The anti-choice Adoption Argument
People who are pro-life usually cite adoption as an alternative to terminating a woman’s pregnancy. They say that there are many other families who will take their child in. That would come close to even beginning to be a noble sentiment, if there weren’t so many kids already in the foster care system.
According to the most current AFCARS (Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System Report) Report, released in June 2011, there were approximately 408,425 children in the U. S. in foster care on September 30, 2010. The full report is available online via the Children’s Bureau website at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/tar/report18.htm.
For State-specific information on the number of entries, exits, and children in care on the last day of the Federal fiscal year 2010, as of June 15, 2011, please see the table on the Children’s Bureau website at:http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/statistics/entryexit2010.pdf.
In addition, this table provides comparable data for the years 2002 - 2010.
Now, those numbers don’t lie. If there are that many children already in foster care what makes you think that one more is going to have an increased chance over them? Are they not worth your “pro-life” campaigning? I guess the stance that all life is sacred and worth protecting and providing for is not applicable to people who have already left the womb. If you were really pro-LIFE you would be caring, campaigning, and fighting tooth and nail for the kids who are already stuck in the horrible world that is the foster care system of America. But, just to drill it through your skulls, here are some more numbers and facts.
- There are 423,773 children in the U.S. foster care system; 114,556 of these children are available for adoption. Their birth parent’s legal rights have been permanently terminated and children are left without a family.
- More children become available for adoption each year than are adopted. In 2009, 69,947 children had parental rights terminated by the courts, yet only 57,466 were adopted.
- Children often wait three years or more to be adopted, move three or more times in foster care and often are separated from siblings. The average age of waiting children is 8 years old.
- Last year, 29,471 children turned 18 and left the foster care system without an adoptive family.
- Adopting from foster care is affordable. Most child welfare agencies cover the costs of home studies and court fees, and provide post-adoption subsidies. Thousands of employers offer financial reimbursement and paid leave for employees who adopt and Federal and/or state adoption tax credits are available to most families.
- Every child is adoptable. Many children in foster care have special needs. All of them deserve the chance to grow up in a safe, loving, permanent home. Support and other post-adoption resources are available.
- Adopting from foster care is permanent. Once a child is adopted out of foster care, the birth parents cannot attempt to claim them or fight in court for their return. A family formed through foster care adoption is forever.
- According to a National Adoption Attitudes Survey commissioned by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, 63 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of adoption and 78 percent think more should be done to encourage adoption.
- Nearly 40 percent of American adults, or 81.5 million people, have considered adopting a child, according to the National Adoption Attitudes Survey. If just one in 500 of these adults adopted, every waiting child in foster care would have a permanent family.
If you think that putting more children into the roulette of being adopted is a good idea, read over those facts. Why would you want to put a child through that? Simply because you want to stand on your pedestal to preach from your misconceived moral high ground? Don’t sacrifice others into that, just so you can seem like some defender of life and it’s future possibilities.
You’re not pro-life, you’re just a supporter of a movement that takes away the control women have over their own bodies and futures. After that fetus comes to term, you disappear and move on to the next unfortunate pregnant woman to stop her from as well. You use guilt, fear tactics, and violence to achieve your goals; as opposed to logic and sound thinking.
You’re not pro-life, you’re just pro-70,000-deaths-a-year-from-unsafe-abortions.
You’re just pro-stripping-people-of-their-bodily-autonomy.
You’re just pro-flood-the-system-with-kids-who-won’t-get-adopted-and-who-we-can’t-afford-to-feed-or-provide-shelter-for.
You’re just pro-fuck-you-anybody-with-a-uterus.
You’re just a fucking asshole is what I’m trying to say really.
Woman: Can I have birth control?
Government: No.
Woman: I got pregnant because I didn’t have birth control and I don’t want the fetus. Can I have an abortion?
Government: No.
Woman: I gave birth to my child but since I wasn’t expecting it, I can’t afford daycare. Can I have help paying for it?
Government: No.
Fucking exactly
(Source: feroniaproject.org)
I know this has nothing to do with abortion or fetuses or anything, but this is what sexism and rape apology looks like:
(Warning: it’s pretty bad.)
Unpopular Opinion? I think this is accurate.
Don’t get me wrong, rape is a detestable thing.
But this is not rape. This woman goes into the bar with short shorts, gets drunk and starts flirting with men. When you flirt with someone, and then have sex, that is not rape. That is consensual sex.THANK YOU. Look, rape is atrocious and wrong, always, and this isn’t funny, or some kind of laughing matter. It is, however, extremely accurate. Consensual sex which a girl (or guy) later regrets IS. NOT. RAPE. If you can’t hold your alcohol, and as such, are worried about what might happen while you’re drunk, don’t drink! Or maybe you just don’t want to be hit on? How about dressing and acting in a way that shows the people around you you’re not a stupid whore, and to treat you accordingly?
These things are simple, yet 21st century western culture - and especially American culture - teaches women that they can do whatever they want, and the rules & consequences don’t apply to them. That’s not true, and it’s disgusting.
For example: “Slut shaming” is bad? Um, last time I checked, “slut” was a pejorative, not a badge of honor. Ladies, if you’re acting like a no-class slut, you should be ashamed. Should you run around calling girls sluts if they dress or act inappropriately? Of course not! But neither should you pat them on the back, hand them a Smirnoff, and tell them what they’re doing is ok, because it isn’t. Of course, that’s another unpopular view, but that doesn’t make it any less truthful.
Oh, and one more thing… “My rapist doesn’t know he’s a rapist”? Seriously? This girl is an idiot. I’m betting he “doesn’t know” because you “weren’t raped”.
tl;dr: This girl is full of shit. Feminism is a cancer. Actions have consequences.
[Image: An anonymous Tumblr question answered by marxisforbros.
Question: If you had a daughter and she was going to go out to a party with guys drinking would you let her go out looking like a slut?
Answer: If the next generation has sons that are as repulsed by rape as they should be then we won’t need to worry about our daughter’s clothing. Hell, if we just make our generation shift the blame from the victim to the perpetrator and recognize rape as an act of violence rather than a natural hazard then we won’t even notice clothing. In fact the only way that I’ll need to worry about my daughter’s clothing is if society stays this fucked. I’d probably end up doing something incredibly violent to somebody if anything ever happened to one of my loved ones and the system failed them.
So the question becomes: If you had a son and he was going out to a party with girls drinking, would you let him go knowing that one of them could be my daughter and if he ever touched her without her consent I’d kill you?
You focus on raising a son that you can confidently send to a party even if you think that you will die if he inappropriately touches a woman and I’ll focus on raising a daughter full stop.]
Ummm, no. The correct answer is “I love her, so of course I wouldn’t let my daughter leave the house dressed like a hooker.”
Telling girls they can go out dressed like sluts and expect zero repercussions is like telling a person to go right ahead and tie those t-bone steaks on their arms and legs, the Dobermans at the pound won’t even notice.
Is rape wrong? Sure it is, always. But stupidity and arrogance can make a problem worse. You don’t have to say “Oh, please, that would be lovely!” to ask for rape - all you need to do is roll the dice, dress & act like a stupid whore, and sooner or later, someone who doesn’t care that “it’s all just for fun” will find you, and if you’re assaulted, it will be partially your fault. Oh, and just because that might not be PC to say, or endear me to the feminists of the world, that doesn’t make it any less true.
Here’s the bottom line: There are always consequences, and the sooner we teach our children that fact, rather than teaching them that they’re somehow special, and that double-standards apply to them based on gender, the sooner rape will diminish.
Lots more under cut.
![prolongedeyecontact:
Inconvenience? You hear that people capable of getting pregnant? This is all merely an inconvenience:
Normal, frequent or expectable temporary side effects of pregnancy:
exhaustion (weariness common from first weeks)
altered appetite and senses of taste and smell
nausea and vomiting (50% of women, first trimester)
heartburn and indigestion
constipation
weight gain
dizziness and light-headedness
bloating, swelling, fluid retention
hemmorhoids
abdominal cramps
yeast infections
congested, bloody nose
acne and mild skin disorders
skin discoloration (chloasma, face and abdomen)
mild to severe backache and strain
increased headaches
difficulty sleeping, and discomfort while sleeping
increased urination and incontinence
bleeding gums
pica
breast pain and discharge
swelling of joints, leg cramps, joint pain
difficulty sitting, standing in later pregnancy
inability to take regular medications
shortness of breath
higher blood pressure
hair loss
tendency to anemia
curtailment of ability to participate in some sports and activities
infection including from serious and potentially fatal disease(pregnant women are immune suppressed compared with non-pregnant women, andare more susceptible to fungal and certain other diseases)
extreme pain on delivery
hormonal mood changes, including normal post-partum depression
continued post-partum exhaustion and recovery period (exacerbated if a c-section — major surgery — is required, sometimes taking up to a full year to fully recover)
Normal, expectable, or frequent PERMANENT side effects of pregnancy:
stretch marks (worse in younger women)
loose skin
permanent weight gain or redistribution
abdominal and vaginal muscle weakness
pelvic floor disorder (occurring in as many as 35% of middle-aged former child-bearers and 50% of elderly former child-bearers, associated with urinary and rectal incontinence, discomfort and reduced quality of life)
changes to breasts
varicose veins
scarring from episiotomy or c-section
other permanent aesthetic changes to the body (all of these are downplayed by women, because the culture values youth and beauty)
increased proclivity for hemmorhoids
loss of dental and bone calcium (cavities and osteoporosis)
Occasional complications and side effects:
spousal/partner abuse
hyperemesis gravidarum
temporary and permanent injury to back
severe scarring requiring later surgery (especially after additional pregnancies)
dropped (prolapsed) uterus (especially after additional pregnancies, and other pelvic floor weaknesses — 11% of women, including cystocele, rectocele, and enterocele)
pre-eclampsia (edema and hypertension, the most common complication of pregnancy, associated with eclampsia, and affecting 7 - 10% of pregnancies)
eclampsia (convulsions, coma during pregnancy or labor, high risk of death)
gestational diabetes
placenta previa
anemia (which can be life-threatening)
thrombocytopenic purpura
severe cramping
embolism (blood clots)
medical disability requiring full bed rest (frequently ordered during part of many pregnancies varying from days to months for health of either mother or baby)
diastasis recti, also torn abdominal muscles
mitral valve stenosis (most common cardiac complication)
serious infection and disease (e.g. increased risk of tuberculosis)
hormonal imbalance
ectopic pregnancy (risk of death)
broken bones (ribcage, “tail bone”)
hemorrhage and
numerous other complications of delivery
refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease
aggravation of pre-pregnancy diseases and conditions (e.g. epilepsy is present in .5% of pregnant women, and the pregnancy alters drug metabolism and treatment prospects all the while it increases the number and frequency of seizures)
severe post-partum depression and psychosis
research now indicates a possible link between ovarian cancer and female fertility treatments, including “egg harvesting” from infertile women and donors
research also now indicates correlations between lower breast cancer survival rates and proximity in time to onset of cancer of last pregnancy
research also indicates a correlation between having six or more pregnancies and a risk of coronary and cardiovascular disease
Less common (but serious) complications:
peripartum cardiomyopathy
cardiopulmonary arrest
magnesium toxicity
severe hypoxemia/acidosis
massive embolism
increased intracranial pressure, brainstem infarction
molar pregnancy, gestational trophoblastic disease (like a pregnancy-induced cancer)
malignant arrhythmia
circulatory collapse
placental abruption
obstetric fistula
More permanent side effects:
future infertility
permanent disability
death.
In addition, there’s the risk of losing one’s job and, by extension, home; pregnancy/childbirth triggering traumatic experiences due to rape, molestation, or partner/spousal abuse; body or gender dysphoria; missing or dropping out of school; the potential trauma of choosing adoption; suffering from pregnancy related job discrimination; the economic toll of pregnancy and raising a child; and not being able to continue taking important medications or exacerbating pre-existing conditions.
Here’s some statistics:
358,000 people die annually from pregnancy related complications.
20% of people who die during pregnancy are murder victims.
The risk of maternal mortality is highest for adolescents under 15 years old.
Complications in pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death among adolescents in most developing countries.
A person’s lifetime risk of maternal death – the probability that a 15-year-old will eventually die from a maternal cause – is 1 in 4300 in developed countries, versus 1 in 120 in developing countries.
A pregnant person has a 35.6% greater risk of being a victim of violence than a non-pregnant person. The estimated prevalence of violence against people during pregnancy ranges from four percent to eight percent.
40% of all pregnant people have some complications during pregnancy or childbirth. About 15% have complications that are potentially life-threatening.
Tl;dr So in case that wasn’t clear: pregnancy is always life threatening and never merely an “inconvenience”.
[ETA: I wish beyond all belief this edit wasn’t necessary, but I guess it is. This post isn’t meant to vilify pregnancy or the people who choose it. As I’ve said in a reply and an ask, pregnancy is always a valid reproductive choice for those who choose it. As a prochoicer, I support all reproductive choices including birthing ones like advocating for the choice to have VBACs, home births, and the right to say no to unwanted c-sections. I will fight as hard for those rights as I do for the right to an abortion. I don’t think birth is bad for those that want to do it, but some of us would literally rather die. This isn’t meant as a scare tactic against fellow people who can get pregnant. This is about the flippant manner in which cis men like to dismiss people’s concerns that pregnancy is more than an “inconvenience.” The last time I checked people don’t regularly die from inconveniences. For more see: this reply and this ask, which I also made rebloggable on request.]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ludn9tsDQx1r3bzxoo1_500.png)
Inconvenience? You hear that people capable of getting pregnant? This is all merely an inconvenience:
Normal, frequent or expectable temporary side effects of pregnancy:
- exhaustion (weariness common from first weeks)
- altered appetite and senses of taste and smell
- nausea and vomiting (50% of women, first trimester)
- heartburn and indigestion
- constipation
- weight gain
- dizziness and light-headedness
- bloating, swelling, fluid retention
- hemmorhoids
- abdominal cramps
- yeast infections
- congested, bloody nose
- acne and mild skin disorders
- skin discoloration (chloasma, face and abdomen)
- mild to severe backache and strain
- increased headaches
- difficulty sleeping, and discomfort while sleeping
- increased urination and incontinence
- bleeding gums
- pica
- breast pain and discharge
- swelling of joints, leg cramps, joint pain
- difficulty sitting, standing in later pregnancy
- inability to take regular medications
- shortness of breath
- higher blood pressure
- hair loss
- tendency to anemia
- curtailment of ability to participate in some sports and activities
- infection including from serious and potentially fatal disease
(pregnant women are immune suppressed compared with non-pregnant women, and
are more susceptible to fungal and certain other diseases)- extreme pain on delivery
- hormonal mood changes, including normal post-partum depression
- continued post-partum exhaustion and recovery period (exacerbated if a c-section — major surgery — is required, sometimes taking up to a full year to fully recover)
Normal, expectable, or frequent PERMANENT side effects of pregnancy:
- stretch marks (worse in younger women)
- loose skin
- permanent weight gain or redistribution
- abdominal and vaginal muscle weakness
- pelvic floor disorder (occurring in as many as 35% of middle-aged former child-bearers and 50% of elderly former child-bearers, associated with urinary and rectal incontinence, discomfort and reduced quality of life)
- changes to breasts
- varicose veins
- scarring from episiotomy or c-section
- other permanent aesthetic changes to the body (all of these are downplayed by women, because the culture values youth and beauty)
- increased proclivity for hemmorhoids
- loss of dental and bone calcium (cavities and osteoporosis)
Occasional complications and side effects:
- spousal/partner abuse
- hyperemesis gravidarum
- temporary and permanent injury to back
- severe scarring requiring later surgery (especially after additional pregnancies)
- dropped (prolapsed) uterus (especially after additional pregnancies, and other pelvic floor weaknesses — 11% of women, including cystocele, rectocele, and enterocele)
- pre-eclampsia (edema and hypertension, the most common complication of pregnancy, associated with eclampsia, and affecting 7 - 10% of pregnancies)
- eclampsia (convulsions, coma during pregnancy or labor, high risk of death)
- gestational diabetes
- placenta previa
- anemia (which can be life-threatening)
- thrombocytopenic purpura
- severe cramping
- embolism (blood clots)
- medical disability requiring full bed rest (frequently ordered during part of many pregnancies varying from days to months for health of either mother or baby)
- diastasis recti, also torn abdominal muscles
- mitral valve stenosis (most common cardiac complication)
- serious infection and disease (e.g. increased risk of tuberculosis)
- hormonal imbalance
- ectopic pregnancy (risk of death)
- broken bones (ribcage, “tail bone”)
- hemorrhage and
- numerous other complications of delivery
- refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease
- aggravation of pre-pregnancy diseases and conditions (e.g. epilepsy is present in .5% of pregnant women, and the pregnancy alters drug metabolism and treatment prospects all the while it increases the number and frequency of seizures)
- severe post-partum depression and psychosis
- research now indicates a possible link between ovarian cancer and female fertility treatments, including “egg harvesting” from infertile women and donors
- research also now indicates correlations between lower breast cancer survival rates and proximity in time to onset of cancer of last pregnancy
- research also indicates a correlation between having six or more pregnancies and a risk of coronary and cardiovascular disease
Less common (but serious) complications:
- peripartum cardiomyopathy
- cardiopulmonary arrest
- magnesium toxicity
- severe hypoxemia/acidosis
- massive embolism
- increased intracranial pressure, brainstem infarction
- molar pregnancy, gestational trophoblastic disease (like a pregnancy-induced cancer)
- malignant arrhythmia
- circulatory collapse
- placental abruption
- obstetric fistula
More permanent side effects:
- future infertility
- permanent disability
- death.
In addition, there’s the risk of losing one’s job and, by extension, home; pregnancy/childbirth triggering traumatic experiences due to rape, molestation, or partner/spousal abuse; body or gender dysphoria; missing or dropping out of school; the potential trauma of choosing adoption; suffering from pregnancy related job discrimination; the economic toll of pregnancy and raising a child; and not being able to continue taking important medications or exacerbating pre-existing conditions.
Here’s some statistics:
- 358,000 people die annually from pregnancy related complications.
- 20% of people who die during pregnancy are murder victims.
- The risk of maternal mortality is highest for adolescents under 15 years old.
- Complications in pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death among adolescents in most developing countries.
- A person’s lifetime risk of maternal death – the probability that a 15-year-old will eventually die from a maternal cause – is 1 in 4300 in developed countries, versus 1 in 120 in developing countries.
- A pregnant person has a 35.6% greater risk of being a victim of violence than a non-pregnant person. The estimated prevalence of violence against people during pregnancy ranges from four percent to eight percent.
- 40% of all pregnant people have some complications during pregnancy or childbirth. About 15% have complications that are potentially life-threatening.
Tl;dr So in case that wasn’t clear: pregnancy is always life threatening and never merely an “inconvenience”.
[ETA: I wish beyond all belief this edit wasn’t necessary, but I guess it is. This post isn’t meant to vilify pregnancy or the people who choose it. As I’ve said in a reply and an ask, pregnancy is always a valid reproductive choice for those who choose it. As a prochoicer, I support all reproductive choices including birthing ones like advocating for the choice to have VBACs, home births, and the right to say no to unwanted c-sections. I will fight as hard for those rights as I do for the right to an abortion. I don’t think birth is bad for those that want to do it, but some of us would literally rather die. This isn’t meant as a scare tactic against fellow people who can get pregnant. This is about the flippant manner in which cis men like to dismiss people’s concerns that pregnancy is more than an “inconvenience.” The last time I checked people don’t regularly die from inconveniences. For more see: this reply and this ask, which I also made rebloggable on request.]
In Today’s “Bullshit Republicans Are Doing Instead of Anything That Would Help the Economy”: Jim DeMint Wants to Bar You From Discussing Abortion With Your Doctor Via Skype
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2011/10/19/347993/jim-demint-prohibit-internet-abortion-discussion/
Anti-choice Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) just filed an anti-choice amendment to a bill related to agriculture, transportation, housing, and other programs. The DeMint amendment could bar discussion of abortion over the Internet and through videoconferencing, even if a woman’s health is at risk and if this kind of communication with her doctor is her best option to receive care.
Under this amendment, women would need a separate, segregated Internet just for talking about abortion care with their doctors.I want to emphasize that this is a rider to a completely unrelated bill. This fucking slimeball tried to sneak it in where nobody would notice it.
http://www.blogforchoice.com/archives/2011/10/anti-choice-sen-2.html
Stand up today: call your senators at 202-421-3121 and tell them to oppose the DeMint amendment (#768) to H.R.2112.
-Joe
