#abortion ethics

[caerbannogmochi]

Here's my two (completely unprompted) cents on birth control/abortion stuff. (TW: abortion, fetus death, coin locker babies)

First off, I'm a pro-choice protestant christian: Although I believe that a perfect world wouldn't require people to make the hard choice on whether or not to keep the baby, I'm fully aware that perfect world, where medical advances mean that 1 in 5 pregnancies don't kill the mother, rape (including "they're impaired but we're fucking anyway" situations) have ceased to be a thing, birth control is 100% effective, the foster care system is a safe place for children to go if their parents can't/shouldn't take care of them, adopting your kids is so normalized that nobody cares that someone's adopted, people are paid a living wage, etc, isn't coming any time soon. Second, I believe that abortion isn't a matter of morality, but of ethics.

The pillars of medical ethics are (as quoted here) Maximising benefit, Minimizing harm, Justice, and Autonomy. Autonomy means that it needs to be up to the person with the baby to decide what they're going to do -- and that we need to give them the resources to make an informed choice. Sometimes pregnancy hormones mean that the rape victim decides to keep the baby, or to put them into the foster care system, but they may also decide that it's best to kill the fetus -- No matter what, we must respect their choice. Maximising benefit and Minimizing harm are where the method comes into play.

Specifically, I believe that some methods of killing a fetus are more ethical than others, whether due to the effects on the mother, the effects on the child, or for other reasons. Although I will always advocate for contraception (including abstinance) as the best form of birth control, the next best thing is the Morning-After pill. There's no harm to the mother, the fetus (if there even is one) is simply a mass of cells, it's well tested, and nobody even has to know if you're pregnant. At the other extreme is the coin locker baby: the mother had to go through an entire unwanted pregrancy knowing she wouldn't be able to care for the baby (meaning there's a LOT of hormones and feelings towards that child), the baby (who HAS ALREADY BEEN BORN) is suffocated to death in a plastic bag as they sit in a small dark place, afraid and without their mother, it has ZERO benefit to someone who's going through pregnancy complications... THE MOTHER IS LITERALLY HAVING TO MURDER THEIR OWN CHILD BECAUSE THERE IS NOWHERE FOR THAT KID TO GO. Now, this is an extreme measure, but I'm bringing it up to illustrate a point: well wishes aren't a substitute for a way out of an unwanted pregnancy. I do believe it's more ethical to perform an abortion earlier, but even just knowing you can send a child into the foster care system can change someone's choice on what they want to do. And let me just say this: for a country that's trying to stop people from having abortions, we have a lot of really unsafe ones. To quote nbc news, "Abortions take place around the world, no matter the legal setting," the report [by the Guttmacher Institute, which they heavily reference] reads. But, it adds, “Provision of abortion is safest where it has long been legal." Abortion rates generally go down where contraceptives, bodily autonomy for women, public healthcare, and living wages are.

[damnsoprochoice]

Controversial topic: pregnant children.

Now, this is a very controversial topic that I've weighed the pros and cons of bringin up, but it is a discussion that I feel would be beneficial to have. People have various beliefs, and these will give different reactions. All I can ask for is for people to be understanding. 

When it comes to pregnant children, abortion and giving birth it's a very tough subject. Who decides what to do? When does a parent know best, or is it still an issue that only the individual can decide regardless of age?

Approaching this issue I'm thinking of the ages when doctors would start consulting the child along with the parent in deciding medical procedures and such. A 9 year old child would still recieve the treatment a parent calls for, with not much room for deciding over themselves. I don't think many 9 year olds are comfortable or willing to decide for themselves in medical issues, and would look to their parent/guardian for guidance. At age 9, and around that age, is an age where I would see myself, as a parent or guardian as the one who should make the decision, and in every scenario I would chose abortion for my child. I do not believe a parent should chose birth for a 9 year old, or an 11 year old. 

I'm also questioning if I would be able to keep custody of my child if I refused to allow her* to go through with an abortion. Honestly I think that in a country like my own it would be required, as it is seen as protecting a child's health (mental and physical), as well as protecting the child's development (physical and mental).

But after these ages we are fast approaching a time where the child is developing into a young adult and become better able to make decisions for themselves, and are willing to make those decisions. Age 12 and above, I would never make a decision for my child. Under 14 I would very strongly advise an abortion, under 16 I would strongly advise an abortion, but 17-18 (and up to probably 23) I would point out the benefits of chosing abortion. If my child still decides to give birth to their child, it would be my duty as a parent to provide a place to stay and help. 

Something that truly upsets me are some parents view that as soon as their own child gets pregnant the responsibility they have for them is over, or that they have any say in a teenager's decision in what to do with a pregnant. This includes forcing them to have an abortion, or to remain pregnant. Either or is equally awful in my book. As a parent you are there to support your child and their wishes and wants in life, not your own. It's not your life or your body, and when you chose to become a parent, you chose this possibility too.

When it comes to a young child where I see that I would chose abortion for them, it saddens me to even think of it. And I would hope that my child would come to the same conclusion: that abortion is best.

So, the question remains: how would you handle your child getting pregnant at a young age? Your definition of young is up to you.