more children born who are born to mothers who either can't or won't support them, so that's more in our already stressed foster system. What kind of life will that be? Or living with a mother who resents the child she was forced to have. Abused either physically or emotionally, growing up in that kind of environment damages any child. Don't let the government or religion make this their business when it should be a personal matter between a woman and her doctor.