Why is it wrong to use abortion as a method of birth control?

Question

In a recent survey at California State University at Northridge, 96.1% said they think it is wrong to use abortion as a method of birth control.

http://str.typepad.com/weblog/files/ywam_csun_survey_071024d.pdf

I found that curious because there are so many people who are pro-choice. Apparently, there must be a lot of pro-choice people who think it's wrong to use abortion as a method of birth control. So I'm curious why the pro-choice people think that would be wrong.

Let me explain why this is a puzzle to me so you can better address my question. It seems to me that the only reason an abortion for any reason could be wrong is if the unborn is a human being with a right to life. If it's just a blog of tissue, I don't see why any justification for abortion would even be necessary, so a person ought to be able to have an abortion for any reason. It's no more immoral than having a bunyon removed. But if it is a human being with a right to life, then why be pro-choice?

Answer 1

As a method of birth control, it is wrong. Not only because no one will ever learn responsibility if that is the case.. but (from experience) and from other cases I have heard about it is emotionally damaging. But that aside, sometimes in the case of accidents or rape etc etc abortion is a better alternative than most for in Australian alone 1 in 10 children is being abused and that is worse if you ask me. Better to not give life than to give a life of hell.

Answer 2

I believe that if you know you aren't going to use protection and you will be getting an abortion if you do, then why in the hell don't you just stock up on plan b pill when the thing is only a cell of two, if that? Wouldn't it save you money, like a lot of money? I mean you know if your not going to go through with a pregnancy before you even have sex, and you know if your not going to use protection. That is what I think, in fact my husband and I had this same convo like twenty minutes ago, I think maybe they should make those pills more available so there are less abortions happening. And if you do get an abortion, get it early, before it is anything like a baby. but these are just opinions and people can choose not to listen to them and there isn't anything we can do about it. But yes I agree with you it is becoming a bc method, it is becoming too casual. I am all for birth control pills, and plan b if you have too, but mainly for birth control pills, but the thing is alcohol and irresponsibility lead to them failing a lot. :(

Answer 3

At what point does the unborn child change from a "blog of tissue" as you put it, to a recognizable life? Did you know that at five weeks, a sonogram can pick up the heartbeat of the unborn child? At eight weeks, appendages such as feet and hands are noticeable. To have an abortion at these points seems to be a termination of a potential life.

Does life begin at conception? That seems to be the debate. But with this in mind, there are still state-sanctioned abortions all the way through the first trimester (12 weeks) and it does seem reckless to use this as birth control. In a manner of speaking, it isn't just control, it's total birth cessation. A bunyon is not something that has the potential to become a living creature with a will and a conscience, so that analogy leaves much to be desired.

The pro-choice argument is weak only because it denies the right to life (and the right to choose) by the unborn child.

Answer 4

Okay let's see here...the question....through me way off course. I am for choice, option, it's my body, what ever is the newest, hippest, am I saying it legally politically correct for abortion. Why is my question back to you and I know you are not to answer a question with an answer but why would anyone intentionally get pregnant so they may have the option of abortion?

I am not educated past high school. I have some college credit hours but that was almost 40 years ago. Where the heck are people coming from when abortion becomes birth control?

Like I said, I am for abortion. There are alot of battered children out there alot of hungry children out there who should of never been bought into this world. The people that fathered them and gave birth to them could care less except on the 3rd of every month.

Answer 5

People think it's wrong to use abortion as a method of birth control because,
if you are pro-choice, it can also mean that you yourself would never have an abortion, but you can understand why someone might in special circumstances, so therefore just having an abortion because you happened to carelessly get pregnant then alot more people would be disagreeing.

That is what they believe.

Answer 6

Just because a person is pro-choice doesn't mean they do not have an appreciation for human life.
I am pro-choice, because I realize life is not black and white.
On the other hand, I could never imagine myself going through with an abortion, because that is just me, personally. It would be something very hard for me to deal with.

Sometimes people decide to have an abortion because they do not feel they would be bringing a baby into a safe and loving environment, and that is actually a very responsible choice. True, they could send them to an adoption agency, but that *still* does not completely ensure a child's safety physically and mentally.

When a person has a child, they had better be prepared to dedicate the rest of their life to it.

I'd like to hope that the majority of pro-choicers do not consider having an abortion so lightly as a cosmetic operation like having a bunion removed O_o

Basically the best way I can depict this sentiment is a pregnant woman wearing a shirt that says "My Choice".

I'm sure most women would try their hardest to avoid the entire ordeal of getting pregnant altogether by other means, rather than regularly having abortions.

Plus....I highly doubt that's safe, and could probably do some major damage in the long run, preventing them from having children in the future.

The majority of pro-lifers tend to be driven by concrete religious ideology...but if you'd like to do your research, *living* babies and children used to be sacrificed for strictly religious purposes, as well.
And ultimate sacrifice to prove their faith to their God.

So...I don't think it would hurt people to be a little more open minded about certain practices and the reasoning behind them.

It's a depressing sentiment, but people do die every day.

Answer 7

I suppose that is a bit of a conundrum, but in my opinion, an abortion is a last resort for an unwanted pregancy and should be used only as such. At the risk of sounding callous, think of it in terms of driving a car and preventing a crash....If your brakes fail, or if you're somehow distracted while driving and suddenly you're just about to crash and your brakes lock, you might pull the emergency brake.....The E brake, in that respect, is there just in case you need it....it's not an excuse not to drive safely, wear your seat belt, and maintain your car properly....again, I'm not making a moral comparison, it's just an analogy. Legal abortions are safe(r) abortions, period. Making them illegal won't stop women from getting them, it will just make them sketchy and financially unattainable for the women who probably "need" them the most. That fact is the way I (and I imagine, most rational and reasonably educated pro-choice individuals) justify my stance on that issue. I'm very fortunate that a safe, legal abortion was available for me when I was 16 and got pregnant when my boyfriend's condom broke....after my parents confiscated my birth control pills. That being said, I respect pro-life individuals....especially the ones who, coming from a "religious" or spiritual perspective, don't rush to judge and condemn others for their decisions, but rather recognize this issue, ultimately, as a personal one. No one but God knows when "life" really begins.. with a "blob of tissue" or the birth of a baby......but as a Catholic, I do believe that God is the only true judge of what is sinful or "wrong."

Bottom line..... continued, early birth control education and availability is the key, people.

Answer 8

I don't know of any pro-choice person or organization that says abortion is a form of birth control. As a matter of fact, I have never seen it in any doctors office that abortion is a form of birth control.

Therefore, your question is flawed.

Abortion is a surgery - with the risks and complications that come with surgery. It is not a method of birth control.

All the poll results show is that the people polled are more educated than you are about the procedure.


MYTH: Women are using abortion as a method of birth control.

In fact, half of all women getting abortions report that contraception was used during the month they became pregnant.1 Some of these couples had used the method improperly; some had forgotten or neglected to use it on the particular occasion they conceived; and some had used a contraceptive that failed. No contraceptive method prevents pregnancy 100% of the time.

If abortion were used as a primary method of birth control, a typical woman would have at least two or three pregnancies per year - 30 or more during her lifetime. In fact, most women who have abortions have had no previous abortions (52%) or only one previous abortion (26%).5 Considering that most women are fertile for over 30 years, and that birth control is not perfect, the likelihood of having one or two unintended pregnancies is very high.


MYTH: Women have abortions for selfish or frivolous reasons.

The decision to have an abortion is rarely simple. Most women base their decision on several factors, the most common being lack of money and/or unreadiness to start or expand their families due to existing responsibilities. Many feel that the most responsible course of action is to wait until their situation is more suited to childrearing; 66% plan to have children when they are older, financially able to provide necessities for them, and/or in a supportive relationship with a partner so their children will have two parents.8 Others wanted to get pregnant but developed serious medical problems, learned that the fetus had severe abnormalities, or experienced some other personal crisis. About 13,000 women each year have abortions because they have become pregnant as a result of rape or incest.1

http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/facts/women_who.html



Birth Control: abstinence, the pill, Nuva-Ring, Depo-Provera, diaphragm, IUD, tubal ligation, condoms etc. In short.. "birth control" is intended to prevent pregnancy.

The morning after pill - is not put forward as a method of birth control - it is intended for those times that you engaged in sexual activity with out protection - or had a "contraceptive malfunction" - it is not intended to be taken after every sexual encounter. It should help reduce the number of abortions by preventing the egg from implanting. However, pro-life organizations have also gone after this as well. What's next, they target the birth control pill?


I am pro choice.

I am pro choice because I believe that every woman has the right to determine if she wants to carry on a pregnancy. She has to search her heart and have a conversation with her god. She has to look at the resources and support systems she has around her.

If I were to become pregnant - abortion would not be the right choice for me. But just because it's not the choice I would make, does not mean that I do not want that right protected for other women. I'm 35 with a good job and good support system. Being a single mom would be tough, but it could be done. That's not the situation every woman is in.

And lets face it - there are too many men out there that will make the baby and disappear when the pregnancy happens. Suddenly the baby that it took 2 people to make becomes the responsibility of the woman.

.......If we made castration a consequence of failing to pay child support...there would not be nearly as many dead beat dads out there! And some women may reconsider having an abortion if they knew there was going to be financial support for the child.

Answer 9

I'm pro-choice. Is not the embryo I'm worry about is the woman. One, two abortions won't cause her any health injuries as long as the procedure was done by a physician. However, 5 or 7 abortions could cause severe scarring of uterine tissue. It could cause hemorrhages and cause infertility so when she does want to have a family she wouldn't. In worst cases it could cause death. Having a lot of abortions increases the possibility of health hazards. This is why planned parenthood emphasizes birth control and responsibility. Is always about the health of the woman.

Answer 10

If its murder, then when a woman has an accidental miscarriage, is it Unintentional Manslaughter?

The baby doesn't NOT become aware of the implements being used to abort it. It has no way to see, hear, or feel at the point in gestation which abortion occurs.

I love how many people are anti-abortion, yet they can eat animals, or watch horror movies, or watch a police officer shoot someone.