Amanda. I was 15 years old. If certain agencies had declared that they will not refer for abortion, my family would not have taken me there. I was not able to "choose" what place I was taken to.
Call me weak willed if it makes you feel better, I was 15 years old and incredibly fragile as I was pregnant to someone who treated me terribly. So yes, I was weak for good reason.
Amanda, any claims I am making are based on my personal experience.
You ask why we keep hearing about young girls being pressured into abortion? Why indeed!
There is no money to be made from women keeping their babies so how would the 'prolife industry' profit? The only logical reason for abortion providers to pressure women to abort is because they are running a business. If women leave the clinic still pregnant, no-one gets paid.
Why do women need a 'referral' from a counseling agency anyway? Check out the yellow pages. You'll notice that all the abortion clinics have plenty of money for flashy advertising. I wonder where they got that from?

A simple man’s view…

Is it really conceivable that a woman WANTS to undergo abortion? Can the pro-lifers really believe that women DON'T care what it takes, physically and emotionally? It seems that pro-lifer's think any woman capable of considering abortion has no moral or ethical standard and treats it like a day's shopping! What conceit on their part.

Just like some religious debates going on, the pro-lifers make assumptions of the women who choose a certain course of action, without considering the woman’s basis for making the decision and the highly emotional road they may have to walk. That they may choose to walk.

As Duec pointed out – the Senator’s Bill seeks to provide an “on request” clause. It's not a promotion of the service but, as when being interviewed by police and requesting a lawyer, it should be provided as a right, regardless of the personal position of the counsellor.

I was recently involved in a ‘scare’ (Turned out to be only that). We’re both consenting adults, using appropriate contraception and in our 30’s. But the final decision was hers. I gave my honest opinion and said that I would stand 100% by what she felt was right as far as she was concerned. I could not and would not force her into a corner that would more than likely make it a harder decision to deal with. It’s not my right or obligation and no one else’s either.

Yes, abortion may be getting out of control. Why don’t we look at the reasons for this rather than attacking the by-product of whatever is wrong? Education, support and provision of better options. And be reasonable about this. We’re living in the 21st century, not the 1800’s.

Most arguments against abortion, in my experience (and therefore only my opinion) come from some belief in the moral high-ground and usually of a religious bent. Well, as God gave you free will, you have an obligation to pass that on. Believe what you like but do not impose upon another. Each will carry the burden (or otherwise) of their choice.

Seems to me that the godbotherers and misogynists are trotting out their same old tired arguments against women's rights to make informed choices about unwanted pregnancies, which are easily refuted by anybody who actually has any experience of abortion beyond the covert Christian 'counselling' agencies.

About the only thing I find interesting about this thread is the sudden appearance of a bunch of first-time posters, all of whom seem to be from the disingenuous anti-abortion camp. There's a bit of a whiff of an orchestrated campaign about this thread...

garra,

I was wondering if you know any other words except “godbotherer” and “misogynist”, as you seem to use those words in practically every post you make.

Do you really know what these words mean, or did you just hear these words somewhere, and thought that they sounded “cool”, and would make you seem important?

Do you practice name-calling first thing in the morning?

Your posts rarely have much to do with the topic, you rarely present any new information, rarely reference anything, and add almost nothing to any debate except name-calling.

To summarise:- you just call other people names.

I would not support Natasha Stott Despoja’s proposal for one reason and one reason alone – it relies on “state / legal intercession” in what is a private transaction – the right of a listing in white pages when acquiring a telephone service (regardless that this service was once part of a government monopoly).

Such a process is no different to “the state” deciding who will be allowed to promote “a particular view” through yellow pages, magazine, billboard or television advertising.

I see no merit, need or moral right for the state to interfere in private transactions between people or private organisations and their service providers. I see such interference as seriously detrimental to general Australian held values and just “anti-democratic” (ironic when Natasha Stott Despoja claims to be a “democrat”)

I am pro-choice and willing to support that view rigorously with anyone – but “pro choice” respects others right of choice even when it is contrary to ones own held view – that is the “acid-test” of real democracy.

GP your analogy to a rapist is flawed – such an act involves two entities, the perpetrator and the victim, one exercising his “choice” and the other, having her “choice” denied.
An abortion involves one entity, the woman and a possible / potential entity, the embryo / fetus, which, quite rightly, has never been recognised as having the same “rights” as an autonomous individual. The only way you can force a woman to endure pregnancy is to deny her right of choice – just like a rapist.

Maryse Usher "For 1500 years, until 30 years ago, abortion was officially regarded by doctors -- and society -- as a heinous crime”

Total Rubbish – “abortion” was not criminalised until the around mid 19th century (exact dates vary from country to country) – start with accurate facts instead of emotionally loaded lies and garbage.

Re Public Opinion –
When anyone is making a “Private Decision”, “Public Opinion” is subordinate to an individual’s “Personal Opinion”. To Abort or not, is a Private Decision.

Respect Individual Rights and Opinion First, they might be yours.

I was just wondering about the long term emotional results of abortion, on both mother and successive children? I know of women who have had abortions for non-medical reasons and medical reasons and some time later the "non medical abortions" all exhibited the same relationship intimacy/affection issues, their relationships break down the exhibited the same behavioural "phases". As told to me by their male partners.
Comments from people around them (who don't know their history) are that they are "unstable"
I also notice that the children seemed to love being cuddled and touched, more so than other children, I presume because they don't have that from their biological mother.
Has there been any research discussing effects on the sucessive children? Or is this hard to do because not to many women discuss this with their successive children?