I know, the flair thing is getting old

Sorry, I was looking at politically charged flair again and came across this one -->

To the maker of this flair: Rape is NOT a choice. Abortion IS a choice. In fact, it's a choice that is very easy to avoid - steer clear of the big, neon, "WE DO ABORTIONS HERE!" signs. So, I'm sorry, but it is only your analogy that is weak and offensive, not the supposed "pro-abortion 'logic'" you seem to be trying to refute.

You know what else is a choice? Keeping the baby. Or putting it up for adoption. That's the whole idea behind being pro-choice. It takes a pretty sick fuck to say that they are pro-abortion. Being pro-choice, on the other hand, implies that you understand that the needs, abilities, and resources of others are not necessarily in agreement with your needs, abilities and resources.

Speaking of resources, the best way to combat abortion is not with pictures of dead babies and threats of violence against doctors or patients, it's by improving sex ed, including adding in the bits about contraception, and increasing effective welfare programs. Either way, it means higher taxes, and we all know how much republicans loooove that idea.

I'm a pro-choicer. And I would never personally choose abortion. And I'd still like the right to make that decision for myself, thank you very much.


EDIT: Okay, it's a little later in the day and I'm not quite as upset about this flair as I was earlier.

I think I should explain something: I don't think life begins at conception. I know that, technically, the fertilized egg is alive. It's alive the way a bacterium is alive. But life is much more than a biological fact. I don't believe that a fertilized egg has emotions, has cognition, or can feel pain...mostly because ALL of those aspects of life are acquired later (it's been proven). Those are much closer to life than rapid cell division.

I should also point out that I don't agree with late term abortions. I know some people would call it splitting hairs, and maybe it is, but to me, they are not the same thing. The morning-after pill (RU-486, mifepristone, whatever you want to call it) is a good idea.

To anyone who thinks that consenting to sex means consenting to having a baby (regardless of whatever contraceptive measures you take), think about this: do you consent to die every time you get in a car? 'Cause even if you fasten your seat belt, drive the speed limit, and always signal, there's still a reasonable chance that you could die in an auto accident if some other driver makes a mistake. There is still a chance that a woman could get pregnant, regardless of however many ways she tells the fates, "I don't want a baby right now!"

I also think that, for a woman who cannot take care of a baby, whether for monetary or emotional reasons, nine months of pregnancy and however many hours of labor is a punishment. A baby should never be a punishment.