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No. No no no no no. That is NOT a reason to justify abortion. As pro-choice as I am, I think that is the most crap argument we have.

Before pro-lifers get smug, though, I want to state the facts. Minority children, children with deformities, and older children have a MUCH harder time being adopted (which explains overcrowded U.S. foster homes). Generally, adopters are white, young, and finicky. They want a perfect white baby. It's sad, but true. Also sad but true is the fact that children who are never adopted tend to have a worse life, stricken with poverty and devoid of most of the opportunities that children with families have.

But on to my original statement. Claiming that poor kids will never have the chance at a good life is NOT a good reason to abort--at least, it should never be the only argument used.

As dog-eat-dog as the world is, poor kids have a chance. Even growing up in the ghetto, you still have the chance to make it, if you work your ******** a** off. With a loving family behind you, you have an even better chance. While kids living in poor areas often do grow up to be homicidal maniacs, they also grow into normal people, or even upstanding citizens.

So, I encourage women who are faced with the choice of having an abortion to consider adoption. If your child is going to be healthy and you know it, at least look at some adoption sites. Some people will accept minority children if you look really, really hard. Most people won't take special needs kids, though (and I personally think it's cruel to bring horribly deformed children into this world anyway).

I am pro-choice for many reasons, but my undying pessimism is not one of them.

But that's why your pro-choice, isn't it? I mean, I'm pro-life, but I've always thought of there being a difference between pro-choice and pro-abortion.

I agree with your idea that using "the baby gets a horrible life" is not a viable argument that can stand alone for pro-choice to use. Although I doubt that women abort solely, or even mostly for that reason.

However, if all unwanted children are conceived unto term, I fail to see how that's going to make the world a "better" place for either the woman, nor the now-born newborn. Or for the world in general. Our current systems do not adequately address the current numbers of unwanted kids, muchless the theoretical greater numbers of unwanted kids if abortion wasn't allowed. In America, child poverty is actually increasing, alongside with the feminization of poverty. For one of the richest countries in the world (America), this is quite disheartening news.

Yes it is true that people grow from rags to riches. It has happened and will continue to happen. However, that occurance is more of an exception rather than the norm. This is not that I'm trying to squeeze a pessimistic view on poor people. Yet disadvantaged people are less likely to acheive their potential, generally speaking, because of the lack of a good environment to develop richly in and resources. Poor people, disadvantaged people, and the like are constrained by elements outside of their control. What many Americans don't like to think about their country is that America is more stratified than it is open to opportunities to climb up the socio-economic ladder. (And knowing about all of this stresses the importance of having decent social programs to better address the needs of the less-priveliged members of society, including unwanted children.)

pro-life and anti-abortion is the same thing.

I think, on the other hand, that there are different types of pro-choicers:
Those that simply think they shouldn't choose for other people
Those who think that, but would never use abortion themselves
And Those who think above, and would use abortion

Why don't you agree that pro-choice is pro-abortion? I've always thought so...but maybe you're right when you say, "it depends on the way you define pro-abortion."

Here's what I think: pro-abortion does not mean forcing abortion on every single person who doesn't want they child. That's what it's NOT.
What it is, however, is believing that a woman has the choice to abort her child. Therefore, pro-choice = pro-abortion.

I think pro-life is anti-abortion... @.@

But I don't understand. Aren't you "for abortion"?

ahem.........casual situations? Actually, most pro-lifers are anti-abortion, no abortion in any case.

Not me.

I am against abortion as birth control, no doubt. That's not an issue.

But in cases of rape, I am not going to try and force the woman to have that baby if she is emotionally unable to.

And in cases of life and death, I wouldn't try and force the woman to have the baby. That's not fair either. That's choosing one life over another, and that's not being pro-life. That's being pro-the fetus' life.