Shouldn't we focus on prevention, rather than abortion?

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The above question regarding abortion elicited some answers pointing to prevention of unplanned pregnancy (i.e. education and access to birth control for all) as a solution. It is certainly the case that many problems exist that lead to pregnancy which would need to be eliminated before we could eliminate abortion (rape, abuse, lack of education, etc.) What do you think about focusing on education, access to birth control, and fighting sexual abuse rather than focusing on abortion itself to eliminate the "abortion problem"?





I happened to get a couple thumbs down and wondered why that suggestion was viewed negatively





??.

Shouldn't we focus on prevention, rather than abortion?
Some people hate control of their sex drives, and don't care who they hurt as long as their sex-drives are appeased.





Your question should have included religious motives, too. Statistics show that those who follow the Lord are blessed with a happier marriage and trust their mate when their values were upheld. Meanwhile, fornicators mistrust their mate.





Shalom and peace in Jesus, BenYeshua.





P.S.: If Mary avoided the stigmatism of her questionable pregnancy, how could we be saved? Remember, at 6 months gestation, John leaped in Elizabeths womb at the newly impregnated Mary's presence.
Reply:Many religions don't believe in birth control. Smart, huh? All that thought process does is punish the supposed sinner. They think it's a sin to have sex, so let them get pregnant and pay for their sin. The only problem with that is many of these women are married....not fornicators.





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Reply:Yes!!
Reply:Birth control prevents abortions.
Reply:The liberals' way of prevention, i.e. condoms, ect. (as though people were on the level of animals) does not have merit and it will fail in the overall scheme of things, as all liberal programs and ideas do.





The solution is really as simple as knowing to keep your pants zipped up and your legs closed until the proper time, and promoting other solutions will not really solve the problem.





This is why it's important to keep your children out of stupid sex ed classes. They're run by liberals who will teach them this crap, and they will show grade schoolers how to condomize cucumbers.





I know that you liberals don't like this answer, and I don't care. Show us ONE problem that you have ever solved in the world, JUST ONE!
Reply:Absolutely!
Reply:Yes, yes, one thousand percent yes.
Reply:Yes - but accidents do happen, no BC is 100%, and there will still be a need for legal abortions. Also, don't forget some churches - Catholic in particular - oppose birth control.
Reply:Teaching birth control and abstinence would solve lots of unwanted pregnancies. But it would have to be an "in depth" teaching, and lots of parents don't want that in the schools.
Reply:no birth control is %100. we as people were natually made to have sex so there will always be pregnancy no matter what. not sure if abortion is the answer?
Reply:I think they go hand in hand, really. The more people realize that abortion is murder, the more people will want to find ways of preventing it. It's a circular problem, really.
Reply:Sing it, sister! Focusing on the real problem will, as always, do the most good.
Reply:Certainly prevention is far preferable. We've known for a very long time what causes pregnancy and how to avoid unwanted ones.
Reply:In high schools and other institutions, prevention of pregnancy is actually the focus, more than abortion. On top of creating awareness on prevention of unwanted pregnancy, they also highlight on safe sex as well as the process of abortion which is a cruel and inhumane act.
Reply:Ofcourse prevention is the better choice, but not all bc methods are fail proof. Then there is rape. Then in those instances, to each her own body. I know i'm going to be bashed by this!
Reply:I am against abortion.I am for a woman's right to have one if she so chooses.Every one has to answer to their God in the hereafter so who am I to tell a woman what she should do or not do with her body and life.I myself in my younger years had an abortion and remember waking up crying,I felt saddened by what I had done and promised never to allow myself to be in that position again.I never regretted not having the child,but having the abortion hurt me deeply.
Reply:rofl........ you really don't get it do you? People often don't have a choice. Prevention isn't the problem. You eliminate what causes the need for abortion and you'll eliminate abortion.





Here's a hint.... the causes for the need of abortion usually aren't "because the sex felt good".
Reply:Certainly eduction and access to birth control are very important tools to fight any need for abortion. I think that "fighting sexual abuse" may be a little more difficult, though. Abortions are very difficult for all involved and can cause a lot of crying, (unless a woman is pretty hard-hearted), but sometimes in some circumstances they really are for the best.





PS. You would probably get thumbs down (though wouldn't that be for the answer?) because some believe in no abortion for any reason whatsoever.
Reply:ding ding ding ding ding!
Reply:I get thumbs down too for my answers sometimes, you just cannot make everyone happy i guess.





as long as it was your honest answer than that is all that matters, for we are all entitled to our opinions and others do not have to like them only accept your right to believe it.





education has been tried, i was not in the other forum but there is nothing wrong with it. when i was a boy then started it. It changed nothing. Many say that teaching them to young and having condoms and such available to teens is just propagding or condoning it's use which in many Religions is where the issue really lies.





ME I am Wiccan so I do not have the same view. Education is never a bad thing. I think it is a good idea but it has been tried, i think a more radical educational approach needs to be thought of.





Of course prevention is always better than abortion. just as preventing a fight is better than winning one.





so you probably had many deeply Religious people answer who feel so strong that they forget you have a right to your opinion too!!
Reply:Yes,... yes, we should! One of the ways to prevent pregnancy -which you didn't mention is abstaining from sexual activity. Just say, NO!
Reply:yes,but of course sometimes abortion is wanted because of rape or the parents don't love children or cant afford them.adoption is always an option.the world has too many people so prevention is necessary in poor countries especially
Reply:I agree 100%





I believe in


(1) Proper sex and sexuality education that is age appropriate and adds more information as children get older





(2) Self-esteem counselling for at risk girls (who are more likely to have sex too early)





(3) Preventative training to help young people avoid or speak up against rape, incest etc.





(4) Proper knowledge of birth control and the ramifications and responsibilities involved with having sex is KEY.





(5) More spending on after school programmes in sports, music, community projects, arts etc to keep young people occupied, supervised and in a positive environment.





Now, tell that to the conservative Christians who only want their children to know about basics- how babies are made and that sex is WRONG WRONG WRONG unless you are married and leave it at that.





Who wants to bet that if you do a poll of women who are having abortions and ask them, "What religion do you belong to?" that the vast majority of them are Christian and were told at some point, sex is WRONG WRONG WRONG unless you are married.





I am not saying abstainence is wrong. Abstaintence WORKS! But only for as long as you are single, not in love and not in a serious relationship.





Abstainence ALWAYS ends it is not forever and it just so happens that the majority of the time, it does not end in marriage but outside and a lot of young people were never prepared for it to end.





People underestimate how powerful the sexual drive is. We are asking teenagers who are at the most potent period of their sexual drive to abstain till they marry and the average age of marriage in this country is 27. So from puberty (13) to (27) that is FOURTEEN years!!!





Could YOU abstain from sex for 14 years?





That is the mammoth task we are asking of teens, who are desperate to fit in, insecure, eager for love and acceptance and battling with raging hormones and getting crushes left and right.





What are we giving them to help them deal other than sermons and guilt? That only works for so long.
Reply:we should do both. focus on education, access to birth control and fight sexual abuse while focusing on abortion itself. it shouldn't be one or the other. it should be both.
Reply:Abuse will never be prevented in all cases. Birth control is NOT 100%...... I am having a third baby concieved while on the pill. While I am having my baby, it may not be another woman's choice. In many cases, it is not lack of education, but lack of better judgement. And birth control is free and available to all at health departments and free clinics across America.
Reply:The school system is met with mixed emotions about this subject, and had to tread lightly. They are pretty much handcuffed by parents who refuse to be realistic. Many parents in this country believe that education is the same as condoning the act. What they have to is realize that sex is going to happen. The education must start with the parent. Their mentality of, "It won't happen to my child," is what must be changed.
Reply:I definitely agree that we should focus on prevention. Does that mean I believe birth control should be available to all? Well, it seems a bandaid solution at best to me.





There are always going to be teen pregnancies. But, I feel if parents are proactive, know where their children are, know who their friends are, and talk to their kids, then that is a much better method of birth control than condoms.





And I certainly don't believe we should be giving girls as young as 10 or 12 birth control pills. Talk about an open invitation!





And while parents being involved in their kids' lives isn't fool-proof, what is? Just because kids have access to condoms doesn't mean they are going to use them. Education from their parents, and then from schools should be the foremost choice when teaching our children about the consequences that come with having unprotected sex.





And I think preventing sexual abuse goes without saying, I mean, it's just simply barbaric and unexcuseable.
Reply:I identify as pro-life (despite the other crap that gets tacked on to that), but I dearly wish I could use "pro-prevention" as a label that is easily understood instead.
Reply:Without good parenting, education, and access to birth control, you get with teenage parents . . or abortion.





I don't understand why some people oppose sex education. Teenagers are going to have sex no matter what. It's a fact of life. People need birth control to prevent abortions.
Reply:Yes, very sad. The conservatives don't want you to teach kids about having sex and the repricussions of it. But here on the buckle of the Bible belt we have 6th graders getting pregnant. We have girls and boys (I am sure) that are having sex before they know what it is. I have a friend that this actually happened to her.


Planned parenthood funding has been cut due to support of abortion. Unfortunately they campaign for education, not abortion. Unfortunately people as individuals have advocated abortion, not Planned parenthood. People should support education and knowledge about our population from a sexual standpoint.


It's shamefull to see our youth being ignored when they are learning about sex from their friends and not the parents.


No thumbs down here, I am definately teaching my eight year old the precautions of disease, risks, and responsibility that comes with the fact that we are all sexual beings.


I would like to know exactly why education should not be implemented? Is ignorance really bliss? Do you care more about the embarrassment that comes with the discussion, the cost? The risk of ignorance is abortion, plain and simple. Truth being that if you don't campaign for sex education, you are promoting abortion and ignorance.
Reply:Unfortunately I don't think that prevention will remove the problems of rape, abuse, or complications. For these and perhaps a few others abortion should still be a mentally and physically safe option.





Better education both for parent, kids and any one having sex will help, as would easier access (not sure how much easier it could be...) to various forms of birth control as well as removing the social stigmas on obtaining and using it. We need to get over the thought that "If you have a rubber, you're going to have sex". The other thought that needs to go is "It's my body, I can do what I want". Both of these may be true but both contribute to worsening the problem in the first place i.e. they, espcially the second, are reactive not proactive.





Perhaps well supported unwanted pregnancy adoption programs would help.





In any case abortion should remain legal and safe, but society must change to where it is not the default option.

oleander