Abortion?

Do I think that the government should fund abortions as an inclusion to the new health care reform?

Right off the bat without giving it much thought I would say no. And the reason I would say no is because I don't believe in abortion. But that statement isn't entirely true. I don't believe in abortion or rather think it's right in the same sense that I don't believe murder is right. Now to say that I don't believe murder is right is probably not true either. I would have to look at the reasons behind said murder. What motive did the person have in mind when they decided to take another human life. The same goes when I think of abortion.

I believe that if someone has the means to take care of the child to be born they should not have an abortion. Yes some people may struggle, and yes the child may have a hard life. But there are people born every day into this world living in similar situations. Do those people not deserve to be born because the life ahead of them would be difficult. Maybe we should go to those people, perhaps the ones who have been placed in foster care or suffered abuse throughout their lifetime because their mother's chose not to abort. If we asked them would they rather have never been born? What would they say. I imagine some would say yes. But I imagine the majority would say no. What about those that grow up to commit crimes themselves because of the harsh environment they were raised in. Should they have been killed before they even got the chance to think about committing evil acts?

These questions are too complex, too deep for anyone to come up with the answer to. But at the same time we come up with answers to these questions all the time. To kill someone is not illegal. We can kill someone in self defense and possibly never spend one second in a prison cell. So maybe abortion is a form of self defense. Defending the child by taking it's own life. Or defending the world by preventing a psychopathic murderer from being born? No one knows how the life of that child will turn out or what good can be done by allowing the child the chance to live. Maybe we just killed the cure for cancer.

So do I think the government should fund abortion in their government funded insurance plans. No. They never have before and I don't understand why people are getting all into an uproar about it like they are taking something away from them. Women can still have abortions. The government funded insurance plans won't pay for it. And really, how often do you need to have an abortion. It's not like they aren't going to cover your yearly physicals. This might be ignorant thinking on my part but who sits around thinking, hmmm, I might need to have an abortion this year. Now yes people do get pregnant and the pregnancy can turn out to be detrimental to both the woman and the fetus' life. If an abortion is not performed then both would die. So if a person is in that situation I would say that yes this might provide a serious problem for a person who can't afford to pay out of pocket for an abortion, thus leaving them in the same financial type of sink hole that this government funded health insurance plan is trying to prevent. So maybe I jumped the gun a little by saying NO right of the bat. Maybe the government should set limits on the abortions they will fund. It would have to be medically necessary to save the person's life if the abortion would be funded. Not an abortion of pure choice. By analogy I'm sure the government isn't going to be funding elective plastic surgery procedures.Otherwise, do I think it's a person's right to chose. Yes. Do I think there should be limits on what constitutes a legitimate reason for having an abortion, yes. I would never say that abortion should not be allowed because I never know when I or an person close to me will be in the situation where they feel that's the only choice they can make.

One more thing to think about, I have known people who have spoken about the fact that they've had abortions. Actually only two people. Both of them decided on the abortion, not because they truly wouldn't have been able to take care of the child, but because it would have been difficult for them. It would have been stressful and probably changed their lives forever in a direction they were not planning for. Deep down, and I know it's not my right to judge, I don't think those were good "legitimate" reasons for having an abortion. But I know if I had been placed in the same situation, knowing my family, and for me it would have been more of the social aspect that would be my main concern, what would people think of me, and reason for choosing an abortion. Now I can't say for sure that was the reason for those two ladies but really is that what it comes down to a lot of times? I don't think that is fair to the child. So now I have a new found respect for those people who, yes they made mistakes, they were probably careless and irresponsible, but they chose to own up and do the right think. They probably stood up for their beliefs when it would have been so easy to shell out 400 bucks or so and get rid of the problem and the shame forever. And that is probably not true because they will be living with that themselves forever, even if no one else knows. Even if they can continue their carefree lifestyle without having to change. I by no means do I think that every person who chooses to have an abortion has the same mindset.

That was my brain exercise for today. Maybe my opinion will change in a few years. As a doctor would I ever perform an abortion? I won't say no to that either. It would depend on the situation.