that said, i think that many women choose abortions because of economics — they can’t support a child on their own or even with the help of a partner, friends, family etc

barney frank said it best — for the anti choice crowd life begins at conception and ends at birth

true choice means that if a woman wants to have a child, the financial support is there: her job is held, she has healthcare, there is daycare.

without those things in place, choice is no choice at all

It’s worth it to dig through their websites and see what they do, and what others who want to set up similar programs can learn from them. They’re both remarkable places.

The writer’s politics may cause her to balk at unwed young mothers, but at least she understands that they need things like diapers and financial and emotional support

Sort of… seemed more to me that her argument is that teenagers should get married young. And note where the support is coming from — church. That certainly doesn’t apply to everyone.

She declares that late marriage is a response to an “unnatural” situation. But isn’t it marriage itself that’s unnatural? I mean, we created it, right? It’s not exactly part of the human condition, even if pair-bonding arguably is.

Agreeing with “we pro-choicers need to help pregnant women too” would get you beaten up over at Feministing? Wow.

No no no, just to be clear, I don’t think that sentiment would get me beat up at Feministing. I suspect that 95% of the women who comment at Feministing, and all the women who write there, would agree.

It’s just that in the context of the Feministing post, the pro-choice pregnancy home argument may not be taken particularly well. And understandably, since pregnancy homes don’t have a great feminist history.

The writer’s politics may cause her to balk at unwed young mothers, but at least she understands that they need things like diapers and financial and emotional support.

I take issue with this blanket statement. For some mothers it is definitely the right choice. And for many many babies it is a wonderful choice.

I’m an adoptee. I met my birth mother when I was 22. She (and my birth father) found me. Not vice versa. Yes, it was hard for them to give me up, but they still regard it as the right choice. As do I. I had a fantastic life with my adoptive family (i.e. my real family). They’re wonderful people who wouldn’t have had a shot at raising children had I not been given up for adoption. And my birth mother will be the first to tell you that giving me up was the right thing for both of us. She knows that she could not have raised me properly, and that her life would have been a LOT different.

She did not have a hugely supportive family. Her mother tried to adopt me (thank $deity that didn’t happen). Her father had already left. My father’s family was religious and all sorts of not impressed (though, I’ve met my paternal grandmother, and she now admits that it was the right choice too – she thought they should have raised me).

I guess I’m saying, one experience is not every experience. Mine may be an exception, or not. Yours may be an exception, or not. The thing is, my birth mother made the choice, of her own free will. She wasn’t coerced, and she could live with the choice. Giving a baby up because one was coerced, well, I can see how much damage that would do. But I imagine being coerced into abortion would cause a lot of damage too.

fwiw, I’m very much pro-choice. I do, however, wish we could lower the need for abortions.

The story is in one of Ina Mae Gaskins’ books–I think “Spiritual Midwifery”, but it could be the other one whose title I can never remember.

I myself had an abortion. And as callous, heartless, bitchy, murderous, and whatever other terms I have been called, I feel no remorse for it. It wasn’t a struggle for me. I was recently struck by the man who made me pregnant and I was 19 and just moved back in with my mother after a year of drifting about. I have helped girlfriends make the decision to have an abortion and to not have an abortion.

I also have a seven year old son. And there was nothing more I loved than being pregnant. It was a joyful and fullfilling experience for me. And giving birth naturally with a midwife was an experience I can only reccomend. As was breast feeding and sleeping with my baby.

I just cannot tell you how helpful this discussion has been for me to inspire me. I have always been aware of pregnancy homes. There is a Catholic run one about two blocks from my childhood home. I had never thought before, gee, as a pro-choice feminist what do I think should be done for girls who make the choices to keep the baby or to give the baby up for adoption. But they need our support too. Not just the ones that need an abortion that the state is making harder and harder to obtain.

Please, if you have an reccomendations for resources I’d appreciate it if you’d drop me a note. I’m thinking I’ll start by seeing what the local resources are for pregnant teens on all sides of the ideological spectrum and seeing what kind of grant money there is at the state level.