Thank you for sharing this information.

Perhaps the answer is in education, and less in regulation. Don't you think that women would make better choices if they understood 1.) the fetus in them is alive, 2.) the details of the procedure, and 3.) that there are alternate options?

I'm very happy to know that you have taken a step in this direction. Perhaps you should get your paper published? You could start by putting it out on the internet as a download-able .pdf. You could post it here. I would be happy to read it.

I'm feeling a sense of transformation. There is much more gray in this matter than I realized…and, as you point out, some very black and white patches as well.

The only abortion “restriction” we currently have is the ban on partial birth abortion, and the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, which states an infant must be regarded as a person under the law, viable or not. The 1975 law in Illinois, where the bills were brought, had been weakened considerably in 1993 by a consent decree signed by Roland Burris, and it only covered infants deemed “viable” by the person aborting them. Since viability is open to interpretation, we have the problem of some premature infants getting medical treatment and living to healthy childhoods at an age younger than others are legaly aborted.

These laws only restrict the way in which an abortion is performed, but do not limit the right to an abortion at any point in pregnancy. Currently, there is an abortion clinic in Florida (EPOC) that advertises same day pill abortions 3 to 24 weeks and you can visit their website. Read their mission statement. They inject the fetus with heart stopping drugs before inducing a still birth. The partial birth abortion is a barbaric act never necessary for the life or health of the mother and can in fact be dangerous to her.

The other laws consist of various state laws on parental consent for minors, informed consent, (in Texas we have to read a pamphlet on fetal development before an abortion) conscience clauses for health care workers who do not want to participate in abortion, and I believe Medicaid will not pay for elective abortion.

Those are the laws “restricting” abortion. No law can restrict the right to abortion at any point in gestation, because of the Supreme Court ruling that required the health exception after viability. Many people are not aware of this and assume abortion is regulated.

I have just completed a paper on the subject; I think it is fairly informative and interesting. Obama states there is no argument against abortion except a religious argument but this is simply not true. The best argument is one of civil rights, and that is the case I make in my paper. I wrote it for friends and family because there is a lack of knowledge, and lack of effective debate and this issue is vitally important.

You are correct about many issues not being black and white, but on the issue of civil rights there is no gray area, and this was displayed perfectly during our history leading up to the civil war. There are no exceptions to “all men are created equal.” Once you make these exceptions, all human value is opened up to arbitrary judgment. That is not a religious argument, it is an argument of common sense.

I will mail you my paper if you would like me to. I really appreciate you writing to me; hardly anyone is willing to really discuss this issue without anger. I would value your feedback.

Thanks,

Mary Garmon

Fort Worth, Texas

I would agree that people are better off taking responsibility for their own actions. I believe that women who have had abortions do not, generally, make that decision lightly and that it is they who “pay the price”. It is their path and their karma. The woman who came forth and told her story in this article tells of her pain and she is, indeed, living her karma. Whatever your belief, you must know that each woman faces her “God” (conscience) when she decides to have a child, or not. Neither choice is easy, nor is living with that decision.

Thank you for this dialogue. Your passion tells me that you must cherish your children, and they are, indeed, lucky to have you.

My story has been told. People are interested to hear it but those wounds have healed. Telling it is no longer theraputic. I've grown because of it and moved past it. Anything more would just be dwelling in the past.

I understand the difference between the legal and moral perspectives. I'm also very aware of the many laws our nation has upheld in the past that would be considered immoral today, from slavery to women's rights. I hope our country and legal system will come to their senses and this law will fall by the wayside as well. Despite all of the other argumens I have made the one that I will always come back to is that our rights and our ability to choose lies in our decision to have sex and possibly conceive. After conception our rights end and the rights of the new life we are bringing into the world begin.

Actually “You catch more bees with honey” is one of my favorite sayings and one I repeat often. If I have come off as angry or hateful that was not my intention. Perhaps if I did come off that way it's because I get so tired of people complaining about their situation or lot in life when 99.9% of the time they put themselves in that situation and are too lazy or weak to get themselves out of it. Same way I feel about abortion. “Honey, you put yourself in that situation knowing full well all of the possible consequences and now you want out? And who has to pay the price?” Laziness, ignorance, arrogance and weakness all do anger me, and I feel it's a combination of all four of these characteristics I despise that leads a person down the path of abortion. I used to laugh at it but now live by the saying my father would always repeat to me, that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. It's ironic that what most people complain about as being their hard times are insignificant in the grand scheme of things and that there are a lot of people who are a lot worse off than they are.

I normally don't put so much time or effort into something like this but I guess I do feel pretty passionate about it. Normally all my time goes into being the best parent I can to my two children. If I offended anyone I apologize, but I also hope that maybe someone who didn't agree with me heard what I had to say.