27 March 2009
Doctors = God? Not.
Read this post about a baby who was doomed to die at birth because of missing brain parts. You know, the one that is perfectly healthy now? That one. Guess what, guys, these doctors are NOT God. They make mistakes and technology is not perfect. That means that child you thought would die for sure might just make it. That also means that child you thought was perfectly fine could suddenly die right after birth. Do you think the parents of infants who suddenly die or are stillborn go, "Dang! I coulda had an abortion a few months back and prevented all this!" Of course they don't... so, I guess I'm not understanding why, if that's the usual common experience, that doctors would advise abortion in "hopeless" children's cases. Hat tip: Life in a Shoe blog.
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Look Out, Dad!!
My father is the purple dot above the blue weather station. He's juuust outside Milton's evacuation zone. Well! My brother and I jus...
I'm pro-choice. I'm very pro-choice.
ReplyDeleteThat said, if it was me, having to make that decision, I don't think I could choose to abort.
But I don't think I have the right to choose for other women.
Does that make sense?
It makes a lot of sense, although I disagree. I do think even if abortion were magically outlawed tomorrow, that people would still try to abort sometimes... who are we kidding?
ReplyDeleteI knew one pro-choice activist who wore a golden coathanger on her necklace just like some Christians wear little crosses. She said it was a reminder to her how abortions are performed on women when it's illegal. All these things are true, so although I think abortion is murder, I'm not going to get all happy when a woman tries to abort her baby and they both die.
But I just couldn't see myself supporting that right to legal abortion, however, and most particularly on my tax dollars. I also couldn't see myself thinking very highly of doctors who do this barring extreme circumstances.
I appreciate your commenting, Veronica! :] I know specially as a mom of such young children it's valuable time indeed.
And I'm replying again! Hehe.
ReplyDeleteI think this is why I am so pro-birth control. If there is always enough birth control used (whatever method people want to use) then abortion becomes something that should (in theory) be done less often.
Abortion should be a last resort in my opinion.
(And goodness knows if that was the diagnosis my baby was given, I would be getting a second opinion, and a third and a fourth. And even then I think I would choose to continue the pregnancy. But, that is just me)
I meant to add, prevention is better than cure and all that jazz. I know a lot of people don't support sex before marriage, but even within marriage there are times when you might want to prevent pregnancy, so surely birth control education isn't that bad a thing?
ReplyDelete[I like that I can have these discussions with you. We both have such different view points that I always feel like I am learning something. I like knowing WHY you believe what you believe, it gives me a different perspective on things.]
Well, I do know people who would say that if you use birth control you have just committed murder. Because God might have wanted you to get pregnant that month, and your preventing a person from BECOMING is the same as murder. And what's the difference between preventing someone from becoming and murdering them at a preborn stage?
ReplyDeleteI'm not that far on the spectrum.
I feel God could (and sometimes does!) thwart people's ideas about when they're going to conceive. Sometimes God does not bless when we think He should, and other times isn't it sad that the scared 14-year-old is pregnant when there are so many married moms who are really aching for a child? I don't have answers to these things except that I think "just relax," or do this procedure and have sex sideways, etc. to infertile couples or judgmentalism against the 14-y-o is going to help.
I could certainly see times where a married couple because of sickness or something like that would feel it needs to not try to conceive for a while. And that might mean a form of birth control.
And you know...
It's really none of my business, on the one hand, what someone does in that regard in their marriage privately so long as I'm not paying their medical bill. On the other hand I am concerned that it seems the NORMATIVE experience that one would be expected to use birth control. I find it disturbing. Sick, actually.
It fosters the idea that we can have children when and if they are convenient. Children (usually!) should be an expected part of a marriage. It was the first command that God gave to Adam to "be fruitful and multiply." I don't see a "hey, quit all that babymaking!" verse in scripture, however, so I would have to assume that the NORMATIVE experience would be for a wife and husband to have several children. Some would have 14 and some only one or even none. But the usual should (ideally) be several and we see this borne out in scripture in several passages.
So...
No.
I don't think that birth control should be taught about at all.
I don't (I HOPE!!!) get all high n mighty against people who for whatever reason feel they need birth control. Or people who don't have the same religious views I do. I know what it feels like to be looked down upon for thinking a certain way and would never want to do that to someone else. :]
But I have to say I find the idea that this is the *usual experience* offensive... I should NOT have to be asked about birth control at my physician's appointments. It shouldn't be something pushed as some sort of medical accessory package at every doctor's appointment. It makes me feel harassed, that the people who deliver babies would be the same ones pushing to control how many of them you have or what is best for your family. I think that in balance, doctors should be able to ask you ONCE. Once. Every stupid appointment, including when you're in for tonsilitis is no stinkin' fair LOL!
My children should not be taught this in school. At all.
I'm ok with other people teaching this to their kids. Other people might even buy birth control for their children and I would have no way of knowing this. It really isn't my bz unless I'm paying for it.
Then again...
Ok, this isn't really a birth control issue, though...
Those poor children and young women forced into prostitution. What can be done for them? I would hate to just enable their rapists/ Johns by giving them condoms. Is there no rescue for these people? I think about it a lot. I would hate for the only "help" they receive to be a stupid condom... but I would hate even more for them to get AIDS because my stuffy morality prevented the condom distribution. :]
Really... I wish there were some way to rescue these people!!! Sometimes, I can see some shades of gray at the edges there on these issues, you know? But I've sort of outlined my *ideal*.
Those women and KIDS in slavery, though. I hardly even know how to pray for them. How to give folks like that hope... yeah, I guess that's off topic a bit. But I wonder.
A bit off topic at the end, yes, but I like how you make me think.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we will ever agree on birth control and abortion. But that's okay, we don't have to. I like reading you because of our different views on things tbh :) (and because we can have a discussion, without it become an arguement and a 'We all SHOULD...' etc etc)
Veronica, "We all SHOULD" try to discuss disagreements nicely. LOL
ReplyDelete((hugs))
When my mother was dx'ed w/ cancer, I did a ton of research and would pepper her with questions. "Why aren't you getting this test?" "Why isn't your doctor doing this?" Her response was that "sometimes, you just have to trust someone." I'm sure there's some kind of lesson in there somewhere, but it made me furious.
ReplyDeleteAllison
I've thought about this comment this afternoon, Allison.
ReplyDeleteI think...
Sometimes, if I'm fighting something at home and something else comes up, I just take the experts' advice because I am too tired/upset to do that research and fighting for myself. I do think that having a family member go to appointments with you if possible... someone who has a relatively clear head under stress, is a real blessing.
Even then, sometimes you just have to trust your doctor. Sometimes your doctor might not be trustworthy, is a frightening thought. :[
PS. I have had a D and C on a miscarried child, but my OB was kind enough after the doppler showed no heartbeat AND the sonogram showed a dead child... to still make me go get that second sonogram. I was on autopilot and I guess I thought it wasn't really real until that second sonogram.
Then it was over.
I still have a hard time with it. I have been through the same procedure as an "abortion," except on a dead child. It was still very hard.
I don't fool myself that anyone but the people who get rich off this stuff is out there rejoicing over the "choices" women can make. Most pro-choice ladies I know do feel there needs to be some consideration of the life of the baby, but are strongly opposed to legal intervention with the procedure.