“Also no matter how you try to spin it you are in essence saying death is better than poverty.”

In some cases ...yes, I for myself, would pick death over some forms of poverty.... BUT few people in this country admit this type of poverty exists, much fewer have experienced it.

Mel, January 4

“Thomas Jefferson once famously stated ‘my right to swing my fist ends at the other man’s nose,’”

Actually, that was Ben Franklin who stated “Your right to punch ends where my nose begins.” I would suggest that your right to legislate ends where the body of another begins....that, (IMHO) would be at the first layer of skin… hence the uterus.

“Life liberty and the pursuit of happiness” may be harder to find for an unwanted child relegated to the “tender mercies” of today’s foster care system. Fully 1/3 of children placed in foster care end up up in prison at some time in their adult life. 50% are at some point “homeless” 72% have mental problems serious enough to limit their employment potential. 

Funny though, I haven’t heard the “right to life” movement out in the streets advocating for a better life for foster children....

I’m pro-life in all circumstances. The only gray line I argue with myself over is in medical emergencies, such as uterine cancer or entopic pregnancies which will result in the definite death of either the child or mother or both. But I’ve becoming increasingly disappointed with the prolife movement’s tired rhetoric.

The National Organization for Women is always yelling about ‘reproductive rights.’ From the beginning, they have argued that the government should not tell you what you can and can not do with your own uterus. The National Right to Life, however, counters this by saying they are dedicate to protecting ‘life from conception until natural death.’ That’s all and well and good, but let’s fight fire with fire. If NOW is going to hoot and holler about rights, then lets change our tactic.

It’s all about civil rights.

A couple hundred years ago, John Locke wrote about man’s right to ‘life, liberty, and property.’ The main idea in his writings is not that we have these rights because of what state we live in but because we are human. It doesn’t matter if you’re born in Manhattan or Pyongyang, North Korea. It doesn’t matter if you’re black, white, brown or rose-beige. We all have these rights. The great thing about being born in America is that our government recognizes that ALL people have these rights.

From the moment of conception, new DNA is created. You can tell a human embryo from a monkey by genetic analysis. That embryo is decidedly human. Because of this, that embryo has the right to life, liberty and property (later amended to ‘the pursuit of happiness’ by Thomas Jefferson while writing the Declaration of Independence). The DNA exists; therefore that embryo has the right to a life unterminated by abortion.

Many ethicists argue about whether life begins at conception or first breath. This is, in reality, a moot point. It doesn’t matter. If we only value things that are arguably alive, then why do we, as a society, spend thousands of dollars on funerals? Memorial services have become increasingly ornate. Military burials are wall to wall pomp and circumstance. Even the homeless are given respectful burials at government owned cemeteries. Nearly every state in the union has laws against necrophilia as a form of abuse. It is socially taboo. Respect for the dead is ingrained in our society. And yet unwanted developing fetuses are not given the same respect.

Thomas Jefferson once famously stated ‘my right to swing my fist ends at the other man’s nose,’ meaning that we can all exercise our freedoms so long as they do not infringe on the freedom of anyone else. Abortion, while exercising the woman’s right to treat her body how she wants, infringes on the fetus’s rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Lets see, your upset because Hollywood, known for it’s social concious (sarcasm) actually made a few movies that contridicted your views and were thereby out of touch, shocking!

Science says life begins at conception, it is not disputed. It is also not disputed that the life inside a woman’s womb is human life.

So go ahead, make all the justifications you want: 1. too many teen pregnancy (oh gosh, we must kill more unborn)

2. Baby will grow up poor and unloved (by all means, all the poor and unloved are not worthy of live, we must take them out)

3. Pregancy is too hard on a woman’s body (by all means, anything that might be hard on your body should be aborted) by logical connection, sex should be stopped to, because it can lead to bodily hardship.

4. Its the woman’s body no one elses (uhhh, except the one she elects to have torn apart)

5. Abortion is difficult for the mother (it makes much more sense then to tear apart the unborn to make sure she feels better)

That people would get so upset about a movie that chooses life over death really says alot. I want to say, it’s just a movie, but obviously, it has struck a cord and a good cord was struck.

To the person that said unborn life isn’t really human life, it’s not human. Well, let me tell you that is the exact arguement that the Supreme court made when it upheld slavery. You have joined a great club.

Pro-choice! Woman’s right to choose! Pro-choice! Woman’s right to choose!

*woman chooses not to abort*

OMG wrong choice!

Of Course I believe that abortion is the choice that should never be chosen.  I strongly believe in keeping abortion legal for a variety of reasons.  Should there be restrictions on abortion. Perhaps, but I’ve never felt comfortable supporting any. I consider myself pro choice. However I don’t approve of abortion I believe that it is a selfish and stupid choice and I would use every legal and ethical means to persuade a woman not to abort my child.  As a man I accept that I have no say over a womans abortion choice and I accept that as fair.  I do after all have the choice not to sleep with women who would abort a child. However accepting a womans right to abortion does not require me to like it.  It also would not require me to forgive her for it.

Of course I believe that “parents are required to create an alternative PowerPoint presentation. Against the endless loop of hip and comic stories, parents are expected to write the crawl—the stuff about relationships, about birth control, about becoming an adult before you become a parent. We’re supposed to write the real-life postscript to Hollywood’s happily ever after.”
That is what parents are for, DUH.
Or would you prefer that a bunch of strangers raise your children for you.

Conservatives have a difficult time with the idea of single motherhood, at least I know I do.  It is certainly not optimal for the child.  At the same time I can’t see abortion as an option to avoid single-parenthood because I see it as murder.  Since a child is biologically distinct from the mother at the moment of conception (whether it is viable or not on its own), I don’t believe it is a matter of “a woman’s body” at that point.  I believe mature people must be responsible for their actions.  So, I certainly believe in a woman’s right to choose.  I just believe that once she’s pregnant, she’s made her choice.  Ms. Goodman seems to be lamenting the fact that these movies don’t show these fictional young women aborting their children the way she knows all “real women” do.  Would it make her more comfortable to see a young girl make a bad choice (and underage and/or uncommitted sex is a bad choice) that results in pregnancy and then escape the consequences of that bad choice at the expense of someone else - namely the unborn child? 
Admittedly, the rise in teen pregnancy is not a good thing, but blaming the rise solely on abstinence-only education is a little one-sided.  There are other possibilities.  Couldn’t amoral sexual how-to classes masquerading as sex education actually encourage sex among some teenagers and therefore increase teen pregnancy?  Additionally, could the influx of millions of illegal aliens from a culture that accepts teenage motherhood as a norm possibly be another cause for a statistical increase?  And wouldn’t a real world decrease in teenager abortions also cause an increase in teen pregnancy?
I certainly agree that teens should be taught about contraception for their own safety as well as to prevent unwanted pregnancy, but they should be encouraged to wait until they are old enough to make better decisions about such life-altering activities and old enough to take full responsibility for their actions.  If they create a new life, they should be responsible enough to either take care of it or to see that it is taken care of through adoption.  A teen’s parents need to take an active role in educating their child about making good life-choices and taking responsibility for their actions. This is what parents are for, not just for donating the genetic material to make another human being.

yup, getting pregnant when your not married is just a puff ball of cuteness...hopefully one thing that might come of this pro-pregnant propaganda is that we will get rid of the odious term “unwed” to describe women who get pregnant when they are not married. and why is this choice/no choice issue always spotlit without asking about the many married, non-teenage women who are faced with pregnancy and many times choose, or try to choose, not to continue.  why are single mothers always portrayed as slightly dumb teenagers?  some single mothers are almost thirty when they have their children.  i know many single mothers young and old, who have chosen to keep their children and have gone on to raise great new citizens despite the mother being in the horrible state of “unwed” (not unlike “undead”? in a society that alas, still puts such value on one’s marital status in order to have any status at all)...i think Ellen Goodman is on the right track to critique the irresponsibility of making it look like it’s just “golly gee whizz, ain’t this just so much fun to be preggies”...it does fly in the face of everything people have done to try to bring some brain cells into the process, even the people who are advocates of abstinence are one step above this “hollywood” pregnancy is simple and fun.

Didn’t see the movies, so I don’t know whether the issue of parental notif came up. Any views on abortion aside, if a doctor performed any type of surgery on my minor child without my permission, I would beat him badly.

In the state of Mississippi the majority of births were to single mothers this past year.  Hardly an ideal for children.  Is this an example of the “family values” constantly being touted by conservative politicians?  It seems a pretty high price to pay for eliminating personal choice.  Countless children born into low-income, single parent households.  The parenting skills exhibited by the entire Spears family should result in horror at yet another member procreating, instead a 16 year old deciding to have a baby is heralded as “the right choice?”

i have been a bit taken aback by this trend myself.  i recently watched _waitress_ and couldn’t find a reason why the protagonist immediately tells her doctor that she *will* have this baby.  she makes this decision while she’s trying to get out of an abusive, loveless marriage and save money to start her own life and even though she feels no affection for the fetus even in the last trimester.  at the end, we see the triumph of maternal affection but, i would argue, only because she’s attained financial security by deus ex machina.  unfortunately, for most us, money doesn’t fall from the sky to solve our woes.

we need a film that presents abortion as an option that’s taken and that doesn’t end in ruination or serve as a marker of moral failure.  kudos to _six feet under_ for having taken that route, the only movie/show that immediately comes to mind.  yes, it was painful; yes, she was sad; yes, it was the best decision.

While having a baby as a rich teenager may lead to a happy ending, having a baby as a poor (maybe unwanted yourself) teenager is NOT OK?  So OK I open myself up to attack from the left… Who Am I to judge?

BUT despite my screen name, I feel an abortion (for those who need, accept, and are not co-opted...is an acceptable alternative.

Most “unwanted” babies do not wind up in a loving home.  Where they do find themselves growing up is a place where most US citizens do not go, or want to…

The best indicator that a child will spend time in jail as an adult is placement in foster care.

Oh well, prison is one of our few growth indrustries...so maybe that’s a “happy ending” ....for someone?

Hollywood is where phony and fraudulent get to date arrogant, cheap, greedy and shallow. May their union be consumated and blown dry into the desert of Ugly America called Las Vegas.