11 thoughts on “I just want to say

  1. I don’t know.

    Both myself and my best friend each, in the past, aborted a desperately wanted child. The situation in each case was literally so horrific that there was no way out. Both of us would have done anything to have felt we had another option. Neither of us had ever gotten over it.

    What would we have done if offered an ultrasound? I can only speak for myself, but most likely scrutinized every detail, begged for a scrap of a picture to keep, a second to touch the screen. Would it have been needlessly cruel? Maybe.

    OK. So do you really think some callous fuck who is aborting because their baby “might” have something “wrong” with it (which is most of the abortions I hear about these days, to be honest) is really going to care for an instant about an ultrasound picture of their “defective” baby? They’ve probably already seen twenty, having had every test known to man–and that’s why they’re terminating.

    I find it ironic that the government is all about sponsoring this and is continuing to allow eugenic abortions, is all.

  2. I think that could be a powerful thing. My cousin is newly pregnant and 20 –her u/s really helped her connect and fall in love with the baby.

  3. No, you’re right of course. I don’t think this law will stop any eugenic abortions.

    That reminded me of this site, Be Not Afraid, for people facing a poor prenatal diagnosis.

  4. I love that site.

    I didn’t mean to get harsh or angry over it. It just touches a really close nerve because I don’t personally know anyone who terminated a pregnancy for OTHER than eugenic reasons who would have been “unaware” of anything the ultrasound would show them.

    For what it’s worth, I devote a lot of time and energy to trying to reach out to people in the situation I was in… there was no “choice” involved, on my part. Awful, awful thing, and if I can help prevent anyone else from having to go through that, I will. I just don’t see how an ultrasound could do that.

  5. I know that at the pregnancy center I work at we always encourage our abortion-minded clients to get an ultrasound (which we offer for free) and it helps them to see a baby not a “problem”. It has saved many babies lives at our center.

  6. I think it’s a really slippery slope to start “requiring” that pregnant women undergo any specific procedure.

  7. If I had known about it I would have supported it sooner! (not that it matters what a marylander thinks)

    I get the what mischevium says… but my mind changes when it comes to “aborting” a baby. some laws don’t apply to every scenario you know? I would never be for requiring a pregnant mom to do anything.. it’s not about her being pregnant.. it’s about her aborting a baby. I think people planning to abort should see a ultrasound. does that make sense? emphasis on the baby not to pregnancy.

  8. Heather K, I was thinking about what you said today (does anyone mind if I keep this discussion going?) and it occured to me that you mentioned you work in a crisis pregnancy center. See, I don’t think the ultrasound changed any minds–or only as part of the general culture of the place–instead I think that simply going somewhere that let these women know they had real options is what led to the mind-changing. A basic, cursory ultrasound and Planned Parenthood? Probably wouldn’t really have that effect.

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