My thoughts on abortion

I realize this is a sensitive topic to a lot of people. But this blog doesn't belong to a lot of people. It belongs to me. :) So, here goes.

I kind of have mixed feelings on abortion. I used to be completely okay with it. And then I had a child.

I just saw a video of an abortion (or a miscarriage, I'm not sure). The video showed a fetus about 17-18 weeks old. It was still inside the amniotic sac and it had the hiccups. The doctors were handling the sac. I had to stop watching there because I knew what was coming.

My baby used to have hiccups ALL the time in my womb. I just cannot imagine choosing to kill a child, especially that late in the game.

The fetal heart starts to beat around 6 weeks. Really, that gives a woman about 1 week to choose to have an abortion if she wanted to have it aborted before the heart started beating (assuming the woman doesn't automatically know she's pregnant and waits until she's a week overdue for her period before testing). This isn't much time... and for me, I think that this is the only way I could feel okay about it... although, I doubt I'd ever *really* be okay with it.

There are extreme circumstances (rape, incest, deformity) where the decision would be even MORE difficult.

I am never, ever on-board with late-term abortions. Apparently fetuses start to feel pain around the 20 week mark, and abortions can legally be carried out until about 22 weeks (2 weeks before a fetus is deemed "viable" by doctors). This date always confused me. I've heard that 21 weeks is the date of viability, but that babies very rarely live when born at this age. That leaves a gap in which a fetus can certainly feel pain while being killed. That's not cool.

In any case, I have strong feelings about late-term abortions, but very mixed feelings about very early-term abortions.

On the other hand, I am a firm believer that I did not breathe life into anything and so I should not be so nonchalant about taking it away. For example, I will not kill a spider inside my house. I trap it under a cup and relocate him/her outside. I did not innervate this spider. I did not inspire life into it, so I have no right to take that precious life away. If something MUST die, I would rather it be as quick, painless, and justifiable as possible.

To me "It's just not a good time for me to have a baby" and "I don't like spiders" are not justifiable reasons.

Anyway, this is just my opinion. Take it as you will.