who supports right to choose

[green 6]

This is a lovely story, one with a very happy outcome. I must admit that it would not have worked in my case, however, as I have something bordering on a phobia with respect to the mechanics of pregnancy and childbirth. This was why I was very careful with using birth control. Unfortunately, this failed when I was 31 and I did find myself pregnant. I was lucky that I was living in a country, France, where arranging for an abortion was quick and easy and legal. I was 7 or 8 weeks along when I had my abortion.

Carrying this unwanted and in fact feared pregnancy to term would have taken 9 long months and have caused permanent and unwanted changes in my body. I would be experiencing some of those changes today as a post-menopausal woman. And giving the infant up would have been out of the question for me, too; at that time I was living with a mate who wanted children. I would have been truly trapped by motherhood.

Freedom of choice to me means that women have the right to carry their pregnancies to term just as the young woman in Gadget and L8's story will be doing or to do as I have done - have a safe and legal abortion.

[L8BloomR 1]

Green, it is good to hear from you. How are you feeling? Even though I haven't posted on LBT for a long time, I did try to keep up with what was going on with your illness and I kept you in my prayers. How are you doing now?

[green 6]

Green, it is good to hear from you. How are you feeling? Even though I haven't posted on LBT for a long time, I did try to keep up with what was going on with your illness and I kept you in my prayers. How are you doing now?

Thanks for thinking of me, L8. Well, I am finally recovering from the cancer. I had radiation and I had chemotherapy and this seems to have killed the tumor though the side effects of both almost killed me. I went down to 108 lbs and at one point had to be hospitalised for a week. Now I weigh 122 lbs and I am finding that I am getting much of my old strength back. Scans show that the tumor is gone and my hair is beginning to grow back. It is very short but actually looks kinda cute. Turns out my skull doesn't have 4 corners after all.... I always thought that it did.

Being skinny is sort of the silver lining in all of this. I can wear belts now. LOL But undressed I look 80 years old or like a sharpei thanks to all the spare skin; I definitely need a full body lift, eh.

[L8BloomR 1]

That's wonderful news, green!! The tumor is gone---fantastic!!

Hey---think of the fun you will have "filling in" that skin. Hmmmmmm....do you need an eating buddy? :thumbup:

[gadgetlady 4]

Green, happy to hear you're on the other side of this fight. I have another friend who just finished up chemo and radiation as well, and I am much more aware of how challenging and wearing it can be. I think of you and pray for you regularly.

[green 6]

Thank you. Gadget, I imagine your friend is likely feeling pretty lousy at the moment. Please do tell her from me that this, too, will pass and she will begin to feel better once the effects of the radiation and the chemo fade. In the meantime, rest is the thing. And plenty of liquids; I was tossed into hospital because of severe dehydration.

[green 6]

Thanks, Jack.

[gadgetlady 4]

Thank you. Gadget, I imagine your friend is likely feeling pretty lousy at the moment. Please do tell her from me that this, too, will pass and she will begin to feel better once the effects of the radiation and the chemo fade. In the meantime, rest is the thing. And plenty of liquids; I was tossed into hospital because of severe dehydration.

It's a he, and he has now finished the radiation. He said it was so awful that if he had to do it again he might choose the alternative instead (death). :w00t: He did end up in the hospital several times during the chemo. But now he's starting to grow back his hair and his spirits have lifted. What a horrible thing cancer is :w00t:

[green 6]

It's a he, and he has now finished the radiation. He said it was so awful that if he had to do it again he might choose the alternative instead (death). He did end up in the hospital several times during the chemo. But now he's starting to grow back his hair and his spirits have lifted. What a horrible thing cancer is

Yes, the cancer treatments are almost as bad as the disease and they certainly can make one feel much sicker. At the point when I was told that I was "tumor-free" I was feeling so sick that I did not, I could not react even though my nearest and dearest were jubilant. Even though the tumor was gone I felt nearer to death at that point than I had when I was first diagnosed; and this was when my situation had been dire for at that point I had been found to have a fast moving (small cell) cancer and my tumor was stage 3 (stage 4 is endgame).

I now have hair - although it is very short - and no longer suffer from nausea. Although I am gaining weight I still have problems with my post-nuclear throat and mouth. And my hearing is impaired in one ear. I was warned about all of these side effects when I began treatments. Cancer is no walk in the park....

Please do give your friend my regards.

[Carrie_C 9]

What type of canccer did you have?

[green 6]

A great big tumor made up of small cell cancer on my right vocal cord. Small cell cancer can quickly travel to other sites in the body and is considered very dangerous for this reason. Luckily, it does respond well to treatment; there are some cancers which don't. I was really lucky in that although my tumor was really large, the cancer hadn't spread.

By the time they figured out what was wrong with me I could hardly breathe and I was talking with a little squeaky voice. They took one look at it in the day clinic at the hospital, booked me a hospital room, and gave me an emergency tracheotomy. For 7 months I had a plastic tube sticking out of my neck. This was humiliating and it gave me constant pain. I was on liquid morphine for the entire time. It also got infected twice.

[gadgetlady 4]

A great big tumor made up of small cell cancer on my right vocal cord. Small cell cancer can quickly travel to other sites in the body and is considered very dangerous for this reason. Luckily, it does respond well to treatment; there are some cancers which don't. I was really lucky in that although my tumor was really large, the cancer hadn't spread.

By the time they figured out what was wrong with me I could hardly breathe and I was talking with a little squeaky voice.

My friend had lymphoma (thankfully, Hodgkins), and about 1/2 way through his radiation he started to be unable to sing (he's a professional opera singer). I never did find out why the radiation would cause this.

[gadgetlady 4]

Back to the topic of abortion, here's why I believe education and informed consent are so very important. Many people just don't understand basic human biology. This is from a pro-life author, so I know some of the verbiage will be unacceptable to some of you. What's most interesting is the polling data cited (in other words, don't throw out the baby with the bath water). From Gingi Edmonds Pro-Life Opinion

You see, the majority of youth who conform to the pro-choice ideology of their pro-abortion professors, have no idea what being 'pro-choice' entails. And that's all the better for groups like NARAL. I mean, if their agenda rested on facts and logic they wouldn't have to resort to bullying to increase their ranks. Let's take a look at just how informed this 'pro-choice' army is:

A recent Zogby international poll asked students who label themselves as pro-choice, 'Should abortion be permitted after the fetus has a heartbeat?' And 61% responded with a firm 'No'. Considering the fact that fetal heartbeat occurs 18-21 days after conception - usually before the mother even knows that she is pregnant- and that literally every surgical abortion ends a beating heart, then this would mean that 61% of self-proclaimed 'pro-choicers' are actually, in fact, pro-life!

And that's the bad news for pro-abortion recruiters. Someone might tell their army the biological facts behind fetal development! I'm not joking people, knowledge and elementary school biology is the Achilles Heel of the abortion rights movement.

A national poll by Hamilton College found that the majority of high school seniors take a pro-life position on abortion, saying it's morally wrong, and would support legislative proposals that would limit abortions and help women find alternatives. The poll also found that the majority of pro-choice high school seniors do not believe abortions should be allowed for sociological reasons, such as when women are too poor to afford another child, or unable to have a baby at the time, or just want to fit into that dress in time for prom.

And here's the kicker. Studies from the Alan Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of Planned Parenthood, find approximately 95 percent of all abortions are done for such sociological reasons. Again we find our self-proclaimed pro-choicers adopting a stance for life in relation to the procedure of surgical abortion.

[Carrie_C 9]

Why did they ask high school students?? High school students don't know a thing about the real world. Give me a break.

As far as informed consent, I do agree that we need to know the facts about fetal development and human biology. But there also comes a thing called personal responsibilty. Meaning that we have a responsibility ourselves to know this stuff and do our own research. It is not all the responsibility of health care workers to supply this information. I can not imagine going in for surgery, let along an abortion, without finding out all the facts for myself.

[gadgetlady 4]

Why did they ask high school students?? High school students don't know a thing about the real world. Give me a break.

I believe it was a study looking at whether the youth is turning the tide on life issues.

As far as informed consent, I do agree that we need to know the facts about fetal development and human biology. But there also comes a thing called personal responsibilty. Meaning that we have a responsibility ourselves to know this stuff and do our own research. It is not all the responsibility of health care workers to supply this information. I can not imagine going in for surgery, let along an abortion, without finding out all the facts for myself.

Women seeking abortions are often very scared and emotional. Add to that the fact that some of them are the high schoolers you so disparagingly speak about above, and you expect them to do their due diligence? Informed consent is a given in every surgery except abortion, because the abortion lobby is so powerful and fights it tooth-and-nail.