Comments on: What Might Have Been – The Man Who Could Have Reversed Roe v. Wade, Part two

By: Mike Airhart

Mike Airhart — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:12:42 +0000

Courtesy of Box Turtle Bulletin, here is objective federal statistical evidence of abstinence-only programs’ failure to reduce sexual activity and sexually transmitted disease among youths.

http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2008/01/22/1329

By: Marty

Marty — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:19:43 +0000

By the logic of many here, poverty could be eliminated completely if we just killed all the poor people.

By: ken

ken — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 16:03:31 +0000

When used properly contraceptives have a less than 10% failure rate. Including those who don’t use them properly is how you get to the 30% failure rate. So the argument that “contraceptives don’t work, so teaching how to use them doesn’t help” is a false argument. Teaching people how do use contraceptives properly AND the importance of using them, does help.

By: Mike Airhart

Mike Airhart — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:45:35 +0000

Again, Vianney, you have offered no evidence to substantiate your claims. Your assertions are ideological, not factual.

By: Vianney

Vianney — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 06:21:43 +0000

Mike,
I realize it is hard to believe and counter intuitive that birth contol causes more abortions. In reality it is the birth control mentality that causes “unwanted” pregnacies. It is a mentality that says, we can have sex whenever we want as long as we are “protected”. But birth control is not 100% effective. The methods vary from a 10 – 30% failure rate depending on whose statistics you read. Do the math and that is a lot of “unwanted” pregancies, many of which end in abortion. What did people do before birth control was accepted? They avoided sex at fetile times or knew what could very well happen and usually welcomed a new life. But now people can have sex much more often without worry… or so they believe. The other result of this mentality has been a lowering of sexual inhibitions because of course, “we’re protected”. This in turn means more risky behaviors that can and do end in pregnacies. Birth control has fueled our appetite for all things sexual because it has greatly lessened our inhibitions, we don’t think twice about getting someone or becoming pregnant.
Think back to before our schools were peddling birth control and teaching kids about sex as early as 3rd grade. I barely can because I was at that age when it began. How many unwanted pregnancies and thus abortions were there before the mid to late 60′s when all this stuff happened? How many are there now? Remeber the motto; “safe, legal and rare”? Safe? For who? Legal? How about moral? Rare? 45 million dead and counting.

By: Mike Airhart

Mike Airhart — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 02:53:10 +0000

Vianney and Concerned,

There is no factual basis for your suppositions about birth control. Do you have any objective research to support your claims?

Birth control prevents pregnancy, and therefore prevents abortion. So does abstinence.

As we have discussed in other pages of this site, abstinence-only programs lead to an increase in pregnancies and therefore abortions. This is why 16 states (and growing) have refused to accept further federal abstinence-only funding: Such programs are counterproductive and anti-life.

By: Mike Airhart

Mike Airhart — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 02:48:57 +0000

Bernice,

“Along with the gift of life our creator gave us a [conscience]. Our [conscience] should tell us that taking away the gift of life from another human being is wrong.”

I completely agree with you.

By: concerned

concerned — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 21:59:32 +0000

Vianney,
Your comments hit very close to the mark. There are those in our society who insist on pushing the envelop, but when there are consequences to society because of this these are not the people who are will to accept the responsibility for what has happened. Changing abortion laws only provided an easier way out of making a bad choice and for many it removed the need to think before getting involve in sexual activity that may lead to consequences that they are not ready to face up to. The easy way to deal with it and to make some doctors some extra cash was to legalize abortion. Did this stop people from being irresponsible? No, it gave them a way out.

By: jayhuck

jayhuck — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 21:54:30 +0000

Ann,

What do you think is the most effective thing(s) our society can do to lessen abortions?

Teach kids about abstinence AND birth control – not one or the other. Kids, more than adults, like to hear about all the options available to them whereas adults often feel that teaching both of these things is counterproductive or too confusing for kids.

We need to deal with other things that drive women to get abortions: Poverty, as Mary showed in the article she posted, is apparently a major factor.

Education, not legislation, is our BEST weapon. Give women ALL the good information out there so they can make a well-reasoned choice, and begin to deal with those things that can make an abortion seem an easier route – teach them about adoption, about what having a baby means, about good birth control, about abstinence, etc. AND, don’t forget to teach men the same thing. Men need to hear about all of these things as well.

By: Ann

Ann — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 19:49:54 +0000

Mary,

I still think most people who have abortions do it out of convenience – they are never held to any responsibility regarding the consequences of their actions. I doubt that religion comes into play in most of these decisions, nor should it if that is not a person’s belief. There is a difference in someone like Jamie Lynn Spears having a baby and another 16 year old who does not and will hot have the support of a family or have the comfort of money like she does. One will have no consequence while the other one will have dire consequences. Both got pregnant though and now there is another life to consider. I really don’t know the answers except that I think Vianney came very close.