Family Discussions

Over the past weekend I had the opportunity to share some of my personal views on various issues with my family.  One of the topics we discussed was "abortion, right or wrong?"
Generally, I personally do not support abortion.  I believe that life begins at conception.
I especially do not support abortion as a form of birth control.  I think that if you're old enough to participate in sex, then you should also be adult enough to handle the consequences.  You make the decision for any unwanted results when you participate in sex.  There are so many ways to prevent contraception: no sex, female birth control, or male condoms.  Should pregnancy occur, unwanted children can also be adopted or under the Baby Moses law, left at a recognized safe place with no questions asked.
I also think a mother should be saved if there is a choice between the life of the mother and baby.  A mother is needed if there are already children in the family.

This excerpt is from the article at this website: http://pregnancy.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Medical_Reasons_for_Abortion

Health of the Mother

Although most women are able to successfully carry a pregnancy to term with no risk to their own health, there are some women who have medical conditions that make it difficult or dangerous to give birth. When faced with a pregnancy under these circumstances, abortion is one option that may be considered.

Examples of some of the conditions that can complicate a pregnancy include:  Cancer, Heart disease, Diabetes, Autoimmune disorders, HIV, AIDS, and Certain other sexually transmitted diseases.

Abortions done to preserve the mental health of the mother, such as when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, may also be classified as one of the valid medical reasons for abortion. Women who choose to have abortions when the pregnancy is the result of an abusive relationship may also be considered to fall into this category.

I have mixed thoughts on a child that results from rape of incest.  I was interested in the rate of pregnancy resulting from rape. Part of me thinks the baby should be carried to term, another part sides with the victim.  She didn't ask to become pregnant, let alone raped.  Some women have little choices when faced with forced sexual relations or cultural/religious norms.
I grew up when abortion was illegal.  I remember the coat hanger abortions and procedures performed by unqualified persons.  I don't want to go back to those times.  

The following paragraphs are taken from this link:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pregnancy_from_rape 

[Below taken from Wikipedia article]
Rape-pregnancy incidence

Any female capable of ovulation may become pregnant after rape by a fertile male.

Estimates of the numbers of pregnancies from rape vary widely.  Recent estimate suggest that rape conception happens between 25,000 and 32,000 times each year in the U.S. In a 1996 three-year longitudinal study of 4,000 American women, physician Melisa Holmes estimated from data from her study that forced sexual intercourse causes over 32,000 pregnancies in the United States each year.  Physician Felicia H. Stewart and economist James Trussell estimated that the 333,000 assaults and rapes reported in the US in 1998 caused about 25,000 pregnancies, and up to 22,000 of those pregnancies could have been prevented by prompt medical treatment, such as emergency contraception.

Rape can cause difficulties during and after pregnancy, with potential negative consequences for both mother and child. Medical treatment following a rape includes testing for, preventing, and managing pregnancy. A woman who becomes pregnant after a rape may face a decision about whether to have an abortion, give the child up for adoption, or raise it. In some countries where abortion is illegal after rape and incest, over 90% of pregnancies in girls age 15 and under are due to rape by family members.

The false belief that pregnancy can almost never result from rape was widespread for centuries. In Europe, from medieval times well into the 1700s a man could use a woman's pregnancy as a legal defense to "prove" that he could not have raped her, since her pregnancy was thought to mean that she had enjoyed the sex and therefore consented to it. In recent decades, some pro-life politicians and organizations (such as Todd Akin) who oppose legal abortion in cases of rape have advanced claims that pregnancy very rarely arises from rape, and that the practical relevance of such exceptions to abortion law is therefore limited or non-existent.

Rate

A 1996 study of 34 cases of rape-related pregnancy estimated that in the United States, the pregnancy rate is 5.0% per rape among victims of reproductive age (aged 12 to 45).   A 1987 study also found a 5% pregnancy rate from rape among 18- to 24-year-old college students in the US.  A 2005 study placed the rape-related pregnancy rate at around 3–5%.

In the United States, 1 percent of 1,900 women questioned in 1987 listed rape or incest as the reason for having an abortion; of these, 95 percent named other reasons as well.  A 1996 study of thousands of US women showed that, of pregnancies resulting from rape, 50% were aborted, 12% resulted in miscarriage, and 38% were brought to term and either given up for adoption or raised.  Peer-reviewed studies have reported from 38% of American women to 90% of Peruvian adolescents carrying the pregnancy to term.  In Lima, Peru, where abortion is illegal, 90% of girls aged 12 to 16 who became pregnant through rape carried the child to term.  Of all children born, 1% are put up for adoption; the number of children conceived from rape who are given up for adoption was found to be about 6% in one study and 26% in another.  When a mother commits neonaticide, killing an infant younger than 24 hours old, the child's birth being the result of rape is a main cause, although other psychological and situational factors are generally present.  Some people turn to drugs or alcohol to cope with emotional trauma after a rape; use of these during pregnancy can harm the fetus.

Children of rape

For a mother who raises a rape-conceived child, both the traumatic effect of the rape and the child's blood relationship to the rapist can create significant psychological problems for both mother and child.  If a woman decides to keep and raise the child, she may have difficulty accepting it, and both mother and child face ostracism in some societies.

Mothers may also face legal difficulties. In most US states, the rapist maintains parental rights.  Research by legal scholar Shauna Prewitt indicates that the resulting continued contact with the rapist is damaging for women who keep the child.  She wrote in 2012 that in the US, 31 states allow rapists to assert custody and visitation rights over children conceived through rape.

I have come to the realization that the issue of abortion is many faceted.  I want to say that I have no personal experience with the need or use of abortion. I do, however, personally know women who have had abortions.  I can't honestly say how I would feel should I find myself in an unwanted pregnancy situation, especially if under-aged, raped, or molested through incest.
I was surprised to learn that over one half of the US states allow rapists to assert custody and visitation rights over children conceived through rape.  Talk about a nightmare!
I don't judge any woman who has had an abortion.  I just believe that abortion ends a life.