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Question of the Week 1 - If a young woman has an abortion, then "that's that," and she and the father can get on with life. Right?

Breakpoint Parents Guide 1

The basic argument from BreakPoint here is: fathers experience the same negative post-abortion reactions that women do: anger, depression, guilt, and broken relationships.

The argument rests on the recognition that the decision to abort a fetus can have long lasting emotional consequences. I certainly agree that such an important decision will have emotional consequences.

These debates about abortion often have other hidden agendas. There is no question that when a pregnancy begins, an extremely important decision rests with the parents to be.

The question above uses the phrase 'young woman' to bring into the debate the youth that may or may not have the maturity to grasp the gravity of the situation. Once the baby is born the parents must accept the responsibility for its care, nurturing and development. During the pregnancy, health concerns can arise, as not every woman will have every pregnancy progress with no problems.

The bottom line in this debate: the decision on whether to carry the fetus to term must begin with the parents-to-be. There are a variety of scenarios where the expectant parents will decide that the consequences of the full-term pregnancy and/or the subsequent care of a baby will outweigh the desire for that baby.

The abolition of the abortion option will have many consequences for the parents-to-be, including anger (from not wanting the baby), depression (from the burden of an unwanted child), guilt (perhaps the pregnancy was accidental) and broken relationships (the strain of the unwanted child might break the love of the parents).

The start of a pregnancy is truly a life moment. There is no going back to somehow undo that conception. This is why sexual education is so important for our youth that they understand the consequences of unprotected sex (which, in addition to a baby, can lead to a variety of diseases).

For an emotionally immature couple, the decision to abort or deliver can be truly daunting. However, it is so important that the decision still be available. The future of our humanity rests on the ability to make such important decisions based on the particular circumstances. This couple will require much emotional support from their family and friends with either decision. They will probably seek guidance from those same groups before making this decision.

If people are unable to make such important life decisions then what can be said for the future of humanity? Slaves were considered property and decisions about their lives were in the hands of the slave owners. Such is not the future that I envision for us.

The BreakPoint web site offered a number of columns that present the Biblical world view by a Christian fundamentalist. A number of responses are presented by the Breakpoint Topic Group. This topic was in response to the Parent's Guide Part 1 group on the Breakpoint site.

The original link in case the article ever returns to Breakpoint:
(http://www.pfm.org/Content/ContentGroups/BreakPoint/Columns/ Worldview_for_Parents/200311/Question_of_the_Week1.htm)

created - Dec. 2004
last change - 12/30/2004
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