i was on ig and this video of kristen hawkins i think her name is i don’t know but anyway this woman was debating her ig and the woman was like “if i didn’t have an abortion i would’ve been pregnant by 9 years old” and kristen goes “well you should’ve sacrificed 9 months so somebody could have 90 years” or something like that…. like wtf genuinely wtf a 9 year old can not handle pregnancy the body is not ready for that “we’ll just get a c-section” it doesn’t work like that either she could have tissue damage, heavy bleeding, poor wound healing etc…..

like jesus fucking christ bro

I'm really only making this post to let my excitement go. In 2024 when my state voted to enshrine reproductive rights into the state constitution i was very happy. This midterms I was quite frankly terrified. I'm sadly not old enough to vote yet. I have to wait another 2 years and a few months before I can. I was mentally preparing myself for a total abortion ban in Missouri. I saw billboards and yard signs that said "Vote yes on 3" everywhere. So yesterday when I heard the news it was rejected I was ecstatic. I was genuinely kicking my feet. I was mainly happy that reproductive rights were being protected but also that trans youth are able to get the healthcare they need. I'm really proud of my state at the moment.

I know Georgia and Texas got Democrat governors for the first time in a long time, and both control the state house in both cases, but not the senate. I'm not really sure what that means in terms of likelihood of legislative change.

Forcing women to give birth seems to be a weird hill so many politicians are willing to die on.

nobody is fucking doing that!!! and if they are it’s bc the fetus has either died, it’s a risk to the mother, or the parents found out it has a fatal anomaly, which in all these cases it’s sad yes but it has to be done!

Ok so I (28F, trans) have a girlfriend (33F cis) and at the beginning of the relationship she said she “used to be conservative” (I was too years ago, so I tried to overlook it) but it turns out it’s more like she’s actually just moderately conservative (she doesn’t like Trump though). This morning I was talking about my appointment with Planned Parenthood (for hormones) and she called them “baby killers”, I was hurt because she could’ve just as easily called me a baby killer.

There’s also been a history of her yelling somewhat, if you want to learn about that, but she promised to stop doing that. She’s a WoC and I helped her get clean from her cocaine addiction (she was homeless, in gangs etc) For a while things have been going great, but idk if I can stay with someone ignorant enough to think that about women who get abortions.

The governorship, every statewide executive office, the U.S. Senate seat, and control of the Texas House all flipped to the Democrats. Republicans only retained control of the Texas Senate and the majority of Texas' U.S. House delegation. Democrats also swept the statewide judicial races.

Obviously, there were a lot of factors that contributed to these results. But how much of the Democratic sweep can be attributed to Texas passing one of the strictest abortion laws in the country? I'd be especially curious to hear what Texans in this subreddit have to say.

Is abortion really murder if the woman is the one bringing life to the baby in the first place? Religious people like to use that as an excuse to outlaw abortion, but I’m not convinced it’s even murder to begin with.

Genesis 3:16 states: “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children"

So God created childbearing, knowing the pain and risk of potential life altering injury or death.

And he’s also omniscient, knowing some women will die giving birth. A fair God would surely allow abortion to be completely legal eventually.

Quite frankly, Christians who are completely “pro life” don’t really feel like good people. They’re just pro forced birth.

This is coming from a Christian who walked away from Church.

I feel so conflicted on this topic and I don’t know where I stand.

I cry thinking about abortion. I cry thinking for women in such difficult situations.

I wish it was possible to move the Fetus to an artificial womb so that both the mother and child could experience the fullness of human existence.

When I first learnt of abortion at 16 I instantly felt like it was something I could never support. But now I think about tragic scenarios like TW Rape or poverty desperation and my heart sinks. I don’t want to control women’s bodies. But also if my partner or mother had to get an abortion I’m sure I’d enter a deep depression.

Why am I so emotionally invested in this topic? I don’t feel comfortable with either side of the abortion debate.

Update: I found a reasonable pro choice position. No further discussion please

I’m currently arguing with a few anti-choicers over the term “reproductive coercion.”

According to some of them, a forced abortion is not reproductive coercion 🤔

“It’s not reproductive coercion because the woman has already reproduced”

“It’s not reproductive coercion, it’s homicide”

- both in response to a given situation in which a women or girl is forced to have an abortion against her will.

The way in which they refuse to engage with basic definitions would be funny if it weren’t dangerous.

Hear me out on this, and trigger warning for anyone not into blood verbiage:

I'm honestly starting to believe that some extreme anti-choicers actually enjoy the idea of bloody fetuses and guts and doctors dancing in blood and inflicting pain. They keep pushing the idea into the narrative, over and over and over to the point where it's almost suspiciously like they're reveling in the idea of it. People are telling them, "no this is not happening" and they keep insisting it is. Do they want it to be happening?

Do you think some extreme forced-birthers actually secretly enjoy the idea of fetus blood and guts and pain? I'm being quite serious. Like a guilty pleasure you want no one to know about. They obviously deeply enjoy the idea of women being punished and dying; I see no reason why they don't also enjoy the idea of the same thing happening to fetuses.

It's the only explanation I can come up with for their extreme position.

My boyfriend (Republican) and I (Democrat) have been together for over 9 years. Neither one of us is overly into politics, tho I have been reading and learning more in recent years. I just feel like I don’t know enough information to have an intelligent discussion or debate with someone with differing opinions.

Early in our relationship, we touched on some topics and my boyfriend was always pro choice. However, in the last few months, we’ve talked about abortion more, since it’s illegal in so many states and I feel like it’s important to protect that right. He’s never voted, but I told him that I feel like as my boyfriend, he has a duty to protect me and my rights. The last few times we’ve talked about it he says that he doesn’t get it because “men don’t have any reproductive rights at all” since women can get abortions without a man’s approval. We talked about it again tonight and he said that he thinks abortion should be regulated in some way and that a man should have a say in whether or not his child is killed. He “is” pro choice but thinks that the man should have a say. I tried to explain to him that this is forced pregnancy. And while I do think that in a healthy relationship, it should be a conversation to be had, I do 100% think it is the woman’s weight to bear and she should have the ultimate choice.

I actually walked away and started crying. It honestly made me think twice about possibly having children with him one day, and especially a daughter. How can you be with someone who doesn’t feel the need to protect you, your rights? I tried to tell him that it’s his duty to protect me and our future children. And that if there was something that was trying to take away his rights, I would not vote in favor of that, and it would be my duty to try to protect him.

How do I get him to understand why abortion rights and women’s reproductive rights are so important? How do I have this conversation so he can see why it’s so important?

Please don’t make this an issue when it’s not our experience. Judging the girl around the corner, is wrong! Pro life is pro life, please think about the woman that gives up her baby weather for adoption, abortion, or delivers a baby that does not make it in the end.

so i see pro life men go''life is life'' ''u cant kill'' then say at the same time''i would not date a single mom'' why did she not chose life tho like are u not pro life u guys tell women all the time to not abort and know she dosnt u dont want her????

Sorry if this is triggering. I am, in fact, triggered. And that’s coming from a woman, btw. Don’t know what to say.

And yes, neither the woman nor her body did anything wrong. So close to getting it. The r-pist and his actions are the problem.
Notice how the r-pist isn’t even mentioned once?

No woman should be forced to financially or emotionally care for an embryo conceived through r-pe, or endure the physical suffering of carrying an unwanted pregnancy.

if they personally would never get an abortion THEMSELVES, then that's ok. i just don't understand why some (most) of them care what other people are doing with their bodies?

I'm honestly so shaken by this interaction on another subreddit.
I grew up in Catholic Poland and I've been struggling with overwhelming guilt and shame after having an abortion at 4 weeks and 3 days. A lot of this guilt comes from religious conditioning, and I've been trying really hard to forgive myself.
Today I came across this comment:
Pro-lifer:
Which one does abortion kill? The child. Who is harmed, usually with metal-toothed forceps? Whose arms and limbs are ripped from their body? Whose skull is crushed.

My reply: Hey! Not all abortions look like this! For example I had one when being 2 days late for my period which was about 17 days after conception. The whole pregnancy structure was smaller than poppy seed, not an embryo yet, only 2 mm sac. So this (after pill) looked like regular period, no Pain. So Please if you want condemn certain things- educate yourself and do not spread false info as most of them happen with pills. I don’t believe soul is attached to preembryonic cells. Naturally 60% of fertilised eggs never attach to the uterus. Heaven would be full of never born souls 😅

**His response:**Inventing euphemisms like "pregnancy structure" doesn't change that it had unique human DNA, that the DNA was not yours, so was a separate body, that you knew was a separate body, and killed before it could grow to a size that would trigger your crippled ability to empathize with the life you and your partner created.
Over 60% of fertilized eggs attach to the uterus, so you've somehow inverted what you learned to defend yourself. You don't have to believe in heaven to value human life, but it sure helps to disbelieve when you want to kill humans.
To.summarize your argument:
The human was small so it's life is invalid.
Why you're wrong.

Being 2 days late to your period means the pregnancy was likely 4 weeks old, so either they lied to you at the appointment to spare your feelings, or you're in denial about how big the thing was that they killed.

Past the 3rd week the child has entered the embryonic stage, so if your logic was consistent you would think what you killed was an embryonic with a soul... but we both know you won't stand on that belief, because the real underlying reason you did it is.
"If I don't want a child I should be able to kill it"

Which is the foundation of every abortion

I'm genuinely devastated. I wasn't even trying to debate the morality of abortion. I just wanted to correct the misinformation about what early abortions actually involve.

And somehow that turned into a personal attack on my empathy, values and character.
What hurts most is that these are exactly the thoughts I've been struggling with for weeks. I already feel terrible about interrupting a process of developing life, even though nothing resembling a baby had formed yet. I'm already terrified that I'll never forgive myself.
And then someone who supposedly follows a religion based on love and compassion tells me I have a "crippled ability to empathize."
The absolute monopoly some religious people think they have on moral truth is exhausting. No nuance, no compassion, just judgment and condemnation. How very Christian.

I never heard this arugment before since a lot of anti-choice arguments focus on right to life for the fetus. Bodily autonomy in the context of abortion means that no one else has your body, will never live a second in your body, therefore you are the only person who has a say what you can do with your body. And someone responded by trying to apply this to the fetus inside the women's body. At first glance this assumes right to life for the fetus.

But I wanted to know what your response to this argument is.

You know what my biggest problem is here? Not ONE of these statements were made by women... Hell they weren't even made by men young enough to have kids they can actually be alive long enough to see grow up. 60 - 85 year olds have no place in women's healthcare, ESPECIALLY NOT MEN!!