# Why are so many people pro-choice? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 25, 2001, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369 "2001-03-25T00:55:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![alloran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a587f6/32.png) [@alloran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alloran)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/161 "2001-03-26T02:33:34Z")
I agree wholeheartedly with **jshore**. ---
**Author:** ![alloran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a587f6/32.png) [@alloran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alloran)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/162 "2001-03-26T02:37:35Z")
So, **Turbo Dog** , where do get the idea that I’m female? ---
**Author:** ![ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/163 "2001-03-26T02:38:42Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by alloran \* > **I agree wholeheartedly with** jshore_\*. \*\* Does that mean you’ve changed your mind then? Did you ever answer all those questions? Did I miss that post? ---
**Author:** ![alloran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a587f6/32.png) [@alloran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alloran)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/164 "2001-03-26T02:44:30Z")
A. No. It does not B. Honestly, where are those questions? (Ladies and gentlemen, I have created a raging wildfire.) ---
**Author:** ![alloran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a587f6/32.png) [@alloran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alloran)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/165 "2001-03-26T02:47:47Z")
Turbo Dog, are you ever going to answer me? I know I didn’t answer your questions, but that’s because I don’t know what or where they are. ---
**Author:** ![ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/166 "2001-03-26T02:52:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Turbo Dog \* > \*\*page one, but I’ll just copy it down for you: > > Alloran, as was mentioned earlier, if you feel that abortion is murder, then who do you propose should be criminally > liable? The mother? If so, do you propose criminal investigation of all miscarriages, regardless of situation, to make sure that none were self induced? > > What do you recommend as an option to abortion for people? \*\* This has been posted twice now. This isn’t a “raging wildfire” that YOU’VE created. There’s not even any debate going on here, because without two sides to a discussion there can’t BE a debate. -L ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/167 "2001-03-26T02:54:56Z")
Dude, it’s been 45 minutes. Calm down. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/168 "2001-03-26T03:57:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by alloran \* > \*\*So, **Turbo Dog** , where do get the idea that I’m female? \*\* Maybe he got the idea at this thread: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=64926](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=64926) where, in your third post to the thread, you ask someone ‘why do you think I’m a man?’ ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/169 "2001-03-26T03:59:39Z")
sorry… a ‘young man’ ---
**Author:** ![Turbo\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@Turbo\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turbo_Dog)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/170 "2001-03-26T05:21:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by alloran \* > \*\*Turbo Dog, are you ever going to answer me? I know I didn’t answer your questions, but that’s because I don’t know what or where they are. \*\* Why did I assume you are female? I gave you the benefit of the doubt. If you are offended, you have an apology. You don’t know where or what the questions are? Well, here’s an interesting concept for you; Instead of just typing in here, try reading. Start at page one, read every post, and try answering each question that each person has posed to you. There are several. Get some paper and a pencil. Take notes. Type out your answers when you have them all together. If you can’t figure it out from that point, you probably shouldn’t try debating. So far, as SexyWriter has mentioned a little more subtley, you aren’t debating but just simply shooting off your mouth about your opinion. There’s a big difference and a different place for it than here. ---
**Author:** ![Turbo\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@Turbo\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turbo_Dog)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/171 "2001-03-26T05:23:34Z")
By the way, you aren’t by chance related to BrianBunnyhurt are you? ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/172 "2001-03-26T06:24:54Z")
I feel the need to chime in here with the statement, back to the OP, “I am pro-choice because I refuse to condemn my daughter to the world of my grandmother.” One thing a lot of people don’t understand is “pro-choice” means having choices. One of them is not be left for dead. > [@](#): > > In the late 1960s, Jane, the Chicago underground abortion service, began by referring women to competent, medically trained, illegal abortionists. Eventually, one of their members befriended one of the abortionists and discovered that his only medical training had come from another abortionist. He taught the women of Jane to perform surgical abortions and Jane became a provider of safe abortions. Jane members estimate that in its four years of operation, they performed 11,000 illegal operations with no fatalities. Jane, a non-profit organization which had reduced rate abortions for the poor, ceased operation shortly after the Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion. So, although there were many unsafe sources of illegal abortion, there were many safe places for illegal abortions, too. Any speculation on how many operators who with little to or training maimed women? [http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/essays/abort97.html](http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/essays/abort97.html) > [@](#): > > So it is these doctors who saw the red blanket cases, young women dying from hemorrhage, from infection. In fact, abortion was the leading cause of maternal death in our country before the Roe vs. Wade decision - the leading cause of death. It’s interesting because if you ever have the opportunity to meet physicians who were practicing before 1973, it’s really interesting because there is that commitment that is hard to imagine in the field of abortion care today because they are retiring and moving on. But they are committed. They get it, they understand, they are care takers of women and health professionals that are there for women, and they don’t to go back to the bad old days. [http://wtms4c.freeservers.com/events.html](http://wtms4c.freeservers.com/events.html) I also offer [http://www.historylink.org/output.CFM?file\_ID=2641&keyword=Law](http://www.historylink.org/output.CFM?file_ID=2641&keyword=Law) for your reading pleasure. I’ll admit today is not the same time frame, but by criminalizing abortion once again, you will drive some women to suicide, “back-alley butchers” and desperate choices made when they feel their back is against the wall. I am “pro-choice” because I refuse to allow women to once again be dumped into alleys, left to bleed to death because of what they perceive as " the only way out". If you make abortion illegal, it’s not going to go away or stop. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/173 "2001-03-26T06:28:59Z")
grr…so much for running a spell-check… should have read “little or no training” instead of “little to or training” ---
**Author:** ![Procacious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Procacious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procacious)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/174 "2001-03-26T08:07:06Z")
> [@](#): > > “Living thing,” in a philosphical[sic] sense at least, covers viruses, bacteria, insects and plants at the small end of a complexity scale that terminates at homo sapiens. Biologically, viruses are not considered to be living because they do not contain the machinery necessary to reproduce themselves. However, you said you were speaking in a philosophical sense so I am not accusing you of being wrong. Just thought I would inform anyone that cares. > [@](#): > > ## quote: > > ## Originally posted by alloran Some people say that an abortion is a choice between a woman and her doctor. There are two people they aren’t asking. > > Alloran, I don’t know what you mean. Are the woman and her doctor the “two people”? If not, who are they? Since it has been almost 100 posts since this was asked I will attempt to answer for alloran (though please correct me if I am wrong). I assume that the two people alloran is referring to are the father and the unborn child. > [@](#): > > ## quote: > > ## Originally posted by alloran How do you figure that you have no right to say anything because you’re a guy? You may have an influence if you have a child after you’re married and your wife wants to have an abortion. Try to think about your arguments before you type and reply. > > I don’t have to think about it. I happen to believe that being a man excludes you from arguments about women. OBTW, in choosing a mate, I tend to think you should find someone whose moral qualities reflect your own. I will never have to be concerned about the situation you posit, as my mate does in fact share my moral values, or she would not be my mate. Preach on, oh great and correct one (no sarcasm). The only time a man has “a right to say anything” is when he is involved in the child making procedure, HOWEVER, his right to speak comes before the sexual intercourse ever occurs. The way we men avoid ever having our children aborted is by refusing to have sexual intercourse with anyone that would abort our children. By the time we have the intercourse, our time to speak has already passed. > [@](#): > > ## quote: > > ## Originally posted by Procacious Granted the cells do grow into a child on their own, but they must parasitize the mother to do so. > > So, what? Children are parasites on both parents until they can feed themselves, which they can not do until at least age 5. Just because it is a direct and untransferable blood connection as opposed to a child you have to mouth feed and which you can give away doesn’t make a vast difference. Very true. But to be perfectly honest, I have nothing against killing 5 year olds either. Since, under the law, a parent is responsible for the actions of the child, I consider the child to be a possession of the parent and thus the parent should be able to do with it as it pleases. (Boy did you pick the wrong person to make that point to). > [@](#): > > ## quote: > > ## Do you have a moral obligation to provide nutrients in order to save the life of another…? > > If someone dropped a baby on my doorstep, I’d have a moral obligation to take care of it. People have a moral obligation to feed others when they are able. Fortunately, morality is an opinion. If we legislated the morality you described I would bet that the vast majority of people would have violated the “Helping others when able act.” I have always been a great fan of the quote “God helps those that help themselves.” Unfortunately for them, young children have only one major way of helping themselves and that is by acquiring the sympathy of others. They are successful with some (such as yourself from what I can gather) and unsuccessful with others (such as myslef). > [@](#): > > The real issue, the only issue, is when personhood begins. It is not even an issue for me. 🙂 But I realize that I am virtually, if not actually, the only person that has my particular beliefs on the subject of human killing. I grew up with the idea, and heard from everyone I bothered to ask that would know, that adoption is more traumatic than abortion, largely because of the genetic programming that causes mothers to form a very strong attachment with their child upon seeing it. This is why it is very important to get the mother to sign the adoption papers before she gives birth because very few mothers are strong enough to give it away after birth if are not already legally obligated to do so. It is true that abortion causes “emotional trauma”, but, to be perfectly honest, I suffer “emotional trauma” every time I get a paper cut (those things really hurt). Obviously the presence or absence of emotional trauma is not enough to determine whether something is a horrible act. Raising a child probably cause much more “emotional trauma” than an abortion does (mainly because most children live for a very long time and thus have lots of opportunity to create traumatic situations for their parents). But as Holly has said, emotions do not determine morality. I would hope that most everyone would not consider paper cuts immoral even if they were commited on oneself intentionally. > [@](#): > > ## quote: > > ## Originally posted by Holly On the same note, just because a person feels regret doesn’t mean he/she has done something that is morally wrong. Emotions don’t decide the morality of an issue. Each person responds emotionally to each event in a unique way. It’s purely subjective. > > Exactly. I don’t feel regret is particularly healthy. As an adult, I don’t choose to do things which I would regret. Having children at a young age (or at any age for that matter will cause regret in everyone). At some point in all parents’ lives they have wished they did not have children. Maybe this point in time did not last very long, and maybe it never reoccured, but if you have never wished that your child was not around, at least for a little while, you are a very lucky person. Whether having a child or having an abortion will cause greater regret is a guess that should only be made by those involved. No one knows you better than you do. Thus, it makes sense that you should make your own decisions based on your own morality. The only people involved are the mother (who gets to make the choice), the father (who left the choice up to the mother the moment he had sexual intercourse with her), and the baby (who is not old enough to make an educated decision—due largely to the lack of a functioning brain and complete lack of experience). It is also important to remember that all our opinions come from the point of view of living people. Perhaps it is much better to be dead or never born at all than it is to be alive. You should at least try to get over your pre-existing bias that “life is good” before making the abortion decision, because you may not be thinking clearly. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/175 "2001-03-26T08:26:12Z")
alloran - it’d be easier to have a friendly debate with you if you could at least state clearly what your beliefs are and why you have them. at the moment, we mostly have an argument over the definition of “life” and “personhood.” We’re probably not going to change your mind on this, and you’re probably not going to change our minds on our definition. You asked why so many people support abortion, you got an answer. You do realize that the definition of life is not so cut-and-dry, don’t you? I respect your opinion that abortion is wrong. I do not buy the argument that we are not to impose morality on other people. Living in a society, we do this all the time. Beating your children for misbehaving is considered immoral and against the law. At one point in history, it was perfectly accepted. Why are we now to tell parents that hitting their children is improper, despite the adadge “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” For some people, this can be seen as an infringement on their personal freedom, even on their religion. However, society now as a whole (in the US) has considered it immoral and punishable by law. Slavery at one point was moral, even considered a duty to God by some owners. Civilizing the savages with God and work and all that. The North imposed their morality on the South. Do we consider this moral intrusion wrong nowadays? No. At least most of us don’t. On the other hand, capital punishment, which I believe is completely immoral, without a doubt murder (for me,) is considered moral by most Americans. My tax dollars (well, not anymore as I make money abroad and pay taxes locally) go to murdering human beings, and I sure as hell don’t want their blood on my hands. You know what? All I can do is protest and convince people of my position. Or move. If society one day, as a majority, comes to the conclusion that the point of conception defines life, ergo abortion = murder, then we will have to abide by it. Those of us who disagree will have to sway the general public otherwise. This is one of the points of having a democracy. As there is no general consensus on what defines life and scientific definition advocates that human life = brain wave activity, then we cannot reach this point. All things considered, I do believe that your aunt’s child was a person, from a philosophical and spiritual standpoint. From a biological standpoint, it was non-functioning human being. This doesn’t make it any less of a human to the people that were involved in producing it and carrying it. However, alloran, you must realize that not all people share your view that conception is life. I’m putting myself into your shoes, to understand your perspective. And I do. I’ve shared that opinion at one time. But try, please, try for a moment to see it from our perspective. Sorry to be so trite, but this subject matter is not as black-and-white as you see it. And I don’t think pro-choices are correct either in the “don’t impose your morality on me!” argument for the reasons I’ve stated above. I just don’t think it works. You have every right to speak your opinion and try to sway the public perspective on the issue. But, in all sincere and objective honesty, you are making a mess of it. If anything, you’re polarizing people to the opposite view you want to advocate. Try a little more diplomacy. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/176 "2001-03-26T11:26:17Z")
The OP says Why are so many people pro-choice? The easy answer: Because they sit down, look at themselves, their daughters, their sisters, their mothers, and their female friends, and think “what kind of life do I want this woman to have, if she gets pregnant and does not want a child?” I think Pro-lifers tend to see all children as a blessing. I think Pro-choicers look at the actual life that a child will lead, and realize that there are times that the negatives outweigh the positives. But I also think that I will never convince anyone else of these viewpoints, or switch a person from one view to the other, because many people want to decide their view on abortion on a gut level. ---
**Author:** ![Holly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/48db29/32.png) [@Holly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Holly)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/177 "2001-03-26T12:02:42Z")
Barbarian: > [@](#): > > I think Pro-lifers tend to see all children as a blessing. I think many of them tend to see pregnancy and childbirth as a righteous punishment for having sex, much like the description God gave Eve about how horrible having babies was going to be as part of her punishment when he cast her out of Eden. When talking to Pro-life people, I hear the stance that being compelled to carry the fetus to term is what the woman “deserves”. “If you don’t want to have a baby, don’t have sex. If you do, you have to face the consequences. Pay the piper.” In this view, children aren’t blessings at all. This also explains (in my opinion, anyway) why so many of these militant Pro-lifers are anti-birth control. They can’t stand the idea of a woman having sex without facing disastrous consequences. After all, if birth control and abortion are available, women are free to have sex. Can’t have that! In other words, some pro-lifers are concerned most with what they believe are murdered babies. Others are mostly concerned with sexual immorality. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/178 "2001-03-26T14:57:20Z")
I must reply with my own evidence that women on the whole, do NOT need therapy to deal with their abortions. I used to think so, til I knew several women who had them, and seemed no worse for wear. I had one, I didn’t Want to wait the 8 weeks required; but i did. I was depressed when I found out I was pregnant. When it owas over, I was happy. I feel guilty for NOT feeling guilty. Most people I know think abortion is murder, but until you are in that situation, you really can’t say what the choice should be. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/179 "2001-03-26T15:57:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by alloran \* > \*\*Here’s a cite: > > METHODS OF ABORTION > SUCTION ABORTION; Also called vacuum aspiration, this is the most common abortion technique in use today. In this procedure a suction tube is inserted through the dilated cervix into the womb. A powerful vacuum tears the placenta from the uterus and dismembers the body of the developing child, sucking the pieces into an attached jar. There is a risk that the uterus can be punctured during the procedure. Also, the abortionist must take care that all the body parts are removed from the womb, as infection and hemorrhage can occur if fetal or placental tissue is left in the uterus. > > DILATION AND CURETTAGE (D&C): In a D&C abortion, usually performed between seven and twelve weeks of pregnancy, the doctor inserts a curette, a loop-shaped steel knife, into the womb through the dilated cervix. As the curette scrapes the wall of the uterus, the baby is cut into pieces. Bleeding can be considerable. As with a suction abortion, there is a risk of infection or hemorrhage, so the abortionist must reassemble the body parts to make sure the uterus is empty. > > DILATION AND EVACUATION (D&E): This method is similar to a D&C, except that forceps must be used to grasp the baby’s body because of the child’s advanced development. The baby is dismembered as the abortionist twists and tears the parts of the body and slices the placenta away from the uterus. Bleeding is profuse. Although relatively safe for the mother, the procedure is devastating to the hospital staff and many doctors refuse to do advanced D&E abortions. > > SALT POISONING (SALINE INJECTION): “Salting out” is the second most common method of inducing abortion and is usually used after sixteen weeks. The doctor inserts a long needle through the mother’s abdomen and injects a saline solution into the sac of amnionic fluid surrounding the baby. The baby is poisoned by swallowing the salt and his skin is completely burned away. It takes about an hour to kill the baby. After the child dies, the mother goes into labor and expels the dead baby. Saline injections have been outlawed in some countries because of the risks to the mother, which can include lung and kidney damage if the salt finds its way into her bloodstream. In spite of the horrible burning effect, some babies have survived “salting out” and been born alive. > > HYSTEROTOMY; Similar to the Cesarean section, the hysterotomy abortion is a surgical procedure whereby the baby is removed from the mother’s womb and allowed to die by neglect or killed by a direct act. This method offers the highest risk to the mother and produces the most number of live births. Hysterotomy is used only for late term pregnancies, and is sometimes used if the salt poisoning or prostaglandin abortion has failed. > > PROSTAGLANDIN ABORTION; Prostaglandin is a chemical hormone which induces violent labor and premature birth when injected into the amnionic sac. Since prostaglandin results in an unusually high percentage of live births, salt, urea or another toxin is often injected first. The risk of live birth from a prostaglandin abortion is so great that its use is recommended only in hospitals with neonatal intensive care units. The risk to the mother is also greater with the use of prostaglandin; complications can include cardiac arrest. > [http://www.pro-choice.com/pc3.htm](http://www.pro-choice.com/pc3.htm) \*\* Well, I poked around that website. Number one, that name is at best misleading. It’s NOT a pro-choice site. Number two, the site outright lies about abortion clinics. I’ve been involved in patient services (escorts and volunteer counselling) at a number of clinics, and EVERY clinic will make sure that the patient has made an informed decision about getting an abortion. If the clinic thinks that someone is pressuring the woman, the clinic will counsel the woman, and in some cases actually refuse to do the abortion. I can only conclude that the people at this site are deliberately trying to mislead people. So, alloran, I’d suggest you get your information from a more reliable source. By the way, I got pregnant in a country that didn’t allow abortions, and I was unable to get to a country where I COULD get an abortion until I was too far along to abort. I regret this. Even though I love my daughter, I wish that I hadn’t had to continue the pregnancy. It’s taken me a LOT of counselling to help me cope with this, and I will probably never be completely OK with not being able to get an abortion when I needed one. I’ve had longterm physical health problems, too, from this pregnancy. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369/180 "2001-03-26T16:09:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Holly \* > > When talking to Pro-life people, I hear the stance that being compelled to carry the fetus to term is what the woman “deserves”. “If you don’t want to have a baby, don’t have sex. If you do, you have to face the consequences. Pay the piper.” Well, that’s why I said “I think”. I don’t know any openly anti-abortion people. But then again, this whole debate is silly, since no one really wants to be converted to the opposite viewpoint anyway 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-people-pro-choice/59369.md?page=10)