When the Supreme Court meets on Wednesday to hear its first abortion case in five years, the topic will be familiar: a requirement that doctors notify a pregnant teenager's parent before performing an abortion.
But of the 43 states with parental-involvement statutes, New Hampshire is one of only five that do not also provide an exception for non-life-threatening medical emergencies, and it was on this basis that two lower federal courts declared the law unconstitutional.

The Bush administration argues that with the exception of spousal notice, all other abortion issues should await as-applied challenges, a position the plaintiffs in the New Hampshire case describe as "callous." Their brief says "it would preclude courts from granting any relief at all until faced with a woman in crisis."




Full article at



http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/29/politics/29abort.html

I do not wish to get into a debate on the abortion issue, but I just wanted to point out that it seems so illogical to me to say that a teenager is not mature enough to make the decision to terminate a pregnancy, but she IS mature enough to bring a new life into this world, and assume the AWESOME responsibility of providing for and nurturing a child?


A parent can force a teenager to bear a child against her will, but they can not force her to get an abortion. Sounds more like a ploy to make obtaining an abortion as difficult as possible, than genuine concern about the welfare and well-being of teenage girls. A parents opinion only counts if they happen to be oppossed to abortion? Sounds biased to me!


Lisa

Abortions should be illegal except where the mother's life is in danger or the pregnancy arises as the result of rape or incest.

Otherwise it's simply murder.

ALL pregnancies endanger a woman's health/life. Funny how the fetus suddenly ceases to be a "human being" and abortion suddenly ceases to be "murder" when the woman didn't have an orgasm. :rolleyes: The audacity of a woman to think that she is entitled to sexual pleasure, and even MORE audacious of her to think that she should be able to do something with her life other than change diapers and bake cookies. Selfish tramp! LOL

Lisa

Well, as a mother of two young kids, who had such a difficult first birth that I nearly died, and whose eldest son was born with genetic defects, and who was advised by the doctor to terminate the pregnancy, I think that I at least cannot be accused of hypocrisy.

I am a SUPPORTER of birth control. Abortion should NOT be used as a means of contraception.

If it is, you are simply murdering an infant.

If you don't want kids, don't get pregnant. It's hardly rocket science.

Just use contraception instead.

You are making the assumption that EVERYONE shares your view that life begins at conception. I think most intelligent, sane and reasonable people make a distinction between a woman terminating a pregnancy, and killing an infant! :rolleyes:

The President of the United States who is "pro-life", has said that "good people can disagree" on the subject of abortion. His wife told Katie Couric that she didn't think Roe vs. Wade should be overturned. His mom is openly pro-choice; she's one of the good people who disagree with him on that subject.


How can it be that if abortion is so obviously murder, that millions and millions of otherwise good people, like our present and former first ladies, are unable to see it? Also 1.3 million American women choose to terminate their pregnancies each year. Are all these women "promiscuous"? "Selfish"? "Irresponsible"? "Morally bankrupt"? "Murderers"? I should hope not! Or we have a big problem on our hands, don't you think?

How can the president say that "good people can disagree" on murder, for heaven's sake? Good people do *not* disagree that murder is absolutely wrong. Are the president's wife and mother perverse and evil, or just morally blind and stupid, because they don't agree with him? If so, how can he live with that? Could you love someone who thought murder was okay? And if abortion isn't about controlling women, why is it that Mr Bush has no problem with electrocuting, gassing and poisoning people to death in the name of "justice"? Shouldn't it stand to reason that if someone is "pro-life" they would be against the death penalty?

Why do most "pro-lifers" not want to punish women who have abortions, if it's murder? Would they feel kindly towards a woman who kills her children, like Susan Smith? If abortion is the same thing, then why the sympathy for women who have abortions?

One can not compare an embryo or fetus to an autonomous, thinking, feeling human being. A fetus has NO sense of awareness, nor is it able to feel fear or pain. Even if I DID believe that a fetus is a "human being" that doesn't mean that it has the right to make use of my body. Women are human beings with feelings, hopes, dreams and aspirations. Not incubators! We have EVERY right to put ourselves first!

I agree that BOTH men and women should be responsible and use birth control, but should it fail there needs to be a safety net in place. I would much rather see a woman have an abortion, than bring a child into this world that will be unwanted and unloved, and possibly even the victim of abuse.

And don't give me that "adoption not abortion" crap, because it is not MY responsibility to bear children for those women who can not conceive. And there is no shortage of children in this world that are in need of a loving home. It's just that couples want to adopt healthy babies/infants, and do not want to adopt older children, or children with disabilities, or children with severe emotional, psychological and behavioral problems. Those children end up being shuffled from foster home to foster home, and never have any stability. These are the children who grow into the adults that populate our prisons, and languish on "death row". There is NO disputing that the vast majority of criminals(particularly violent criminals) come from broken homes, and were victims of abuse.

You had the right to make the choice that you felt was best for YOU, but you do NOT have the right to force your beliefs on other's. How would you like it if someone had forced you to have an abortion? Because there are certainly people who would argue that would have been a more humane and responsible decision given the circumstances.

But it is not their place to judge, nor is it any of their business what you do with your body. And that applies to the anti-choice as well.


Lisa

I think there is a big difference between an abortion in the first two months, and 5 months and later. Also birth control does not always work! I think it's important to remember how many women died trying to get illegal abortions before it was made legal. I dislike the idea of ending a pregnancy intentionally but want each person to be able to choose,,, but quickly!

I regard every abortion as a tragedy... it is my deep wish that every conception could lead to a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy that ends in the birth of a healthy infant to at least one, preferably two parents who want the child and can and will care for the little one to the best of their ability.

BUT- that's not a reality- women become pregnant by rape, because birth control failed or because they were not sufficiently mature or informed to properly use birth control.
Women become pregnant in the middle of medical treatments that could endanger the baby or in the middle of a bender... pregnancy can occur when a relationship is teetering on the brink, or when the risks involved include leaving other children motherless.... There are a million and one reasons why a woman might choose to terminate a pregnancy, and unless you're the one facing a heartbreaking decision, you don't get to say she's wrong.

Excellent post LeBeau! :thumbsup: People are way too quick to judge, without having all of the facts and knowing all of the circumstances surrounding a woman's decision.

Lisa

I think it's important to remember how many women died trying to get illegal abortions before it was made legal.

This is so true. It is best to leave it legal so women can have it done the proper and SAFE way because if it is made illegal, women will still get an abortion, just in an unsafe environment.