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There is one story that comes to mind whenever the topic of abortion comes up. One of my good friends is a nurse. Early in her career, a part of her duties was assisting in care after abortions had been performed. She was responsible for, among other things, disposing of the fetus/fetal tissue. She had to carry the fetus from the patient's room down to the hospital morgue for disposal. She would wrap the fetus gently in a cloth and say a prayer for them. That visceral image of a 22 year old woman standing alone in a cold morgue and swaddling a fetus that will never live is seared into my mind. I won't ever be able to think about abortion in the same way again.

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HCD,

That is a heartbreaking image. Having someone relay this story to you via their own personal experience makes it even more difficult to imagine what they must have felt.

But, that being said, I had a friend who shared with me that her mind was changed about abortion after she became a lab tech. Seeing the remnants of tiny arms and legs brought for disposal shook her "from a distance" perspective.

It's easy to see how that could deeply affect someone and shed a new reality on what actually happens when an abortion is performed.

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TS - What's it to me if someone 3 cubes down has an abortion? what if you apply that to all other facets of civil society? Incest? Larceny? failure to use "inclusive language"? the same ethical fiber remains - a breakdown of societal norms. I appreciate the intent of the statement but it does matter if you believe there is a "victim" in each of these abortions

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As a note to inclusion, I think it may be a good idea to move to more gender-inclusive language regarding pregnancy since there are plenty of trans and non-binary people who do get pregnant and have to face these decisions. But, overall, it is specific to those who have the ability to get pregnant and deserve to have autonomy over their own health and bodies. They should never be forced to incubate a child they don't wish to, or are unable to care for after the fact. The adoption system in the U.S. is a joke and crowded as it is, abortion is a more viable option.

As you said, throwing this decision to the states would definitely mean some states would outright ban the procedures. As it sits, they are doing everything they can to not have abortions in their states within the current laws. By making the requirements to have a clinic that performs abortions astronomical. By making them hard to access for many people due to distance and multiple appointments required to receive the care. By not educating people on sexual health and scientific biological development to help prevent the need for abortions. So, no, we can't trust the states to create a decent level of care on this one and I hope Roe vs Wade stays.

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"By not educating people on sexual health and scientific biological development to help prevent the need for abortions."

TS,

I understand that this is an unthinkable reality, but what percentage of our population do you think this actually applies to? It seems that it would be a very small percentage.

Are there any studies that indicate those who seek abortions due to ignorance of how a child is conceived?

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It's less about "sex = baby" and more about there not being enough discussion on how to protect yourself and other ignorance regarding sexual health and reproductive information. Many states that must, by law, emphasize abstinence, lead the numbers in teen pregnancy.

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My view is that women have a right to choose to get pregnant and if by ignorance or by accident the choice has been made.

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Men don't have to face the same amount of issues with their health of carrying a child for 9 months. And not all people who have sex made that choice. And, even worse is that most people don't realize that most late-term abortions are due to major issues with the pregnancy.

What's it to you if someone else that you don't know has or doesn't have an abortion? How much does it matter to you if the woman who sits 3 cubes down from you has an abortion? The only way it could possibly affect you is that taxes may go up to help fund schools and welfare programs because of more kids. Or to fund the foster system. So, having better education and better access to abortions is cheaper for us all in the long run. Just because a nurse has to do her job to take biohazards to a morgue and feels bad about it is no reason to force someone else to carry a fetus to term.

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I don't know where you get your statistics when you make the statement that most late term abortions are due to major issues with pregnancies. To make a statement that what is it to me if a woman has an abortion, is liken to what is it to me if someone is killing another life. Our lives are here in the present and are not for ever. Human existence will continue long after your gone! Let other lives come into existence don't decide our life comforts are more important.

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Thanks for your reply, TS. 😊

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"The court will hear the case in October of 2022"

Does that mean the verdict would come ~June 2023?

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