For the first post...
One stance which also appears quite often is that a woman who chooses to have sex and becomes pregnant from the sex "needs to face the consequences of her actions". Others may word it in a different way, such as "she knew what was coming to her" or "she should have kept her legs closed". This stance is refered to by a few pro-choicers as "pro-punishment" or "punishment camper" because it implies that going through the pregnancy and labor should be a "punishment" for having consented to sex. It is most often considered to be a seperate stance from "pro-life", or to not truly be "pro-life".
A few people will comment that until one is ready for a child, they are not ready for sex. One flaw with saying this is that some people exist (they label themselves "childfree"
wink who do not wish to have children at all in their life. It is not realistic to try and tell a childfree individual who is in either a long-term relationship or a marriage to abstain from sex completely because it could lead to pregnancy.
Another point often brought up with this stance is the misconception that all or most women who obtain abortions did not use proper protection. This arguement does not work because, according to sources such as
this one, 54% of women obtaining abortions were using some kind of contraception or birth control at the time they became pregnant, and that 90% of women who are at risk for unplanned pregnancies use contraception.
Let's be hypothetical. Let's say a woman does not use any form of birth control or contracpetives at the time she is to become pregnant, and will use abortion as her primary form of birth control (instead of simply "back-up plan"
wink . Condoms can easily be obtained from the pharmacy, and from many corner stores, and can come as inexpensive as $2, depending on the kind and brand you buy. Some schools, medical centres, and community centres even give them away for free. Birth control pills are also not expensive in comparison to abortion. Abortion can cost anywhere from $200 to $1500 or more. I'm sorry to be harsh, but such a woman is stupid. Would you really trust her with going through a pregnancy and possibly choosing parenthood? Come, now.
Turning a pregnancy into a punishment also devalues the offspring's life. Think for a second without making a sudden jump. The pro-life stance is mostly based on the idea of the offspring being a valuable human. To simply turn pregnancy, labor, and possibly parenting into a means of punishment brings down its value. It is going from what could be a precious gift to what is merely a means of making the woman regret having had sex. I wouldn't have wanted to be a punishment. That's for sure.
"Responsibility", in this issue, is not something that can be defined by one person for everyone else. "Responsibility" is merely taking the actions which one feels is most fit in a situation with several factors considered. Abortion is a way some women who are faced with unplanned pregnancies choose to take responsibility.
Everything we do in life involves a risk. When we get into our car and drive to work with our seatbelt on, we're taking a risk and taking proper precautions. When we cross the street, and look both ways and watch the lights, we're taking a risk and taking proper precautions. When a woman has sex and uses protection, she is taking a risk and taking proper precautions. Despite taking precautions, all situations do still involve risk. However, a person who is severely injured while crossing the street or driving their car is not denied medical treatment, despite the fact that they knew a risk was involved. With this in mind, why should a woman who is pregnant and doesn't want to be get denied the medical treatment she is seeking? She, too, knew the risks.
A woman who has sex agrees to the risk of becoming pregnant - not necessarily to remaining pregnant.
