Americans are divided on whether they are pro-choice or pro-life, but slightly more than half say abortion is morally wrong


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Alison Kadlec
Feb 1, 2012
This post was written for the 20 community colleges participating in Completion by Design, a five-year Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation initiative that aims to significantly increase completion rates for low-income students under 26. As a “National Assistance partner” for Completion by Design, Public Agenda provides direct assistance to the colleges to help them build capacity for solutions-oriented dialogue among faculty, staff and administration. Here, Public Agenda's Alison Kadlec discusses best practices for authentic internal stakeholder engagement. While the post is geared toward Completion by Design planning teams, the principles are useful for any authentic engagement process.
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Allison Rizzolo
Jan 24, 2012
Far too often, throughout our work in the education field, we've seen even the most earnest and promising ideas from experts and reformers for improving schools and ramping up student learning met with confusion, anxiety or even anger from teachers, parents, students or community members.


2011 Public Agenda
Abortion is wrong and you should thinkabout the concequences before you become pregnant. you broght a baby into the world it is your responsibitity.
i totally agree with you on this one... there is only 2 circumstances that i would ever consider abortion, and that would have to be if you got raped and you get pregnant or you honestly can not take care of a kid, even wit6h help from everything and everyone you can, those are the only 2. If you beliecve abortion is right, just think, if your mom would have gotten an abortion with you, you wouldnt be here today, your kids wouldnt be here today, or your grandkids wouldnt be here today. Think if you had a unplaned baby, and have the kid, you grow to love it, no matter what you do, you will love the kid, imagine not having your kid around at the moment, whats it feel like? Abortion sould be illegal, its stupid. its not right and i think that if you DO get an abortion, your stupid, you just killed a perfectly good baby, no matter how far along you are, its still a kid.
Firstly, I think it offensive when people say you should get an abortion if your pregnancy is the result of a rape. It is the mother's choice, but why would a child be responsible of the crimes of his or he father? I am pro-choice, but I think people should consider this angle before saying things like that. One of my friends was born from a rape, and his moter loves him dearly and does not blame him for what happened in the past.
In addition, is abortion always wrong? Imagine a single mother, who already has three kids and can barely make ends meet: should she consider bringing a fourth child into this world? A sixteen-year-old who, sure, might have made some bad choices, should she raise a baby even though she's still a kid herself? Or, worse, should she put the kid up for adoption? I believe our orphanages are already way too full.
So, is abortion wrong considered from that angle? Like someone - I can't seem to remember who - said, if men could get pregnant abortion would be free of charge. We, after all, live in the twenty-first century. Morals have changed, and some people need to learn to accept this.
To answer all of your questions - YES, YES, and YES and incase i missed one...YES.
There are consequences for the choices we make in life. We have either been tought right and wrong or inherently know right from wrong and therefore know and understand that there will either be positive or negative consequences depending on which choice you make. Knowing that your choice will have some associated consequence to it, you should be willing to take responsibility for the poor decision you made just as you would had the consequence been positive. Why the double standard? Wouldn't the honorable thing be to take ownership over all your desicions and not just the good ones?
If you cant afford a fourth child, then take ALL the necessary steps to ensure that you dont get pregnant, including not having sex(if that is what it takes).
A sixteen year old knows better. She has been tought right from wrong and understand the consequences of her choices. So there is no excuse for her.
If we are continuously given "ways-out" or side stepping the consequences of our choices we will never learn from them. The idea is to not make mistakes if you can but if you do - learn from them. Are some lessons tougher and harder than others? Yep, you betcha. Usually the toughest lessons are the best ones. I like to make mistakes...i like to learn.
By the way.. just think about all the other friends you might have had had they not been murdered by their mothers before they were born and given a chance at life. Instead that chance at life, that opportunity to see and experience all the joys you have seen was stolen from them by a person who cant take ownership of her mistakes. A person who will not take accountability for their decissions is acting cowardly. Abortion is very much murder and both doctor and patient are murderers. While they may not be like mass murderers like Jeffrey Domber or someone who murders for drugs or money but they have purposefully committed homicide on another living being against its will. Is that not murder?
I'm just sayin'
Basic morals and values havent changed just societies willingsness to accept them has.
Personal Responsibilty
Honor
Integrirty
Courage
Value for Human life.
Most people in society today dont follow any of these most of the time. We place more value on the life a little endagered fish instead of the life of the farmers in california and the life the people who depend on their harvest. We place more value on the life of a polar bear than we do on human life when the fact that polar bears are over populated and their deaths are a result of natural processes. There seems to be no honor or integrity anymore. Society has almost forgotten what personal responisibilty means, instead we seem to blame our problems on someone or something else. Who cares what caused your problem. Accept it and deal with it or fix it. Its as simple as that.
The belief that every life has equal value and is "endowed by thier Creator with certain unalienable rights. that among these are LIFE, LIBERTY and THE PURSUIT OF HAPINESS." <---- (Declarition of Independance)
By killing the life of the unborn child you are depriving it of it's GOD Given rights to simply exist.
On another note. I'm all for decriminalization of marijuana. Bring that shit!
If men could get pregnant, abortions would be FREE ON DEMAND!
Don't want an abortion DON"T HAVE ONE!
When i think about almost 50 million abortion i think of 50 million people who were not allowed to live. I think of it like corn, (i know ha ha bare with me) if the corn is picked and the kernels never falls on fertile soil i do not consider it a corn stalk, but as soon as a single root grows, it is alive. children are the same. if a female egg dies without being fertalized by male sperm then it did not grow and is not consider the single entity that is life but if the egg cell is fertilized and divides into two cells, it is alive. many may think that, because it is not conscious or that it can not sustain itself it is merely a growing part of the mother but like the corn, the fetus uses the mother as nutrient, like soil. when the sperm and egg combine they form as a genetic code that replicates until specific functions of the code are utilized, eyes, nose, toes, whether or not he has a cleft chin. at nine months the child can no long grow inside the mother so he grows outside of here. just like the corn eventual, it must break through the soil and begin to grow outside. a mother must continue to feed the child, like the soil must continue to supply the plant with nutrients or it will die. so if you think a child is not alive until it is fully grown than abortions should be legal up to 21 for males and 16 for females because that is the time that they quit growing. the truth of the mater is that as soon as the egg and the sperm combine they create a blueprint of what the person will look like when they turn twenty so when a fetus is aborted the growing processes is stopped and it dies, just like if the corn takes root and begins to grow but is ripped out of the ground it will no longer grow to be a corn stalk.
Have you seen a High school lately?
Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion.........
my high school does not have any girls that are pregnant
Also it is scientifcally proven that a baby has a heartbeat within a month. People may argue that a baby in the mother's womb cannot live without its mother so its not a living being, well i say let a two year old infant live on its own, Oh wait! it can't. It cannot feed itself or clothe itself, just like a baby in the womb, now of course im not saying that a baby in the womb needs clothes but you get my point, also 46% of people are pro life and 47% of people are pro choice but more than 55% of people say abortion is morally wrong, what is up with that? honestly that is pathetic in my opinion.
What if they were raped???
what if it wasn't your choice?!
if someone raped you would you keep the reminder?
I believed that is was wrong to for ahwile, until it happened to me. Abortion is only wrong if your doing it for your own selfish reasoning, not for the sake of the baby. If you have a good reason why your getting an abortion and explain it then yes its hurtful but its a little more understandable. If you can't support the baby would you rather have it live a horrible life? Because if so then your cruel and heartless.
whether your religion says murder is wrong or not, it still goes against our constitution. we all have the right to life (well, were supposed to). people say women have the right to do what they want to their bodies. well, i know im not part of my moms body. women who get abortions aren't killing a part of their body's. it's a kid. how can we say we guarantee the right to life if we're killing kids? and where's the justice in this? murder is a human killing another human, & last time i checked, murder was illegal. everyone who is pro-choice says "it's not a human if its still in the mom". well, once the egg is fertilized, it's still going to grow into a child. of coarse, it may die of natural causes, but either way, you're taking away it's chance to live (which again, we're supposed to have a right to).
im pretty sure that even if abortions were elegal people would still find ways to get them, it really makes no difference if we make it eleagal, the only diffrence it would make is how women get them ( with less qualified doctors, or not even doctors)
It's ridiculous that you people consider something that isn't even a fetus yet, murder. Absolutely insane. Reading this page makes me laugh.
What is rediculous is the fact you seem to have no comprehension of the term FETUS. Abotions also happen during the fetus stage of development.
Merriam Webster:
Main Entry: fe·tus
Pronunciation: \ˈfē-təs\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin, act of bearing young, offspring; akin to Latin fetus newly delivered, fruitful — more at feminine
Date: 14th century
: an unborn or unhatched vertebrate especially after attaining the basic structural plan of its kind; specifically : a developing human from usually two months after conception to birth
I don't believe that abortion is morally ok, and I would not choose it, yet I do believe that the government should NOT be able to control what is moral or not. That is why we have separation of church and state.
so if government shouldnt control what is moral or not are saying that i can now run arround freely and kill as many people as want without consequence because government shouldnt control what is moral or not? who should?
Even "Jane Roe" admits to regretting her decision to have an abortion and she is part of the historical landmark that legalized abortion. I am very pro-life and feel that aborting a baby is murder at any stage during the pregnancy, but I cannot speak from experience. I have no idea what the girls and women who have killed their unborn children felt or feel after doing so. But I know that they hurt, part of them has died, how can they not hurt?
You realize by making abortion illegal, the government would be infringing on a woman's rights to her body and putting her in significant danger. Abortion will always be a part of society wether it is legal or not, but if made illegal, the women who deserately need/ want to carry out the procedure will turn to more dangerous, back-alley methods which will risk the lives of the mother. I personally know a young woman who underwent the procedure of an abortion when she was 15 years old. She feels sorrow for the decision she had to make at such a young age, but also knows that it was the right decision for her at the time in her life. However, without the process of abortion being legal, she would have had to raise a baby on her own at the age of 15 with no support from parents or the father (he was 15 as well) or choose the riskier option and find a doctor willing to preform an abortion. This would risk infection or death in the mother and the suspension or removal of the doctor's title and practice. Now, I'm not advocating that abortion should be a form of birth control for the women who can afford it, but it should be a legal option avaliable to all women, no matter age, race, or condition. Think about it, if you're a mother of a young teenager or a teenager yourself, could you handle bringing a new life into this world knowing full-well that its life would be filled with struggling and financial hardships? I know I would not be able to admit a child of mine to enter the world without being financially, physically, and emotionally secure in my life.
Women have plenty of choices: not having sex, many forms of birth control, information, choosing a man who is responsible for their own birth control, tie the tubes, etc. Why is that when women try all of these and still get pregnant do many women scream they want the choice to abort a child because they are not old enough, don't have money, don't like children, etc.
If your saying to yourself while reading this; it is still my choice to have that baby or not, than next time someone is convicted of a DUI and has killed another person they should be allowed to drive freely the next day without continuances.
Take responsibility for your actions.
Alicia Miller
i couldn't say that i myself would abort my baby. the moment i saw its face id love him or her. if i was raped id still have it because its not the baby's fault. still im not sure that we should'nt have it available for rape or other speacial circumstances.maybe not for girls who didnt takr precautions in the first place. i guess if you get pregnant it does . sort of become your responsibilty however if they are very young it may be option or adoption. i couln't honestly do it abort my baby id just suck it up and be a big girl.
Alicia Miller makes an excelent point. Women, and men for that matter, should take responsibility for their actions. I am very pro-life and I do not believe abortion is morally ok. Murder is illegal and once the female's egg has been fertilized it will grow into another human being, such as yourself. I do not believe in killing another human only because I am not old enough, dont have enough money, etc. Abortion should be illegal for the simple fact that I have already stated, murder itself is illegal. There is always adoption if you are not financially stable or just cannot care for a child. But at least if you give the child to an adoption agency you will not have killed your baby. If you think about it from that angle I think you will find that you agree. You will have killed YOUR baby, and would you be able to live with yourself knowing that you would have killed not only another human being but your own baby? I know I would not be able to do that to myself. Thank you for taking the time to read my opinion. I hope I changed your idea about abortion.
Mikayla G.
i think that killing a person is so not far
Honestly I'm prochoice. I am eighteen years old & have never had an abortion and I am sexually active. I thought about what if I were to get pregnant, what will I do? I thought about because I am a freshmen in college minimum wage jobs wouldn't cut it, because it barely supports myself and I don't have any bills or responsibilites yet $7.25/hr can't support one, so how will it support a family of 2 (based off the mother's income, not father's)? People need to understand that it is perfectly understandable if you are pro-life, and saying that a rape victim should keep the baby because it was not the baby's fault, is entirely out of hand. 75% of rape victims never fully recover. They feel violated, ashamed and embarassed and to add the RAPIST baby to that scenerio is ridiculous, especially having to carry the "rapist baby" for 9 months, and take care of it forever, or adopt it. Personally, these shelters are overly full, and why would I put my baby away if there's a chance that nobody wants it themselves?
What happens when a 13 year old becomes pregnant? She's afraid to tell her mother, wants to keep it because she doesn't have the mind set of a woman, or bare responsibilities and thinks of her new child as if she was playing with her doll. This girl knows her mother wouldn't approve and also knows that her mother would kick her out of the house. She thinks okay I don't have a job because I can't work for another five years, unless she'd prostitues, and that's illegal. She also says that her partner doesn't know and he's clearly a teen himself, but will most likely want nothing to do with her, bash her name, and disappear. Her best interest is to have an abortion and she considers it, who's to tell her differ?
Or what happens when a single mother of two, three, or four kids is struggling day by day to put just enough food on the plate so her kids don't starve, and finds out she's pregnant? who's to tell her differ?
I understand and always hear," What if your mom did not have you? You wouldn't be here today. I get that too and I can't disagree yet, my mother is a single parent who struggled a great deal to support my brother & I, but she struggled. She thought my father would be there and he wasn't. so why would I do that to myself?
What is this world coming to? So sad that we forget how sacred life is. Sin has become so rampant and morals out the window.Sin brings forth death. Worried about rape, and why are girls at such young ages having sex? Its so sad, I hope parents open their mouths and stand up for what should not be happening in American homes today. Be for real with your kids, give them the attention they need and guide them to have their focus on better things in life. Sex is something my parents never talked to me about as a kid, I wanted attention and I found it, but the wrong type. So thankful I didnt have an abortion, when you see the face of a child and know that you had that baby in your belly and hes yours to love and charish, theirs nothing that could change that. God has a purpose for every situation, no matter if you are poor, single, or been raped. God will provide and He also says to wait to have sex until you are married. So alot of these abortions that happen are by those that dont listen to instruction or dont know. If you have had an abortion please ask God to forgive you because you will stand before Judgement and be confronted with the matter.
I agree 100% with the comment just made. There are so many situations where you could say that you would never abort a pregnancy. But what I want to know is... has any of that ACTUALLY happened to you? I was raped in high school and am now in my thirties. I still see counseling for it, because the above speaker was right, you never really get over that feeling. If I were to EVER have a child from that, I could never love him/her no matter how wonderful they were because I would continuously be reminded of what had happened (even more than now). You argue that it wasn't the child's fault you got raped... however, it wasn't your fault either most of the time. No one puts a big RAPE ME sign on their backs. So what about those girls, are we really going to judge them morally wrong for choosing to abort a pregnancy before the egg ever really became anything for them an organism? I hope not.
well i strongly believe that people who choose abortion under any circumstance are baneful. i do understand there intentions may not seen horrible but if fact they are selfish.
if they made the choice to have sex then they should deal with it.
and if they were raped how can the innocent child be blamed?
and if they cant support the kid there is always adoption.
-i am adopeted, grant it i dont know alot about certain things and i do get crious at times, but i think open adoption is a good thing, the kid would know there parents plus have parents who can provide for them.
abortion is murder so please stop trying to sugar coat things and take a wiff of reality!
First of all embryo is not a human, it is pre human and a parasite. It needs a host to survive and can cause bodily harm to it's host. A women has ld rights to her body whether she should have got pregnant or not. I could care less if my mother had an abortion, I would not exist to feel anything about it, so it would not matter. Second of all, some women, like myself do not like children. I gu4ess it is better for someone to have a child and abuse and mistreat it than have an abortion. I think we need to concentrate on helping the people already on the planet, rather than bringing more children into the world that will not be taken care of. Personally I do not believe in welfare, child support, medicare, refundable tax credits, ect... I will not be a burden on society and I personally think if a women can't take care of her children then she shouldn't have them. I am sick of working 80 hours a week to pay my bills and paying a crap load of taxes so someone else can get a free ride. I did not tell them to have sex and get pregnant. If you can't feed them don't breed them. People will just keep breeding til the earth is overpolluted, or we will just get in more debt because people will keep having babies and paying no taxes. I would rathe someone have an abortion than have a baby they cnt take care of or mistreat. I would rather my mother have an abortion than raise me in poverty. If you do not believe in abortions, you do not have to have one.
I would be for adoption except a lot of adoptees have a lot of emotional issues. They feel rejected. I myself gave a baby up for adoption and I know he will face a lot of issues in the future. Look at those ant adoption websites. Most of them are adoptees. Not everyone wants an open adoption, because like myself they do not like children. Also, the adoptive arents get huge adoption tax credits which I do not believe in. I did not know about it when I gave him up but I wouldn't have done it if I knew. I will not take anyone else's hard earned money. People are struggling enough as it is. Also a lot of people on this forum use religion ang god in their debates, which isn't creditable because that is not everyone's beliefs. A embryo is not a child, it is pre human. A sperm has potential to become a person, does that mean it is a child? Comparing a teenager or child to an embryo is not even an comparision. A child is not attached to someone and feeding off their nutrients and is an separate identity. A embryo needs to feed off a host to survive, making it parasitic. Only when it can survive out the womb it is considered human, around 25 weeks, which is why abortions are legal til then. Whether you believe in them or not, women ave been having them since the beginning of time, and it is their right. I would not force them to carry it. i know women that have gotten diabetes and serious depression from their pregnancy and I believe they are more important than an embryo. No one should risk their health or life for something they be do not want. I f they do not want to be pregnant they will figure a way out of it whether abortion is legal or not. People say you should be responsible and care for it, but they are not paying for it, society is paying their baby bills.
I believe in life, u shall do whatever u feel is right, and whatever happens will follow. There is no right or wrong. If a woman could not afford to have a child and she was raped, there is nothing wrong w her aborting it. That doesn't mean the child is flawed, but why bring a child into the world alone if you know you cannot emotionally handle raising the child alone. The system convinces u to act like a victim. All the choices are there, don't let anyone talk you out of what's best for you. The child might also carry an identity crisis bc of the fact he wasn't a usual product. May or may not, but, quite honestly, do what makes sense. I have one child, and as much as I think id appreciate another, in these economic times, I couldn't do it, bc quality is better than quantity. Id rather have one child I could take care of than four I could not.
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