h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Here in America, I continually hear people arguing back and forth about abortion. When I lived in Texas, I heard lots of "infanticide" and "against God's will." Here in Seattle, I hear more "pro-choice is pro-family" and "abortion is every woman's right."

One fact some people seem to miss is that ABORTION, in and of itself, is not the problem. UNINTENDED PREGNANCIES are the problem, with abortion being an imperfect solution to the problem.

The concept that unintended pregnancies need to be prevented is something that both pro-life and pro-choice groups seem to agree on -- and it would seem like this would be an area where compromise might be potentially more feasible.

Mikey, may I thank you most sincerely for injecting a note of sanity into the proceedings here. If you've read some of the rabid rantings that have been posted in the other forums on this topic, you'll understand why I say that.
Proper, effective, frank sex education must have saved countless women from having to go through the pain, indignity and trauma of abortion.
Sadly, of course, the same religious right types who object most strongly to abortion often object just as strongly to the spreading of information that can help prevent unwanted pregnancy, and so render abortion unnecesary.

Mikey, I cannot tell you how very glad I am you have brought up this point. This very thing has been playing on my mind for years. This is the first time I have heard anyone bring this up for discussion ever!

But there is one question I have for Ormondroyd. What is an effective sex education? I have read some material that said sex education has in many ways made matters worse concerning teen pregnancies. Though, I admit, I’m not sure of my source on that. Nevertheless bear in mind that it may not be the god send that it appears to be.

Well, I'd say that an effective sex education is one that explains, in frank and simple terms, about the different forms of contraception that are available, how they work, and how effective they are in preventing pregnancy and preventing the passing on of sexually transmitted diseases. It's also probably no bad thing to tell young people that sex isn't compulsory, and that they shouldn't feel pressured into doing it.
Some people believe that telling school students about sex encourages them to have sex too early in life. I don't believe that's true, any more than teaching geography encourages teens to want to travel. I never got any formal sex education when I was at school so I can't speak from experience, but I really wouldn't have thought that having a teacher telling you about syphilis or about how a coil works would be much of a turn-on!
The most important thing, surely, is that people in the grip of that huge surge of hormones that accompanies adolescence often experiment sexually. They always have done, and they always will. A frank and comprehensive sex education can help them to do so without ruining their lives.

I posted this in another conversation, but it seems more appropriate here:

Sigh

A good friend of mine teaches high schoolers in a public school in Australia with a low socio-economic demographic. She has told her class time after time that if they are having sex, to at least have it safely. She even said to come to her for condoms, KY jelly, etc, etc if they were embarrassed to go to the chemist.

However, even though all this open discussion and education was happening, a girl from her class recently told her "I think I'm pregnant"!

She is 16.


I think for younger adults, perhaps the cause-effect or consequense does not actually sink in until the consequence actually happens to them. That is, the syndrom of "it won't happen to me" is still fairly strong.

The moral question is: Should society withhold abortion in an attempt to make these kids face up to their responsbilities (which smells like punishing them for their "sins"), while allowing abortion on demand trivialises the whole procreation thing.

In an attempt to provoke a meaningful debate, what do others think?

*sits back to watch the sparks fly*

The first thing I'd say is "well done" to your friend, who sounds like an admirable teacher behaving in a very realistic and responsible way. It's a great pity that one of her charges ended up with an unwanted pregnancy despite your friend's best efforts, but one failure doesn't invalidate all her work. Who knows how many others she may have helped save from a similar predicament?
As for your closing question: sadly, the "sparks" are flying in other forums here, and generating more heat than light. My own view is that of course abortion should be available, especially for young people like your friend's unfortunate charge, and that it would be dreadful for people as young as her to have their lives ruined by one moment of carelessness.
The availability of abortion does not "trivialise the whole procreation thing". What it does do is to create the conditions in which procreation is more likely to be done deliberately, by choice, at a time in the parents' lives when they're ready and willing to cope with all that it entails.

I apologise, that throw-away line at the end of my tale was not meant to imply that abortion DOES trivialise procreation, I was trying to put two points of view across, which I have heard in the abortion argument. Kind of like "the lesser of two evils" choice?

I guess my point was that young people (myself included when I belonged to that category), even though they intellectually understand consquences of actions, may not act on that knowledge. The mantra "it won't happen to me" rings in my ear sometimes.

I have been in arguements where someone has said that availability of abortion to these unfortunate kids, who don't realise it DOES happen to them, will mean they will "never learn from their mistakes, and grow up" - kind of a harsh wake up call, I would say!

There is, to my mind, no substantive ethical difference between the morning-after pill given a few hours after conception and a termination before the foetus is capable of independent life.

Of course, every advance in medicine reduces the age at which the foetus can be sustained outside its mother. And aboriotn law should reflect this.

But as you say, the best thing is not to get pregannt in the first place. Which means decent sex education, including telling young people that it's OK to say no, and that experimenting with sex at too early an age may well be unwise since no form of contraception is 100% effective.

The more information people have, the better. Definitely. Whatever their age.