Abortion

Sirenomella, also known as Mermaid Syndrome, is a rare birth defect where the child is born with his/her legs fused together, much like a mermaid. This defect also results in the absence or abnormality of several major organs, most notably the kidneys and the bladder. Life expectancy is 1 to 2 days due to organ complications and failure.Spina Bifida is a neural tube defect that occurs when the spinal column does not close completely during the first month of pregnancy. Spina Bifida is different for everybody. Symptoms may include partial to full paralysis, difficulty controlling the bowel and bladder, learning disabilities, latex allergies, depression, and social/sexual interaction problems. At worst, the brain cavity fills up with fluid which must be drained over and over again through constant surgery.Progeria is a rare, fatal, birth defect that appears to accelerate aging in children. As such, symptoms begin appearing at 18 to 24 months of age and include growth failure, body fat loss, hair loss, hip dislocation, aged looking skin, stiffness of joints, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. Death occurs in between 8 to 21 years of age.Cerebral Palsy is a defect in the area in the brain that controls movement, and as such the baby cannot move normally. Symptoms of cerebral palsy vary as there are different types, but there are three major types which are Spastic Cerebral Palsy, which stiffens all the muscles which makes movement difficult and in severe cases mentally retards the child, Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, which causes fluctuations in muscle tone ranging from too loose to too stiff, and Axaxic Cerebral Palsy, which makes it difficult for the patient to balance and coordinate his/her muscles, making basic activities such as walking and writing extremely difficult.Down syndrome is a birth defect that occurs when an error occurs during cell division that involves chromosome 21. Other than the superficial effects of Down syndrome, symptoms include congenital heart disease, hearing problems, intestine/bowel problems, eye problems, thyroid dysfunctionality, skeletal problems, dementia, and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases such as pneumonia.Let's put aside birth defects and diseases for now. 51% of pregnancies in America are unintended or mistimed. Approximately 3 in 10 will result in abortion. If abortion is banned, that number will drop to a least 0. These are the consequences of these kinds of births.1. The family will have too many kids and may be unable to support the child2. Fewer educational opportunities and development opportunities for the woman3. Abandonment or adoption4. Undernourished children5. Higher infant susceptibility to disease6. Less treatment for diseases7. Less breastfeeding8. Higher infant mortality 9. If the mother acquired an STD as well as pregnancy, when the baby is conceived the disease will be passed down to the baby10. Child abuse11. Depression of mother during and after pregnancy12. Higher chance of death of mother during labor These are the facts. Now lets look at Con's arguments."Is it your fault that you had unprotected sex, and that child had no say in you taking THEIR life not yours. Step up for the mistake you made and raise your child to the best of your ability." Well the thing is, the child is not technically alive yet. But since that is a controversial point, I will put that aside. Assuming that the fetus is considered to be a person starting from ovulation (not protected by US law for the sake of this argument), consider the type of life that person would live when he/she is conceived. It's really not that hard, you just have to look at the information written above. In fact, ignore the diseases for now, just look at the list of effects of unintended births. Do you really want a child to live a life where any of those things could have a high possibility of happening simply because you have some sort of agenda or need for every child to be born?There are only four birth defects written above, however, there are some thousands upon thousands of other birth defects. I have barely even scratched the surface. But lets just work with those four above. If you knew your child was definitely going to be born with one of those diseases, would you abort, or let it suffer the full and unabridged agony of the disease simply because "You could possibly be carrying the person who could cure cancer or the future president". The two things honestly have an extremely small chance of occurring and is an extremely risky and frankly sadistic gamble to take. If your reason for giving birth to a child is for this reasons, I honestly have nothing to say.And believe it or not, someone's best ability in terms of raising a child can actually be pretty bad. Veeeerrrrry bad."As soon as you start having sex you are taking the risk of possible becoming pregnant. If you are not ready for that responsibility then you should not be having sex!" AMEN. However, if a girl so happens to get pregnant when she is not ready for a child, forcing her to have one anyway opens a pretty damn big can of worms, as it not only affects the life and mental health of the girl, but also negatively affects the child in many different ways. Part of owning up for a mistake is fixing it, and attempting to take care of a baby when you KNOW you are not ready for one is definitely not fixing, but amplifying the mistake. For proof of this, just look at the information above one more time.One last point, this child is not your child, and quite frankly, it's none of your business what a woman does with her unwanted or disease ridden fetus. Keep this option open for women who want it, because by banning it simply because you don't like it uses the same logic as me banning bacon for everybody forever simply because I don't enjoy it.