Funny how it's almost always a guy writing this sort of stuff.

It is always amusing to see a man describe an unwanted pregnancy as inconvenient.

Other inconveniences include cancer, paraplegia, death, etc.

If the religious right wing wishes not to procure abortions, then that is their decisions, but to go as far as to tell someone else what they can and cannot do with their bodies is unacceptable.

This essay is a typical example of how anti-abortionists love to be hysterical drama queens.

But that is an inevitable extension of their fire-and-brimstone guilt laden and guilt inducing religion. A religion that is full of double-minded messages re the body and sexuality. A religion which effectively equates sexual activity, and even the fact of human genitals, and even the having of bodily pleasure, with sin.

Unmarried people living together were stigmatized as "living in sin".
"Illegitimate" children were stigmatized as bastards.

How could any child be "illegitimate"?

Abortion has always been a fact of life in this fear-saturated world. It always will be.

My sister, assisted by my mother, who are both as normal as they come, had an abortion in the early 70's. My mother went to church every Sunday.
They traveled from Adelaide to Sydney where I knew someone who provided the necessary information and contacts. It was a sad sobering occasion but there was no big drama or guilt-inducing "moralizing".

As far as I know she never suffered any negative consequences. She later got happily married with three essentially happy and sane children.

I lived with an energetic passionate woman for ten years. She was systematically beaten by her father, raped three times and had two abortions. Despite it all she is still an energetic passionate woman who has a very strong Spiritual practice.

the hatred vented towards this doctor and others just shows why it is so easy for babies to be murdered in this country.

It is a bit sick to see people using their position to try to justify their ideology..

However it is disgusting when they do it to try to force that ideology on others.

Runner, I often sympathise with your posts, however I can not sympathise with using emotive crap, to try to force your opinions on others.

As with this doctor, I can hate the attitude, that you & he display, without hating you, or him. I can not understand what you believe gives you any right to dictate your ideas on everyone, but can understand that your very strong belief may cause you to assume superiority. Just remember that superiority is something that you have bestowed upon yourself, & has no justification.

However, once any of you start trying to force your ideas on others, you are no better than any petty African dictator.

The headline of the article showed little resemblance to the content.
I'd expected to see some statistical discussion about the claim often put by those opposing abortion regarding issues faced by the woman after the event, not there rather a generalised and very subjective claim about women harming their hearts.

If the level of regret is as high as some claim (and other dispute) then I'd be interested to see some serious research on other factors at play, the role of the church in promoting that guilt being one such factor.

The author does not state it but some of the wording suggests a "spiritual" factor in his views. I'd like to see some serious debate by christains regarding the biblical treatment of fetuses (and very young infants). My research on the topic suggests that the bible really does not treat fetus's and very young infants in the same way that others are treated. Much of the christain view of abortion seem's to be at odd's with the bible's treatment of the topic.

Doctor's and nurses should not be forced to take an active role in abortions but neither should they use their positions to hinder others from getting access to appropriate resources.

Like most other pro-choice people I'm not keep to see abortion used friviously and doubt that it often is but I'm even keener not to see the religious impose their dogma's on others (the fact that this dogma is either in conflict with their scriptures or poorly supported by those scriptures is another factor).

R0bert