I fail to get why being against abortion makes one sexist

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Some people need access more than others and you don't know why someone might being needing one so yeah, eroding any access harms people who need access and need their access defended.

That's true, but access is hardly being eroded successfully, so it just doesn't seem like people should sweat it, when they already have it good.

It just feels like a pissing contest between the liberals and conservatives, when the liberals have already by far have won the contest, so why worry about it then, and just accept the winning?

You might want to read about how restrictive some US states are. It's not like Canada, if it was still a hot button issue for the left in Canada I'd agree with you because I believe it's pretty secure here.

There's also countries with even tighter restrictions than the US, including a few places in South America where they've forced mentally handicapped children who had been raped by their guardians to carry to term because the court rulings came up after it was either too unsafe to terminate or illegal under any circumstances.

It's an issue that varies throughout parts of the world. Not everywhere is Canada.

Last edited by funeralxempire on 23 May 2021, 12:40 am, edited 2 times in total.

If it's restrictive in some states, can the odd person who needs one just go to another state then?

It's not always feasible, especially in rural areas, especially if all the neighbouring states aren't any better - especially if you're poor or only found out late.

But aren't people just restricting themselves from the services then if they have to live in a rural area where it's not available then? If you want to have sex and have the abortion option, just move then? For example, I use certain services, but I know I couldn't have them if I chose to live in a rural area, away from it all.

Plus is not having abortion the issue, or the issue is not having it immediately available in all these rural spots?

There were serious problems, from what I recall. For example the procedure was required to be performed within the first six weeks, or something like that? Don't even get me started on that one because a six week pregnancy actually means four weeks from conception, or possibly even shorter if the mother has erratic cycles. No woman is pregnant during the first two weeks of her pregnancy -- because pregnancy is dated from the start of her last period, at least two weeks before she even conceived. So a six week pregnancy really means four weeks from conception. This means that she won't know she's conceived for another two weeks, when her next period is due, or three weeks when she discovers she's late. That's assuming she has regular cycles and can track when she's late or not. Then wow - bingo! - suddenly she's at the five week mark on the earliest day that she could possibly get a positive pregnancy test. That would likely be a home test. If it's positive then what? Arrange a doctor appointment for confirmation. Wait a day or two for the appointment. See doctor. Wait a day or two for the blood test. Add in two days of weekend if you go on a Friday. You likely won't get your results until Tuesday or Wednesday. Then BAM again - time's up. Decide right now today! But whoops! Even if you decide to terminate you can't, because they can't schedule it on a weekend, or they can't even wait for you to talk to your partner or your parents, or reflect on the situation. There's no time for counsel. No time for gathering information, weighing options, or thinking it through. This has to be done pronto, if they will do it at all.

I think rushing the time line likely causes more impulsive decisions to abort than would otherwise happen. Mothers are afraid and likely pressured to decide immediately. Situations like that aren't fair.

The fact that it's a "small chance", doesn't make the pregnancies less real. These are real people facing extraordinarily difficult decisions. They deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of which state they live in, or what their odds were for becoming pregnant.

Oh okay, but couldn't you weigh options or think it through and talk to others, while you are waiting on the next appointments and waiting on the next apointments after that? Wouldn't all that waiting be time for thinking and talking and weighing options? You say there is no time to think it through, but isn't all that waiting for appointments, time?

You're waiting to know if you are even pregnant. You don't know yet. If it were me and I was a day or two late, I wouldn't necessarily even panic or take a test. I certainly wouldn't be calling my family to announce that we need to meet and discuss abortion ethics. I wouldn't be phoning my boyfriend to say "Hey, I'm a day late, we need to start talking about abortion vs adoption vs raising this child together". Women's cycles are late all the time. Most people I know don't raise an eyebrow even when they're a week or two late. Then they might start to notice but they're still not in panic mode or rushing off to buy a test. Lots of women don't even know when their cycle is due (you'd be amazed). Lots of other women bleed in early pregnancy, and they think it's a period. Then they go another whole month plus a week or two thinking that they're "late" on that next period, when really they're now 2.5 months.

There is a bias where lots of people assume that all women know their cycles, know when they're ovulating, and know instantly if they are five minutes late. That's not reality. Other people think women should buy jumbo-packs of morning after pills just to be safe. They don't realise this isn't easily available, but it's also controversial because it's essentially an abortion tablet. That's something that needs consideration like abortion itself, but there's not enough time to think it through either.

The system is messed. It's no one's fault, but timing pregnancies, and accessibility to healthcare are really problematic. Some people can't even afford to get a hCG test. They might not even have a doctor.

Oh okay I see what you mean. Can women take pregnancy tests themselves to see if they are pregnant so they do have to wait for doctor's results?

You can take a home urine test, but the results aren't considered accurate until you follow up with your doctor for a blood test which gets sent to a lab. It takes a few days for those results by phone. If you go too soon for the blood test, you might get a false negative. That's another problem. Then they phone with your result and they normally say "We'll see you next week for your first prenatal checkup". They aren't going to say "Hey, if you don't want this baby please let us know right now while I'm congratulating you!" You would need the blood test result in order to request a termination appointment. The blood test tells how far along you are, so it wouldn't be done without this information.

Last edited by IsabellaLinton on 23 May 2021, 1:14 am, edited 1 time in total.

But is it possible to take more than one pregnancy test to try to get a positive reading like best 3 out of 5 or best 7 out of 10 or something like that?

If you really want to, I guess? But you still can't get prenatal care, an abortion consultation, or a termination, without the results of a blood test. The blood test measures how far along you are based on your hormone levels. You can't just request a termination with a home urine test, because you might be farther along than you realise. Maybe you are past the legal cutoff point for the procedure. Maybe you aren't pregnant at all.

I had a home test come up positive when I was still a virgin, but had some ... intimate contact ... with my boyfriend. I was a few weeks late, and started to panic. I didn't want to talk to my parents. My doctor was on holiday. So I bought a test, assuming it would be fine. I got a giant PLUS sign meaning positive. It didn't make sense but of course I believed it. I went weeks agonising and waiting and trying to get support information without my parents overhearing. I was totally terrified and very confused how it happened. By the time I got to the Planned Parenthood clinic I was almost hysterical. But they did a blood test, and sent me home. Three days later they told me I wasn't pregnant at all and it was likely a faulty home test.

When I actually was pregnant with my daughter I was planning the pregnancy and tracking everything on a calendar. I kept taking the home tests which kept saying negative. Then I started bleeding. I tried again the next month and did a blood test which said I was pregnant from the month prior. Already over 2 months. I bled through most of my pregnancy and she was born premature. If I hadn't had the blood test, and just used the home tests, there's a chance I would have received negative test results because of my bleeding.

Home tests have good dramatic value but they aren't considered valid until double checked by blood work.

Are people in rural areas less deserving of their rights?

Few things are black & white.
So sayeth, the skunk.

One of the reasons why abortion is legal and reasonably possible in many places is that people make such a big fuss about it. When there are a lot of people defending the right for a choice, those in charge will know that they'll be losing a lot of support if they take away the right for abortion.



With what money will they move? Not everyone can afford to move, especially since moving often means that you need to find a new job, too.