Boy, this is one that I hoped I would never see at the Mudcat. Not saying we shouldn't, just that it is probably the toughest one and I doubt that anyone will change anyone else's minds, etc.

Bottom line for me is, it is a woman's body. No, I don't think it should be a method of birth control. Yes, I would rather the decision be made in the first trimester. Many more things which are much more horrible, in my opinion, are perpetrated throughout the world, including severe abuse of unwanted children, including female mutilation which in some instances means a little girl of 7-10yrs old is held down while her clitoris, inner and outer labia are hacked off with a rusty lid of a tin can and then she is sown shut with only a pencil-sized hole through which to urinate. And, yes, this can and does happen in the USA, just usually under more sterile conditions and sometimes involving only the clitoris.

I am sorry, I don't mean to sound bitter, but anything that smacks of control of women, esp. about such a personal decision, really gets to me.

kat