Stezza, you stated that women are 'freely choosing'. I am stating that they are not all 'freely choosing'.

I believe the prevalence and 'normalising' of abortion for any reason has been unhelpful to actually putting supports in place for women.

I have heard abortion advocates cry out that women will be thrown back to the 1950's without abortion access, and perhaps they will. But only because abortion advocating feminist groups spend all their time and energy on the accessibility of abortion, whilst ignoring the needs of women who do want to 'freely choose' pregnancy and not then be discriminated in their social, educational and professional endeavours.

Do I support abortion in any circumstance? Absolutely not. Too many of those 'circumstances' do not involve a woman expressing her autonomy; they involve a woman caught in a trap deciding which leg to gnaw off so she can feel the least amount of pain. As you so clearly state, both choices have consequences. Rare is the story of a woman holding her newborn baby in her arms saying she wishes she had aborted him/her. That doesn't mean they don't face a struggle often... some do... my point is that they shouldn't. We should be putting every possible support in place so that women can parent and achieve their aspirations.

When we stop receiving calls and emails from women devastated because they had an abortion they didn't really want, were uninformed about all their options, or are currently experiencing subtle or overt coercion, then perhaps 'choice' becomes an appropriate discussion. Until then, our brief is advocacy for these women. That shouldn't be considered radical by any standards.

I am very happy to respond to comments and have some respectful discussion. I believe there is a lot of common ground to discuss that often goes untouched and needs to be worked on.

Perhaps I phrased the question wrong. What I meant was: is there any circumstance in which you would support abortion?

There are women whose stories include that they are thankful abortion was available to them and that it was not a negative experience.

For the most part even those involve an objective level of perceived or real lack of support for the parenting option.

‘I wanted to continue my education and it would have been too hard with a baby. Having an abortion meant I finished my degree.’

‘I thought I might lost my job, having an abortion meant I got that promotion.’

Whilst each of these is a valid experience for the individual woman, it could be reasonably argued that a woman should not find it ‘too hard’ to continue her education or be denied a promotion just because she has is pregnant or parenting. These are issues that should be addressed in educational and professional settings, not in abortion clinics.

I do support and feel enormous empathy for any woman who feels for any reason that it is simply too hard to accommodate a pregnancy or child. However I do not feel that the availability of abortion serves the best interests of women when it is sold as a solution to helping women be full participants in the social world.

I do not choose to lobby or be an activist on abortion availability.

I choose to lobby and be an activist for the unheard voices of women denied choice, within their own experience and to ensure that the social world actually changes to accommodate women, as opposed to offering surgical and medical solutions so that women fit into the world as it is

I don't see a problem here!
In too many cases, that's the very first question a woman needs to ask herself?
There are just too many marriages, where men can and do enforce so called conjugal rights, and consequently, pregnancy follows!
A close relative lived in such a situation and produced some thirteen children, which the state had to support, before a doctor, with considerable courage, offered her surgical sterilization!
One simply cannot tell, just by looking, if the pregnancy is the product of rape, date rape or incest or may cost a highly paid person/sole income earner, her lucrative career, and therefore, the question, do you want this pregnancy, should always be asked.
And if any person is offended by such questions, then there are nearly always surgeries in almost every town, where this very question is never ever put!
So, there is an element of real choice, even for those, who could be offended by this particular question!
Rhrosty

What rubbish! Short of the threat of her own life, any woman joyfully pregnant and even the vast majority with some ambiguity will vigorously oppose any suggestion they abort their pregnancy. Indeed a good many who for reason of their own health or because the foetus they carry has extreme abnormalities SHOULD opt for termination either refuse or are extremely reluctant.

As for doctors asking "Is this what you want?" - This is legitimate and appropriate though should be done tactfully. For example: Yes - you are pregnant! So is this happy news? He/she will quickly get the picture without causing distress or offence. It may be a question asked not for the purpose of getting the mother to an Abortion Clinic as the writer suggests, but to refer her to sources of help or counselling. It all depends on the answer and further consultation.

Even though I personally find terminations sad at best and wrong at worst - this sort of fictional balderdash is unhelpful to any anti-abortion movement. The only ppl who will embrace it are those whose mindset is already concrete.

Not too hard to continue an education or employment, when pregnant!
[What about with a baby sucking on a teat?]
Surely you jest Debbie, or just don't live in the real world.
That said, abortion should never ever replace contraception as family planning.
And the choices are many and include condoms, which nearly everyone can afford, and are on most supermarket shelves, and should be used, by all consenting adults, if only to prevent the spread of STD's/HIVAIDS.
Then there is the pill! Or in any emergency, the morning after pill, which should be available over the counter!
The morning after pill I prefer, simply prevents ovulation, during that period of time, where and when, any sperm might remain viable.
And it certainly must be available to naive trusting young women, who are date rape victims!
So there are many choices, the very first of which, given all the aforementioned choices, is not to get an unwanted pregnancy in the first place.
Rhrosty.