#289, LOL.
We could save them in a mason jar and raise them like sea monkeys.

I don't consider abortion a "choice" issue. I think it is a civil rights issue. No one has the right to take the life of a human being and I do believe that life begins at conception. Also, I don't believe that because a woman has had a horrendous evil perpetrated on her (in the case of rape or incest) that a horrendous evil should be perpetrated on someone else( the unborn baby). Also, as heartbreaking as it is when the life of the mother is at stake, I still don't believe it justifies the taking of life. I think everything medically possible should be done to save both lives. Both are important and neither should be deliberately ended. Life is uncertain and filled with risk of all kinds, but inflicting death on another should never be acceptable in a civilized society. When we erode civil rights for the most vulnerable(and I do consider it a right to the unborn to have life) then where are we headed as a society? I don't think anyone should have a choice to end life when it has already begun, which is also why I am against the death penalty and euthanasia.

I love your website, Heather, but I am at the opposite end of the spectrum where politics are concerned.

I fail to see how an "unwanted" baby is less of a life than a "wanted" baby.

Although I am not voting for McCain - it doesn't have much (if anything) to do with his views on abortion. The chance of a president really having power over an already issued Supreme Court Order are slim. I feared it being overturned more with a Republican house and senate than I do with the thought of McCain being president.

I do not agree, and never will, that people should be "single-issue" voters. If I was a single-issue voter, I would be voting for McCain because of his stand on foreign aid.

I just feel the need to make this clear.

A SINGLE CELLED ORGANISM IS NOT A BABY.

If you want to say it is, you are wrong. It's a free country and you can say whatever you want, but biologically, it's just not true. It's a CELL. A fertilized egg is a CELL.

ONE CELL does not outweigh MY LIFE.

If you undervalue your life so much that a fertilized egg is more important than an adult woman, that's your problem, not mine. If you tell me that a cell is a baby, I might smile and nod and allow that you can have that opinion, but I'll also fully believe that you're delusional and anything you say after that point is just babbling.

It's your decision to do what you will with your own body (at least until the laws change) but rational people do not share this belief of yours that a fertilized egg is a baby. It's not a baby until a woman's body has done the hard labor to assemble one.

You're assuming that I "dont care about babies" - I don't agree that it is one. This is why we can't talk to each other, we are starting at completely different points.

I read these and will not reconsider. Some think the president can't have a direct effect on abortion in our country. However both candidates acknowledge that they will be appointing one or more justices to the Supreme Court, which has a huge effect on abortion in our country.

The reason I choose to take a stand on this issue, though I may disagree with him on other things, is because I believe abortion is murder. And I agree with McCain that loopholes regarding health and safety of the mother are far too broad; and with Obama that there are many underlying issues that lead to abortion that also need to be dealt with.

On all other issues, there is a spectrum of agreement that people can be on. To me, this one is pretty much black and white (no pun intended). So it is the major issue I am choosing to vote on. But there are innumerable other reasons that I am a 30 something mother of 3 that is voting for McCain.

And as for this "don't bring your religion into it" line of thinking... Please. Society is founded on morals. Though there is a spectrum of those too, most people find a place to draw a line. That's why we have laws. And from a historical standpoint, where have we as varied cultures based that line of unacceptability on? The answer would be our religious heritage. Even athiests and agnostics need to dive into that part of philosophy.

Heather,
I love, love your blog I read it ever day and I specially enjoy Chuck's and Coco's pictures and Leta's stories.

I reserve my comments about Obama and McCain because I live in Mexico and don't think they are relevant.

I always cringe for you when you post politics stuff. Thank you for linking to those (and I see someone already posted to Uppercase Woman). I feel really bad for you that people get so personally offended when you say something they don't agree with. Why not just ignore that post and move on? Unless you live in their house without television, books, radio, newspapers or any other form of media/communication, chances are high someone is going to piss you off in your lifetime. If it is major, venting makes sense. Small stuff like this? Good lord, people need to relax.

So yes. Thanks again for posting this and (hopefully) not letting the people who can't take a deep breath and move on get to you.

The reason I enjoy reading your blog is for entertainment - if I wanted to read a political blog I'm sure I would have no problem finding one. I am sick and tired of people with less political experience than Sarah Palin thinking that the rest of us care about their own personal opinions - to me that is the ultimate sign of an egotistical person. We all have the right to our own opinions and so do us all a favor and keep yours to yourself. Stick with what you do best and stay away from being just another self serving political "know-it-all" who believes that the rest of us care what you think.

I have a hard time understanding how being pro choice is also being pro abortion. No one is pro abortion. This is probably the hardest decision any woman can ever face, and it's intensly personal. While it's not something I could do, I have NO right relling another woman what to do with her body. If you don't want to get one, DON'T. But for those who face such a decision, let it be safe and legal.

Lucky for us, we live in a country where the majority rules. So, on Nov. 4, you vote for who you want, I'll vote for who I want, my co-workers will vote for who they want, and Joe-six-pack can vote for who he wants. And we'll see who the majority chooses.

It'll all come out in the wash.

Heather: If you honestly want us pro-life women to reconsider our vote, stop insulting our intelligence with Katie Couric sound bytes and your snarky blogging friends.

Not persuasive. And not working.

I'm always willing to reconsider my politics. But when you and your readers act like I'm a blithering, backwoods, ignoramus---that's what I call a Bridge To Nowhere.

Yeah. Those air quotes made me want to set John McCain on fire. I'm a Democrat who sent John McCain money in the 2000 campaign because I felt like at least he'd be an honorable candidate, as opposed to W.; now I don't even recognize the angry old coot anymore.

But then again, I too would be angry and sarcastic if I sold my soul to the extreme right wing, and STILL got my ass handed to me at the polls. I might even feel some sympathy at his plight---if I felt he were at all capable of returning the favor.

My captcha is "Democratic [unreadable squiggle]." Awesome!

Great and moving blogs!

Reading through some of these comments has been frustrating, though. I respect pro-life people saying they are against abortion. Everyone is entitled their own opinion, but forcing your opinion on people who do not share it by dictating laws is another.
The thing that frustrates me the most is people saying: LIFE BEGINS AT CONCEPTION SO YOU'RE A MURDERER! Okay, well that's how you define it and that's your, um, CHOICE. However, biologists (and I'm pretty sure they know something about the issue) disagree when human life starts. Here is a PEER-REVIEWED source that talks about the many different ways biologists see when life begins:

http://8e.devbio.com/article.php?id=162

How should your interpretation of when life starts trump my interpretation or the interpretation of many experts? It seems a little arrogant, right? Don't have an abortion if you don't think it is right for you. It's really that simple.

It bothers me that so much of this debate is based on emotions, distortions, and rhetoric rather than a thoughtful examination of evidence.

AMEN TO THAT! *applauds*

When was the last time the majority chose anything in this country that is one of the most insane things I have heard in awhile.

#321 I hope I get hit by a bus get me out of a world filled with douche bags like #33 holy shit on top of being a complete imbecile she actually thinks she knows something.

I would have paid for her mothers meds if she hung herself. I recommend a bottle of Jack Daniels and a sawed off shot gun so she definitely does not miss.

Some of the hardest working people in this country do not get medical benefits. Go harvest in the fields oh thats right someone like her is above that but yet she is the same idiot that wants to deport every Mexican here.

Morbid self absorbed people like you deserve nothing not even the air we breathe

Just curious, have you written one word that tells us what you think Obama will accomplish for this country during the next 4 years--for instance, how do you believe he will "fix" our Health care issues? What do you think Obama will do for the American People over the next 4 years? Bashing McCain does not not take courage,talking about Obama's accomplishments, what you think he will accomplish and what you think he believes in--that take courage because in those written words, there is some sense of responsiblity and accontablity. How will Obama make your life better? How will he not just "say it" but provide the actions beyond the words? What has Obama done that leads you to believe that he can do what he says he will?

To Jill #33
As a Canadian who IS entitled to healthcare, I am baffled by your comments. You sound bitter. Why would it offend you for the Democrats to say that all Americans should be entitled to healthcare? I would think after all you've been through with your unemployment and your mother's death, you would breathe a sigh of relief!

In Canada, we pay for healthcare. It's affordable. If you're unemployed or a low wage earner, you don't pay for healthcare. Does that make you less worthy as a citizen and not deserving of health? No.

Heather - I am a woman voting for McCain, based almost entirely on his stand on abortion.

Being someone who was adopted at birth, I have very strong feelings about mothers who would kill their unborn children when there are wonderful couples out there who would love to raise that child. I was one such child. And I can't even fathom my life had my natural mother had the option of abortion. But back in the '50s, she didn't. And what a wonderful alternative - adoption.

Heather, I have loved your blog. I really have. I looked forward to reading it every day when I got home from work. You are a gifted writer. But sadly, I must say goodbye. Your political jabs are just too painful.

Heather, thanks for posting this. I agree wholeheartedly with what was said in the blogs you linked to, and I think this a very important issue. I, too, was appalled at hearing McCain call pro-choice folks "pro-abortion." I know some people who have had abortions, and for all of them it was a very difficult, emotional decision. And for all you people out there who make the argument that women should be responsible with their bodies in the first place to avoid getting pregnant, I agree! We should be responsible. But there are two people involved in the sex act, and the partner needs to be responsible too (and to be held accountable! it's not always the woman's fault). Mistakes happen, condoms break, people don't know how to properly put a condom on or take a condom off. . . or their partners are jerks. I work in clinic and run STD screens, and do you have any idea how many men refuse to use protection during sex simply because "it doesn't feel as good?" It is truly astonishing how little most people know about how to protect themselves. And even when contraception is used perfectly, pregnancies can occur. At any rate, this is why Obama is right about how crucial sex-ed is. If people are taught how to have safe sex, fewer unwanted pregnancies will occur. Nobody wants to have to get an abortion!

I was undecided about this issue until just two months ago when I held my new baby in my arms for the first time.

To say that a baby does not 'exist' until it comes out of the womb is irresponsible. Who is standing up for the baby's rights? How can we be so harsh a society to say that a woman should be able to decide if her baby is able to live or die?

Rape and other medical conditions may merit such a decision (I am undecided about that) but to say that women should have the choice whether or not to kill a child is completely sickening.

There are choices and consequences. Maybe I'm not the smartest person politically, and still am undecided on many issues, but I KNOW that my son was alive and aware when he was in my womb and I do not support leaders who say women should be able to decide whether or not a child lives.

Also, Heather, I love your blog and you should be able to write about whatever you want. It's sad to read these comments that say you are swaying ppl. Hopefully Americans are educated enough to investigate potential candidates by more means than a personal blog.

They can say what they want and they have a right to, but I bet that those women are also against the death penalty, and I think it goes both ways. It's inconceivable to me how a woman sees no problem in ending her pregnancy but even then I do believe in the right of a woman to choose. But these same women (and maybe not the ones from the posts but the majority I would say) have a problem with criminals who kill and rape being put to death.

This is a tough one for me. I may be the only one of these (don't think so though), but I am a pro-choice Christian conservative. I just don't want some non-computer savvy old man telling me what I can do or not do with my body. It's between me and God, period.

On the other hand, I was talking with one of the neighborhood moms as we all walked our kids to school the other day. She and her husband moved here a few years ago from Georgia (the one that Russia invaded, not the U.S. state). She told me that, as a person who has spent much of her live in communism, Obama's talk about "distributing wealth" gives her the chills. She said that the words he uses are almost verbatim the kinds of words they always heard in George; the propaganda that favored communism.

I haven't checked out the libertarian and independent candidates thoroughly enough. I will start that today.

Signed, an adoptive Christian mom (who, shhhhh, had an abortion in younger days. I know many of us did).

oh shoot, last period should read "Georgia", not George.

The Republican party has been very pragmatic about Roe v Wade. They have pushed the decision-making over to the states to whittle away at a woman's right to choose for the last 25 years. The national party has no interest in overturning the decision outright because then, what would happen to those "one issue" base voters?

This in no way means that it's not possible for the next pres to appoint one or two new justices to the supreme court and a state case to make it through the courts where it will be heard. A very conservative leaning Supreme Court won't just be making decisions about abortion rights. Torture, privacy, property rights anyone?

Don't be casual and think that "Roe v Wade will never be overturned." Your vote in this election will have great influence over the rest of your life and how you get to live it.

I'm pragmatic too—one of those liberal elites everyone hates—and not afraid to say I lean a little to the Socialist side (having lived in Europe can do that to you). I don't love Obama and honestly I think he will have a tough time even if we get a filibuster-proof senate, but he's got my vote 100% over McCrazyEyes and Caribou Barbie.

Oh yeah, no one has a "partial-birth abortion" casually and ALL babies (yes, at that point they are babies) delivered with intact dilation and extraction are either already dead or have almost 0% chance of viability outside the mother; so the only "choice" involved in these situations is do it now, or do it later, with no chance of survival for the baby either way. It's a specious legal argument invented by pro-lifers to horrify and outrage people who don't bother to understand what the procedure is intended to do, which is purely to save the "life and health (physical and mental)" of the mother.

Sorry to read these stories. But remember there are stories on the other side of the fence as well. There is a reason this is a close election. And it isn't abortion rights (omg...they are RIGHTS?).

I'm undecided--mainly because BOTH canidates and their lipstick wearing/can't spell "job" running mates make me want to move to another country. I'm voting for Sponge Bob

Please step away from the political podium

"Why any woman who intends to vote for McCain should reconsider"

So...if I'm a woman by default I must be pro-choice?

Making the decision to have an abortion would be much much harder than making the decision to vote for someone who wants to take the right to choose away from my daughters and my granddaughter. Based on that McCain has made it easy for me to choose Obama.

Oh, 318/351 now I need to revise my opinion of you not being a perfectly agreeable dinner host.
Respectfull listening and open mindedness is indeed not the nr 1 rule on this comments list. Subject's too touchy, I guess. However, I did pick up some interesting thoughts from commenters with whom I, in general, totally disagree and there is a good level of entertainment going on as well...(both the good and bad kind).
All in all, I am somehow interested in everyone's saying. Maybe I should go into politics. Haha.

This is a great piece, from a real woman, about the effects of anti abortion legislation. This affects all of us, regardless of our positions on abortion.
http://www.msmagazine.com/summer2004/womanandherdoctor.asp
Where does God ask us to legislate other people's bodies?

Look, Bush impressed people during his election too and he turned out to be a total dud. I expect the same would happen with McCain. The White House has been without a brain for 8 years now... I think its time we put one back into office. Go democrats!

Ok, so I only got a third of the way through the comments, and I just have to say this:

You want to get political? Go right ahead. It's YOUR blog. And politics are crucial. We have to talk about what's going on if we are to understand how we want OUR world to function.

So if anyone ELSE has a problem with that ("sigh, I can't wait til the election is over so you can go back to being funny"), then stop reading Heather's blog!! It's YOUR bloody choice!!! You don't want to hear it? You think Heather's turned into a socialist-left-wing-nutjob? Then WALK AWAY! Save us the effort of having to read your apathetic comments. And stop chastising her for vocalizing her views. It's her right.

Leave the discussion for the rest of us nutjobs who care about the issues and care about what Heather has to say, whether we agree with her or not.

Good for you, Heather, for speaking out when it matters. I know it's not easy when you have family and friends who vehemently disagree, so my hat is off to you.

I love all the "kiss ass" comments. How can you post that being a woman and a mother. We live in a free country and we're all allowed our own beliefs. I am pro-life and a woman, maybe I am biased. I know politics is a sticky subject but how can you title a post suggesting woman who are voting for McCain to reconsider? I don't see where you get off doing that. It's not about having the baby and keeping it. I'm sure he also means, have the baby and give it up. There are more options than abortion. It's ignorant of the one blogger to write that McCain should add the baby to his health insurance...what about the woman being responsible for her life and her body. You don't see it that way too? Not even a little? This is a human life. Sensitive issue.

#10 kellli:
“the courage of a pregnant mother to bring her child into the world and the compassion of civil society to meet her needs and those of her newborn baby.”
"umm...correct me if i am wrong, but this is the party that feels welfare should not exist, but some how the compassion of civil society will meet her needs?"

yes you are wrong, the republican party is not that of feeling as if we should not have welfare, and yes they do have compassion...but it should not be on the burden of society to take care of your lifestyle choices (either through WIC, foodstamps, food for families, unempolyment etc). it has been proven that faith based groups do work, and these are the programs that we should be helping support, through independent chartable contributions (which is exactly why Obama has decided that he would not get rid of such programs...who's he playing idenity politics with)

obviously this is a push buttong issue which is why it is brought up in every election cycle, there are different opinions across the states, and i am a pro-choice republican, so we're not out of touch...

and if you were paying attention to the rest of debate, Sen. McCain clearly stated he would not appoint judges to the supreme court based on ideology.

wow, i am sickened by the gall of some of these comments. guess what guys:

THIS IS HEATHER'S BLOG, NOT YOUR FUCKING PARTISAN "NEWS" STATION. you want to see only what you want to hear why don't you do heather a favour and watch some fox news? this is her blog, she can write about whatever the eff she wants. do you think she didn't think about would it could do to her readership and therefore her ad sales and therefore her bank account when she posts this stuff? she's not stupid. she did it because it's what she believes in for fuck sakes! and whether you like it or not that's the beauty of self publishing. she can write what she wants when she wants, and if you don't like it don't read it. you're not paying her to write so you have ABSOLUTELY NO SAY in what she posts.

heather, i'm sorry. i just want to say what you can't, since by saying it i'm not taking money out of my own pocket, FUCK OFF YOU HATERS.

and by the way, alexa had me in tears and julie was great as always.

thanks for posting this. thanks for showing it to millions of people. i'm not american, but i can't wait to watch you guys take this asshole down.

There is a lot of pressure on Heather to be funny, so be nice to her. So what if she's completely out of her depth with politics? It gives us something to read while we wait for The Real Heather with her bourbon and poop and puke and snot and pus and sweaty goat balls. Yeah, Heather! One classy gal.

Or is there a Real Heather, hard to say.

#374 - you sicken ME with your immature and tacky language. Does it make you feel like a big girl to throw the F-Bomb out every few sentences? And you are wrong, we DO have a say in what Heather posts, that is, if she wants to maintain her current lifestyle and profession. We are the ones that are paying her salary and I find it highly offensive to have her personal beliefs shoved down my throat when I pull up her blog hoping to find a witty column that will make me smile. If you want to argue the fact that SHE had a right to post what she wants on her blog, then you will have to admit that I have the same right because SHE OPENED HER BLOG TO COMMENTS!!!!! Try to grow up and quit sounding like a juvenile who thinks it will make them sound smart to cuss and scream.

Diana (#377), do you know what an opinion is? You might want to check on that. Also, it might interest you to know that I have had an abortion, and I do not think it was wrong or that I will have to "answer for it someday." For someone who is so angry about being asked to understand where other people are coming from, you seem awfully confident in your ability to predict others' feelings and thoughts. Maybe you should try a little more of that "understanding" thing before you make any more pronouncements about how other people feel.

Heather, thank you so much for posting this. It's very reassuring to know that I wasn't the only person who was put off by what John McCain said. I love it when you bring up politics! Don't listen to the haters, they're just pissed because they like you and they wish you were on their side. Or because they're crazy -- some of them seem crazy.

I have to laugh at the women out there who think voting for McCain/Palin is a victory for women......if Palin is your brand of feminism, you are not doing your homework! Instead of voting for a vagina, perhaps you should look at the issues. Having Palin in office is a GIANT step backwards for women's issues. Give your heads a shake!

Quoted from another commenter: "My only question to everyone here is how do you justify killing someone. In my opinion a baby is a person the SECOND that conception occurs, the SECOND. Things happen and babies die, things happen and mothers die. It is sad either way. But Before I had my children I told my husband that if anything was to happen to me that they were to save my baby, I would lay down my own life for my children and I can't imagine a mother that wouldn't."

*raises hand*

That would be me.

I was 15. I was a virgin. I was brutally, repeatedly raped and beaten. So badly beaten and raped that I required surgery on multiple body parts. Somehow, because what I went through was not evil enough, I became pregnant from the attack. I had an abortion. I have never and will never regret my decision.

You don't get to pass that kind of judgment until you've tried on different shoes. And I don't expect you to merely walk one mile here either.

I'm a fricking MORMON and I believe, I KNOW I had every right to do what I did, and I would do it again without hesitation.

Even my ultra-conservative, pro-life, evangelical parents agreed with me, and actually encouraged me to do what everyone considered to be the only choice.

Not everything is so clean and easy. Thus the word choice, and its importance.

http://conservativethoughts.us/2007/04/18/justices-uphold-abortion-proce...

Really...not murder?

Thanks so much for highlighting these posts. I hope they are read and spread to women all over the country. Saying that people who are "pro-choice" are actually "pro-abortion" is a ridiculous assumption and the most immature statement I've ever heard.

actually 387 we are not paying heather's salary. her ad deals are. and yes, i realize they are connected to her click count, but to say she is responsible to her voluntary readers is really stretching it. and don't you big girl me, because sometimes there are some things that you need to get riled up about. sometimes there are some things that deserve a good f bomb. sometimes there are some things that are so ridiculous that this professional writer with multiple university degrees just needs to say "fuck" to.

oh, and if you think my swears are immature? why are you reading a website that talks about poop and sweaty goat balls? not that i think heather is immature, i just fail to see your logic on that one.

anyway, ending the comment hijack. rock on dooce, as always.

oops, my appolgies 387 i was talking to the hide behind the anon 378.

What is scary is how easy Obama wants to continue to make it for a woman to kill her child.
50 million dead humans. Future presidents, doctors, lawyers, artists, moms, dads.... who knows, who cares, their moms had the right. Sadly, they continue to have none.

Heather,

Are you running out of things to write about? I love your writing and look forward to reading about you, your family and your life. You don't write often about your political feelings and I wonder why you are now and why you are leaving the comments open. Are you feeling insecure and need others to agree with you? I don't come to your site for a political discussion - there are many other sites that are written by more knowledgeable people that I could be reading. I would really like to see you return to what you are good at - original writing, finding fun items to share and leave the "passionate" political items to those who lack your talents.

John McCain, in addition to using air quotes while defining a woman's health, also wants to have our medical history online. The same online that allowed Palin's email to be hacked. No thanks.

I must interject one more thing.

My husband is a doctor and from my experience and knowledge of medicine, even if abortion was "illegal" in this country, a doctor would have the right to terminate a pregnancy in order to save a mother's life. In fact, he would be required to under his Hippocratic Oath. This was the case before Roe v. Wade, and it would be after.

Abortions are not performed routinely, for religious and ethical reasons, all over this country by the medical community by the way. A doctor can refuse to peform them based on personal religious views. Religious hospitals nationwide do not allow them to be performed. Even pharmacists can refuse to give the day after pill or birth control in general.

Just as with right to die issues, the public is often misinformed about what actually happens in medicine. I love how one of the bloggers referred to the show House. Good gravy. Medical televsion shows are NOT medicine. And neither is most of people's assumptions about how abortions are performed and under what cirumstances.

I read this and my thoughts exactly:

I am voting for McCain for many reasons, one of which is that he is pro life. I know I am an odd girl out around here, but that is fine. I still like the blog even though we couldn't be more opposite if we tried.
Disagree, without being disagreeable.

Awesome.
Now I'm going to go post a link to one of link to one of my favorite bloggers, posting links to two more of my favorite bloggers...

I haven't read all the comments, so if someone has already said this, let me say it again:

It is not just any woman who intends to vote for McCain who should reconsider - it is anyone who *likes* women, anyone who suspects they are human, anyone who thinks it's utterly unacceptable to sentence them to die for the crime of being impregnated.

Politics aside, because we all have our opinions, I want to address the issue of your blog with your readers.

1. This blog is called Dooce.com. Heather features daily pictures of her life, her family, her dogs, and products that she likes. This is her gig, people. It's HER blog about HER life.

2. Isn't asking her to refrain from discussing her views on politics a form of censorship?

3. A reader commented about Heather not being funny because of the political aspect of her blog. Life is not always funny, people. It wasn't funny when Heather lost her baby and all of us offered love and support, but sure as hell, we didn't tell her not to blog about it because it wasn't funny. Heather is naturally a funny person who experiences life...and sometimes, life just isn't funny. Sometimes, funny takes a back seat to reality.

4. You CHOSE to come here and then shake your finger at her about what you read is moronic. OXYMORON is the word of the day, folks.

I admire those of you who express a difference of opinion, but do so with tact. Those of you who accused Heather of alienating you...well, see #4.

Right on Heather! I completely agree.

Comment #33 from jill made my head explode.

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, states that “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of oneself and one’s family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care.” (source: UN.org)

I'm a Canadian and I realize I don't have a say in this election. But I'm also a person whose mother spent 2 months in hospital this year undergoing countless medical tests and open heart surgery. All due to genetic - not lifestyle - reasons. If she lived in the US she would never have qualified for health care coverage and the hospital bills would have been at least $250K. Actual health-care premiums and hospital bills incurred: $0.

In McCain's own words from Wednesday night, "If you like that, you'll love Canada and England." That is the only area where he and I agree.

Using jill #33's argument, the appropriate response would have been: "Sorry, you've had a pretty good run but the only thing you deserve is a slow, agonizing death as breath by breath, you drown in your own fluids."

That is some Seriously Crazy And Disturbing Shit! I guess in this day and age where the Bush administration condones torture and detains supposed terrorists indefinitely without bringing forth charges, it shouldn't surprise me this much to see this ignorance of basic human rights within the general population. But it does.

And while I'm commenting here I can't resist mentioning this other Canada-related take-away from the debate:
Muslim oil: bad!
Wonder-bread eatin' Canadian oil: good!

That wasn't exactly McCain's point (and Obama partially agreed with him) but that's how it came across. If that's how McCain's going to approach international diplomacy the whole world should be very worried.

Vote Obama, vote No on Prop 8! (even if I can't)

Whoa, the amount of ignorance some of Dooce readers display is extraordinary. The President selects Supreme Court justices. (Yes, they have to be confirmed, but they're rarely rejected.) Over the next four years, three sitting Justices could retire. Should (shudder) McCain win, he'd look for the most conservative Justices he could get confirmed, and there goes the Roes VS Wade decision. There goes a woman's right to choose. Unthinkable. Unspeakable. The idea that the President has nothing or little to do with a woman's right to choose is wrong wrong wrong.

And then there are the Dooce readers screaming Ugh, Socialism. What has capitalism as practiced in this country done for you? Paid your medical insurance? Sent your kids to college? Put money in your bank accounts and provided you with a pension? The rich have gotten richer and the poor, poorer and there are so many more of them. Without regulation, capitalism is injust and brutal.

Thank you, Heather Armstrong, for speaking out. Thank you again and again and again.

I am soooo sick of democrats - look at the real issues, not the superficial ones...

I am actually pro-life for many reasons...just one being that I personally do not believe that taking the life of another is an option...for me. That being said, I could still NEVER vote for McCain or Palin. Our votes should not be based on one issue, but on who will better lead our country. I pray our country makes the right decision.

#399 - THAT'S just what our country needs - a bunch of drunk liberals who don't listen to anything except their own assholes.

I couldn't agree more. I'm not a woman but every woman I've talked to about McCain's policies agree that they're so wrong. Unfortunately, that's not going to stop some of them for voting for him based on other issues.

I come here by choice, even when I don't agree. I am a woman. I am a feminist. I have a brain. I will pull the lever for McCain for a variety of reasons, sadly, none of which I think you would care to hear about. The sharpness with which you, your fellow bloggers highlighted here, and respondents would rebuke and berate me for my political choice... saddens me. Ironically, you are all irate over "choice." And yet, you would take this opportunity to berate me for choosing differently than you politically. Women, it would seem, are too often our own worst enemies.

OH MY GOD people. I am so sick and tired of hearing so-called pro-choicers telling women to be more responsible. Just wear a condom. Just use birth control then you wouldn't need an abortion. BIRTH CONTROL FAILS. Even when you use it correctly. Don't agree with abortion? Don't have one.

"Jane, you ignorant slut..." Dooce! Stop, you're not in lockstep with Obama on everything, surely you don't want socialism or you would be living in Russia. Do you really want to penalize the small business owner (250,000+ a year) who puts most of that 250,000 back into the company to KEEP IT SOLVENT and keep employing its employees!? We are "Slouching Towards Gomorrah", I don't agree with John McCain on abortion but he just doesn't want government paying for it, LEAVE IT TO THE STATES...been there, done that, wish I would have had a little couseling FROM ANYONE. There is a middle ground to many things...Obama is far left, McCain is middle right. Obama wants to distribute the wealth. Surely you don't believe in that...

Daily Chuck is still my favorite and mavericky maverick was absolutely priceless.

Always a fan, Susan

I swear, if I read one more ignorant comment on "partial birth abortion" I will kill something.

Do ANY OF YOU KNOW WHAT THAT PROCEDURE ACTUALLY DID??? It provided the safest way for a doctor to remove a fetus intact, whole, who was either already dead, or had no chance to live outside the uterus, with minimal trauma to the mother. It gave parents a body to see and touch and grieve.

There were no doctors delivering perfectly healthy fetuses part way and then stabbing them in the brains and collapsing the fucking skulls for FUN AND PROFIT you MORONS.

Yes, I feel very strongly about this issue. I am PRO CHOICE. I am PRO WOMAN. And I know WAY too much about what can go wrong with a pregnancy to know that I need to mind my OWN business with my OWN body and not tell anyone else what they ought to do with theirs.

Bodily intergrity people. You don't see anyone telling men what they can and can't do with theirs. I refuse to be treated as a second class citizen and less than human because I own a uterus.

Fuck all that shit. All you pro-life women whining about babies being murdered every day? GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND DO SOMETHING TO HELP REAL, ALREADY BORN BABIES WHO DESPERATELY NEED IT. Do something to make things better, and MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS.

Quick background: I'm an Independent, but I lean to the right on everything but social issues. I AM pro-choice, but I truly understand both sides of this issue. HOWEVER, I feel there are many, many, many, many, many (did I mention many?) MUCH more important issues to deal with in this country than abortion. I'd just like to be able to keep my house, have food on the table, remain employed, etc. The abortion issue is a sidenote at this point. Sorry.

#412...

You said, "What has capitalism as practiced in this country done for you? Paid your medical insurance? Sent your kids to college? Put money in your bank accounts and provided you with a pension? The rich have gotten richer and the poor, poorer and there are so many more of them. Without regulation, capitalism is injust and brutal."

Um, are you kidding? What has capitalism done for ME? Yes, it has paid for my medical insurance and is going to send my kids to college and put money in my bank account and provided me with a pension! You can not be that moronic to have actually asked that...

The only reason you think capitalism is unjust and brutal is because YOU, for whatever reason, are not benefiting from it. And NO, that doesn't mean you can have some of my money.

I am not even sure where to start and this will be long but here goes.

I have read Dooce for quite a while and commented only one other time, I think it was for "And Boom". I said that I had three abortions and that not a day went by that I did not regret it. At some point, another commenter asked what right did I have telling someone else that they couldn't do what I had chosen to do three times. I did not get a chance to reply to that comment, but it looks like you have opened up another way for me to do that now.

I don't think I have a "right" to tell others what they can and cannot do, but I can tell you the story of MY life, and why I will vote for John McCain with no question.

My roots are quite the opposite of yours, Heather. My parents divorced when I was six. My dad skipped out on his child support obligation for the four of us and so my Mom went on welfare. There was never a father figure in my life, my mom had boyfriends here and there but nothing serious.

The only religion I knew was going to church randomly with friends if I spent the night at their house on Saturday. I recall a Baptist Church and one other Pentecostal when I was very young.

I met a boy when I was 14, he was 17. We were having sex for quite a while and never got pregnant because we made sure we didn't. My home life grew more difficult. My mom was depressed most of the time, my older brother had gotten into drugs, I was skipping school and hanging around this boy all the time-it was overwhelming for my mom, and I just wanted out. So I decided to try to get pregnant and I did.

Twelve days before my 16th birtday, my son was born. His dad joined the Army, we got married, and when he was out of bootcamp we joined him in Kansas. He was possessive and violent. Of course I saw the signs early on but thought he would change. He didn't, so I left.

I met someone else while still living in Kansas. I filed for divorce from my husband and lived with my boyfriend for about a year, after which we decided to break up and I moved with my son back to Ohio.

I soon realized I was pregnant with that boyfriends child. I had started a new job and was trying to get on my feet and take care of my son. I was in denial about being pregnant. I knew I was, but kept ignoring it because I did not want to face it.

Finally, I decided the problem was not going to solve itself and I decided to have an abortion. I was twenty- two weeks pregnant when I had my abortion. Because I was so far along, it was a two step process: the nurse inserted some "poisonous sticks" (that's what she called them) into my cervix and then I went home. I was to return the next day and they would complete the procedure.

That night was the first night I felt the baby move. The nurse told me that I would not be able to stop the abortion once the sticks were inserted. I laid there most of the night feeling the baby move, knowing that poison was killing the baby and that there was no turning back. The next day they removed the baby.

Within the next four years I would have two more abortions, having gotten pregnant by two different guys. I cannot tell you what day or year they occurred. I have erased that information from my mind.
I do remember it being a gray, cold day when I had the third one. I sat in the parking lot of the abotion clinic afterwards and just felt so empty and worthless inside.

I am leaving out alot of stuff and this is still running long-I am sorry, but my life has been filled with tremendous sadness, many difficulties, drugs, promiscuity, on and on... a blatent disregard for life, sometimes including my own life.

You and I, Heather, have lived our lives in complete opposites it seems. You were raised with God, I was not. You are now pushing God away, and I am getting closer to him. I used to think JUST LIKE YOU. I thought there was a "my God" and "your God". There isn't, there is one.

We must create seperate Gods when we do not want to do what the actual one God wants us to do. It is how we live with ourselves and justify what we do. I did that for many years.

I am now 38. I have a wonderful husband of 9 years. My son is 22 and serving our country in the United States Army. I am so very proud of him. He is my Hero. I have a beautiful daughter the same age as Leta, and another new precious baby girl who is three months old.

I feel, in many ways, like I am a completely different person than the one who aborted three babies. I can never truly articulate how deeply sorry I am for not giving them a chance at life. I think I really began waking up to the reality of what I had done when I carried my four year old. And now, when I look into the eyes of that sweet little baby girl it makes my heart yearn for those children. All moms know that feeling you get when your babies smile at you-it makes me so sad that I will never see their smiles here on earth.

Abortion is wrong. It hurts everyone involved. All babies are a gift from God and should be treasured. All I can do for those three babies of mine is tell my story, their story, and try to just let people know that it is devastating to lose children to abortion. I thought I was doing what I had to do at the time but I will never be free of the pain of losing my babies, and the shame of knowing that I killed them.

I attended a Rachel's Vineyard retreat in 2007. It is a place where women and men can go for help with healing after abortion. It is non-denominational but they also have some specifically for the Catholic faith. If anyone out there is hurting from abortion, please check them out

www.rachelsvineyard.org

That is why I am voting for John Mccain. I will always support the candidate who is pro-life.

Anonymous #435

Thank you for proving my point.

I get that how the legislation is written is a major MAJOR issue on the reproductive rights of women, and I don't think that strictly anti abortion laws are the ideal, but I don't believe that abortion should be available whenever a child's life is unwanted. I do consider myself pro-life and abortion should only be available in matters or incest, rape, and threats to the life of the mother.

That being said, McCain's perspective does not bother me in the least. I do not think he will overturn Roe v. Wade, despite his preaching to the conservatives about it - he is far to moderate of a Republican to go down that road. He's trying to get elected and he knows he can't piss off the conservative base by being 'too liberal'. So, while I love dooce and will be back, I already know that we don't see eye to eye politically, and that's fine. But this won't sway me to vote for the new shiny object that is Obama in this election.

Not that this is an argument for or against the cause but can we please acknowledge how RARE pregnancy deaths are - and some of you act like the doctors and hospitals are just going to throw up their hands and say well not sure what to do - anyone up for a smoke break! Of course they are going to do whats best for the mother and child.

Just call a spade a spade - pro life doesn't want any abortions and pro choice wants abortion to remain legal. Period - either you agree or you disagree, pick a candidate and move on with your lives. And remember those sermons on tolerance - be "tolerant" of both sides - geeze, i mean the hate that is being fanned over these issues is ridiculous - on both sides.

#134 Elissa: THANK YOU. I can't read another comment how horrible partial-birth abortions are. That's NOT what this is about.

First, Heather, I find your humility amazing. Some people post ridiculous crap, crap that is meant to hurt you. And yet, you somehow resist the urge to jump on the comments and hurt them back. I truly find that admirable.

Second, when did 'pro-life supporter' come to mean someone who only fights for the rights of unborn children? Shouldn't being pro-life mean being a person who fights for the rights of people in all stages of life? Whether an unborn child, a single mother in need of healthcare for her children, or an elderly woman in need of healthcare for herself, aren't all these people deserving of the right to a healthy life?

I think the term pro-choice is widely misunderstood (as many commenters have pointed out) but I also think many people misunderstand the term pro-life as well.

Those of you who say that anyone who has ever had or who has thought of having an abortion feels guilt and anguish, that they are not using it as birth control nor are they casual or flippant about it ever, well, you have way too much faith in mankind.

I accompanied a friend to an abortion when she felt she had no choice (low income, single, etc). While in the waiting room, two YOUNG girls were overheard: "Oh, its not that bad. Last time I was here....."

Go ahead... tell me again they are all poor victims of circumstance and they had no choice. Tell me again that birth control is not free at the health department. Oh, wait. It is.

You just judged me #445...not so easy not to do is it?

"Any" woman? Some of us aren't single-issue voters. Some of us understand that there are things candidates must say in campaigns, and then there's that other part about what it really takes to run a country.

And, since you brought up abortion--Heather, you once said you wanted to be a lawyer. Have you ever READ Roe v. Wade? It's illogical, abortion itself aside. The "penumbra" argument that Justice Blackmun hangs his hat on should be scary for ANY American afraid of what nine people (five, really, for a majority opinion) can do. And what about harm to the fetus that is not initiated by the mother? Assume a person attacks a pregnant woman and she loses the baby--is that murder? Is it only murder if it fits into the correct phase of Blackmun's trimester framework? Is it only murder if the murderer knew the woman was pregnant? What if the woman didn't even know she was pregnant until she had the miscarriage? And if any of these scenarios are indeed murder, then why do the mothers themselves get to "choose" while others are guilty of a capital crime? You can't have it both ways. It doesn't make sense.

There are lots of good reasons why abortion should be illegal, or, at the very least, left up to state legislatures instead of a handful of appointed lifers on the SCOTUS. It ain't always about keeping women folk down.

I am pro choice, but a conservative. In my teen years and early 20's I took two friends to have abortions, because of accidental pregnancies. I think the majority of abortions are probably due to poor prevention.

Just remember...... A poor man has never given you a job. If we tax all our business owners to death they will not be able to employ you. Which I guess will be okay with most democrats, they would rather have the government take care of them anyway.

And why do people not care about the shady characters Obama is associated with. If McCain stepped foot into a church that had one time preached anti-American or racist sermons he would be run off so fast everyones head would spin. Be careful people. I just don't trust Obama, talk about scary! I think many of you are having the wool pulled over your eyes. Regardless of the election results I will remain proud to be an American. This is something that most democrats seem to forget. Regardless of our problems this is still the best place to live.

Thank goodness we still live in a republic and not dictatorship. Last time I checked, the president still does not write legislation. Please try to take emotion out out of a serious decision and chose based on issues that are actually relevant to the job description of the president. You're not voting for someone who can tug at your heartstrings and say what you want to hear. But lots of women are falling for it.

What kind of sickens me is abortion being looked at as THE issue to base one's vote for who'll be running the country on. I'm sorry but this country has a LOT worse problems facing it right now. I see no sign that abortion is going anywhere. I don't require people to agree with every position I hold in order to vote for them (not that I'm voting for McCain, but I am SO SICK of bloggers trying to tell me what should "sicken" me), and I will never in a million years be a one issue voter. That, to me, is stupidity incarnate.

People are not afraid of McCain. I mean, sure that evil grimace during the debates is stomach-turning, but he's not scary. In fact, he's not long for this world if you look at the medical statistics.

Palin IS terrifying. The only think more shocking than her ignorance is the ignorance of her followers. Her belief in "reforming" government, running up massive debts for her constituents, and getting cozy with the profitable side of big oil amounts to 4 more years of Bush. No thanks! Who the hell wants that? Her belief in slashing the budgets for special needs children is sickening (granted she did this before she herself had a special needs child, but that only makes it less excusable). Her support of re-victimizing rape victims by making them fork over the money for their police rape "kit" exams is disgusting and just about the most unchristian thing I can think of.

What makes a woman's right to access a safe, legal abortion an issue at the polls for this election is that THIS PRESIDENT WILL POTENTIALLY NOMINATE 2 SUPREME COURT JUSTICES. When a presidential candidate states that HE is not only pro-life (fine, to each their own - I'm FINE with a PL President) but believes that Roe vs. Wade (granting women access to safe, medical treatment) should be overturned - that is taking away my civil rights as well as my freedom. Both McCain and Palin said they would fight to overturn R v. W. This is my body and no man nor woman, has a right to tell me what my medical treatment MUST happen.

I do not support abortion. I do not know anyone that does. I believe the fostering and adoption systems in this country need an overhaul and need to be streamlined. I believe birth control and sex ed should be openly discussed (in families and in schools) so that teenagers can be less-ignorant in their choices. However, I do not believe that the government has any right to control- and fund the enforcement of- what medical treatment is performed on my body.

It is a slippery slope in this country if the government starts dictating what a tax paying adult can and can not do for themselves medically. What's next? Should smokers be denied treatment and forced to die of lung cancer? They know smoking kills not only themselves but others they inflict their second-hand smoke on. Yet smokers are given access to medical tests, chemo, doctors, specialists...... it doesn't begin and end with abortion.

Neither candidate is going to revers roe v wade - let's all take a collective breath ommmmmmm.

Heather - two interesting links for sure - but why fan the irrational anger out there? Oh well we OBVIOUSLY need something to do, why not this.

Ok so after reading the links we've gone from outrage over another schmuck politician to someone telling a girl she hopes she gets hit by a bus to health care in Canada.

I think we all need to be on Prozac, share your prescription cause we can't afford our own apparently.

Are you and John insured for exploding reader's heads and widespread pandemonium?

Anyone who would still vote for McCain/Palin must be a complete moron.

It also sickens me that women are posting about the unborn child, as if the woman's life does not matter. The woman that is forced to carry and endure the pregnancy against her will and then bring an unwanted child into this world. When men can carry a child for 9 months and give birth, then they get a say.

If you feel that the living, breathing, feeling woman's life is less than the fetus' life, you better work on the front lines in every single delivery room in this county, adopting those babies, feeding them, caring for them and spending your last penny getting them the mental health support they will need to overcome the horror and anxiety of having never been wanted the very second they come into the world. Anything less is hypocritical, irresponsible and short sighted.

I've had the pleasure of meeting a person who was not wanted. A grown adult, who was told repeatedly throughout his life that he should never have been born. He was showered with cars and financial support from his family, but he was also told that had abortion been an option he would not be here. That person eventually killed himself, even though he was surrounded with friends who tried to make a difference.

I'm not saying that abortion preempts the inevitable, I'm merely stating that ProLife does not = happy, healthy babies that are born into happy healthy families.

There are responses here from people that in my opinion . should not be given the right to vote. Fortunately for them you don't have to know shit to cast a vote. I'm sorry but seriously there are people here who did not read the links and responded (at least I hope they didn't read the links because if they did read them and then responded as they did, well, that's so frightening it makes me sick) It's a tiny indication of what's really wrong in this country. Ignorant people.

But, as things are, every citizen does has a right to their vote and to their opinion. Heather certainly has a right to her's and I happen to support it but after reading some of the responses I'm depressed at how ignorant people make are. I'll bet some of these same people don't know how many states there are or how many senators in the senate, etc. etc. Like driving people should be given a basic civics test before being allowed in the voting booth.

Sheesh people. Seriously.

Damn dude, there are some hateful folks writing in here. Heather and fam, I think you are cool and interesting. I'm freaked out by what people are writing about you. Its sad and scary. The thing about this country is that we can disagree and still be fellow citizens and Americans. Why does hate have to play such a big part? Can't we "agree to disagree" without getting violent and hateful?

One question: After this election, when this country has been torn apart, how we will be put back together again? I beleive we are a great country based on our many differnet backgrounds/beliefs. This is a simple BLOG (no offense) and people seem to be foaming at the mouth. What has happened to all of us?

I tried to read all the comments but my eyes are burning. I don't agree with abortion at all. I do feel that the right to choose medical care should not be taken away from any person, man or woman.

Everyone gets so worked up about abortion, how about we raise our children to some values, respect life, and not get knocked so then maybe the abortion rates will drop.

No one ever talks about that. I may be pactical and all but when there is a problem, how about we do something as parents to prevent the problem. Why does no one mention that. I am not talking about putting 13 yr olds on birth control either..

it is hard to think about this ticket holding the key to the supreme court. if it were a one issue vote for any women, this should be it.

i respect your right to life, now please respect my right to choose.

period.

Abortion won't come up for any president to legislate on - it's never going to change, so it's not even an issue in my decision - I'm voting for McCain/Palin for many other reasons, but being pro-life is still important to me anyway.

I think the pro-choice position is a symptom of the entitlement mentality that many liberals and the vast majority of Generation Y (my generation) has, since more young people are pro-choice and older generations tend to lean pro-life from what I've seen.

It's not about your body and what you can do with it. If you want to choose what you want to do with your body, THINK before you have sex and realize that there is a distinct possibility that sex will result in a child. That's common sense. It's about the fact that the "fetus" is part your DNA - your CHILD - no matter what time it is in the pregnancy. And this view has nothing to do with my religious beliefs but everything to do with my logical and moral attitudes.

"Air quotes" are a symbol of disrespect and a reason why no woman should vote for McCain? Not every woman believes that what it means to be a woman is to have complete control over your own body. If it's a health of the mother issue for a late-term abortion, I seriously would question a mother's maturity and ability to even handle a child if she's willing to give up that child's chance to live a healthy life just on the off chance that it might harm her. If I were in such a situation, I would love my child that I had been carrying so much that I would WANT him/her to live instead of me if the choice came down to it...isn't that what motherhood is all about?

I can't comment on the subject matter except to say that you are losing me with all of the politics shmolitics, Dooce. It makes me sad. Your strong political views make for extremely hate-filled, volatile discussions from both sides. That's not the reason I visit your site.
I have been a dedicated 'ad-clicker' of yours for many years, but I will not visit again after the election.

I'm not going to pretend I've read all 471 comments... nor do I wish inflame an already hot topic, but one thing stood out to me...
The people who say that abortion shouldn't be an issue in this election.

Now I understand that some people say that with the perspective that it should never be an issue... but to those who simply think that there are more important issues to consider I submit the following:
In both foreign policy and economics we are facing a situation we've never faced before. That isn't saying too much considering how every major event is usually unprecedented in its own time... however, it is worth noting because in today's global platform, we're kinda playing without a rulebook. I don't know the answer for the economy, nor for the war... I don't think either candidate does either. I believe that most people are trying to identify which candidate seems most capable to find that answer by taking the advice of those smarter than him. In that regard I find enough positives and negatives in both candidates, enough that they pretty much equal out (in my opinion of course).
For that, and many other reasons, social issues are one of my main concerns in this election. I honestly feel that either candidate, with the help of both appointed and non-appointed advisers, will see us through the war/economy crisis. However the social changes that may come in the mean time have the potential for profound effect.

It is only natural to have a greater trust in someone that shares your ethics and morals. Furthermore, our social policies often influence our foreign policy. Amidst a war, we must remember, and if necessary redefine, the values of our society that we fight so hard to protect.

All that being said... I honestly don't know who I will vote for yet. But if my background is needed to justify my comments: I'm a registered democrat. I'm a Christian. I'm pro-life.

#433,436 "Traci" - actually, I think you proved MY point.........stop being such an ass

~#64 and #84~

@434 Heather, it is always great when you get to have your cake and eat it too. You have 3 abortions and now that you don't need to make that choice you want to deny the same choice to others. Sorry you regret your decision but everyone else should get to make that same choice for themselves.

(Tongue firmly in cheek) Geeze Heather, didn't you know you're supposed to kiss the asses of your readers? Aren't you terrified that if you offend someone, nobody will want to pay your bills anymore??

Come on people. How many of us can truly say that we don't rely on *anyone else* to pay our bills? Everyone (from wait staff at restaurants to CEOs of large companies) relies on other people to "pay their bills," or in other words make their business profitable. It's called an economy. Get over yourselves and if you're offended, stop reading.

Anyway...I couldn't agree more with Alexa at Flotsam. Right now people don't think that McCain's policy would be that bad. But just wait until someone is denied an abortion because their reasons "just aren't good enough." For example, what about the women who go into renal failure while pregnant? This may not kill them immediately, but it would drastically alter their life. (Dialysis, transplant, etc.) A problem like this may wind up killing them in the long run. Is it fair to make that type of choice for them?

I have several health issues that may make this an issue for me one day. (I would not choose to get pregnant with the knowledge that I would *definitely* run into problems, but I am aware that I am at a higher risk for things arising during gestation.)I sincerely hope that I never have to choose between my own well-being and the life of my unborn baby. I'm sure it would be the hardest decision I'd ever make, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to take responsibility for it and make the decision for myself.

John McCain was responding to a comment made by Barrack Obama when he said he was only for partial birth abortion or late term abortion when it was to save the mother's life. I am thinking along the lines of John McCain when I ask how is it going to save a mother's life when a half delivered baby is put to death with a pair of scissors shoved into its brain? That's why John McCain said that the life saving thing was overstated. There is no reason other than a mother's wanting to get rid of a baby to do a partial birth abortion. The baby is still delivered vaginally except being born alive, it is killed. So how is this saving a mother's life?
And if you're thinking of voting for Obama...
Watch this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyspCRmJv7w

Great post #220 Amy J.
Heather, once again your emotional reaction on this topic has painted you as a politically naïve bundle of nerves.
I am a woman, voting for McCain. And Palin.

There are some of us, and we are young, who still believe that abortion is wrong, who believe the better choice is to bring a child into the world and raise him or her, or give them up for adoption, rather than abort it. McCain is merely offering his support for those women who choose to keep their child, and it is a courageous decision to face the adversity that some women, especially unwed teenagers, will ultimately face.

That's not saying it's not also a courageous gesture to make the decision to abort a child that you know you won't be able to take care of, and it's interesting how you twist what he says, and ignore what he didn't say.

No one is going to overturn Rowe vs. Wade. Women should, do, and will always have the right to make their own decision. But just as our right to choose abortion is preserved, so should our right to choose life. Pro-choice doesn't mean pro-abortion; it means pro-choice. If I choose to believe that abortion is not the answer, I'm exercising my choice. I'm not forcing anyone else to see it my way, and neither is McCain.

This Blog is owned and operated by Heather Armstrong. I assume it was created and developed to fulfill Heather’s need for a creative and healthy outlet. As such, Heather is free to write whatever Heather wants to on this blog and YOU (I'm looking at you #9 Sonwraith) may choose whether or not to read it in full or in part or not at all. Here's a thought: start to read an entry, if it bothers you, stop. It's that easy. It works basically the way as television, books, radio, magazines and pretty much all other media does. You would think you good free-market loving republicans would have a pretty decent understanding of how this works! If enough of you don't like what she has to say and you stop reading, she will loose her advertisers and she will no longer be able to publish this blog for a living.
That said, I don't see this happening anytime soon seeing as clearly enough people seem to respect what Heather has to say or are at least intrigued enough to keep coming back.
I enjoy reading her blog for the funny anecdotes, the poignant moments and yes, her political views. I don't agree with all of them, but I appreciate hearing the views of anyone who is educated enough and articulate enough to debate them. That is how we learn and grow and expand our horizons. By listening to another’s point of view with an open mind!
On that note, those of you saying that Heather has a closed or narrow mind, (Emily #64) if that was the case, why would she open up HER blog for YOU to post comments to? She is simply stating her point of view...her INFORMED point of view and then she generously allows us, her readers, to state our own and to participate in healthy discourse. How is that narrow minded? Is it because she has an opinion that differs from yours?
I even appreciate those comments from people with differing views who state them in an educated and diplomatic way, and who can appreciate that we do not all have to agree all the time (Kim #20 and Anonymous #22.) In fact, this is the whole point of debate. If we all agreed 100% on everything all the time, politically or otherwise, we wouldn't have much to talk about and there wouldn't be much point in any of these posts.
I personally love that Heather and her blog are multi-faceted. Some days I can come here to be innocently entertained with stories of Leta's clogs, and some days I can come here to be motivated and inspired, and other days, I will come here and I will be challenged. There are times that I will disagree with Heather, but I will always choose to read her point of view. This is because 1st) I am secure enough in my belief system to not feel threatened by someone with a differing point of view and 2nd) I also know that my beliefs are not definite and they are not fact. They are only MY beliefs and when presented with sound and reasonable fact; my beliefs can change and evolve.
The point is, ultimately, it is MY choice to come back and to read her blog.

When did abortion become the only way to avoid being a parent? What about all those families out there longing for a baby who would be happy to take any child without regard to race/gender/looks/and sometimes even disability? Lets not forget about how easy the pro-choice movement has made it to murder a soul - or thousands of them.

How could a society so great as ours allow a procedure that is intended to erase the consequence of someones actions? Should a baby be raised by a parent who considers it a consequence? Absolutely not - but abortion is not the only way. And abortion creates very deep emotional scars - not only for the woman, but often evem for the man who helped create the murdered child. Abortion is never an eraser - there is no eraser when you bring a child into the world - born or unborn.

I am so tired of the excuses. It's very simple - You have irresponsible sex - you deal with the consequences. YES, that means 9 months of embarassment (if you're embarrased), 6 or more months of recovery, a possible cesarean, and whatever else comes your way.

Stop making excuses and if you can't deal with the consequences of sex - zip up your pants and quit teasing yourself.

That being said - there are absolutley medically necessary reaons for the Abortion procedure - but just because you don't want a baby, don't want to get fat, don't want the social consequences, etc..ladafreakindododa, are not medically necessary reasons - don't bring your liberal shrink into it - buck up and take responsibility for your actions.

Would you beleive I'm an ex-Mormon? And no, I'm not Catholic.

Just think of all the things you would have missed by now if the mother you love some much had made the wrong choice.

R.E., 377. Diana
Every fiber of your being? Seriously? I do empathize, that you aren't able to form your own opinions. I've been there...until I moved out of Utah County and grew a brain.
At the very least don't para-Mormon-phrase.
P.S. Your one piece nylon cheek spreader, skid stained garments are showing.

lizwelrene: look up 'socialism' in the dictionary. i don't think you'll find a picture of the us.

It seems that the choosers heart isn't the heart that stops beating.I could possibly be more understanding of your position if you were willing to acompany your child into the great beyond. As for #120,Michelle, You don't deserve the freedom which brave men like John McCain have afforded you.Hurry up,cul

The most important thing for me in choosing a president is the Supreme Court. We've survived mediocre/incompetent/ill-advised/outright HORRIBLE presidencies over the decades (heaven knows), and legislatures of equally shameful measure, but Supreme Court appointments ARE FOR LIFE (pretty much).

Supreme Court nominations are the most important task a president performs, and our next president will nominate VERY significant justices, seeing as how Stevens could croak any damn day now, and he and Ginsberg are anxious to retire, anyway (as is Souter, though he's relatively young, and we will be the poorer for losing his even-handedness)... though it's well known that they'll stay on the bench-- even as damn ZOMBIES-- until a Democrat (or a reliably intelligent facimile) is President. Breyer is pretty chipper, and someone will have to shove a stake in Scalia's heart before I believe HE'S dead.

(But that's just me-- I watch a lot of late-night TV.)

While many I've read here believe that abortion rights belong to individual states, this is the same argument that perpetuated segregation and any number of other civil rights infractions.

Fair is fair on a national level, or we can't call it "fair;" equal cannot be "separate" and still be equal... and we have an excellent Supreme Court ruling to support that judgment.

I am loath to turn any election into a "one-issue" contest, but when the deciding of significant seats on the Supreme Court is in play, and I am presented a choice between a thoughtful, compassionate, intelligent, PRACTICAL candidate who respects my health and autonomy... VS. a candidate who exhibits nothing but out-and-out ignorance (anyone see McCain's deer-in-the-headlights non-answer when asked why he supported a bill advocating insurance coverage for Viagra but NOT contraception for women?) and rhetorical CRAP aimed at the far-right (the same base he was losing until he dragged Sarah Palin into the race to boost his flagging support in that demographic, by the way), I CHOOSE THOUGHTFUL EVERY DAMN TIME.

(And it's a good thing I still have the right to "choose" the thoughtful candidate, huh?)

ATTENTION WOMEN:

It is TRULY all about the Supreme Court: Thomas, Roberts, Alito, and Scalia-- are they qualified to tell you (and your doctor, your family, your God, your CONSCIENCE) where your bodily rights end and the government's "better judgment" begins?

I know women who had illegal abortions. Given their circumstances and desperation, there was no law that was going to stand in their way. They were married, single, young, not-so-young, well-to-do, middle-class, outright RICH, and absolutely destitute. Not one of them isn't grateful to be alive considering her circumstances and abject "luck," for lack of a better word, considering the times... and they each know women who weren't as lucky and ended up in the morgue as the result of botched procedures.

I also know women who had unwanted pregnancies that they carried to term, and then surrendered the resulting child for adoption, and are TO THIS DAY happy about that decision.

And I know women who had safe, legal, early-term abortions that, while less traumatic, still resonate with them... yet without regret.

And then there's the wife of one of my favorite cousins who found out early on in her second pregnancy that the fetus she was carrying had Down Syndrome... and she and my cousin decided to carry the pregnancy to term.

(Little Abigail is gorgeous and charming and fairly high-functioning, by the way, though that was certainly NO guarantee when they made their decision.)

And I know a woman who discovered that the fetus she was carrying (it was her "child," to her) was anencephelatic-- the baby had no brain other than basic, lower functions that didn't know better than to continue with building the body-- there was no possibility that the baby would survive. She opted to terminate the pregnancy as soon as she heard.

The procedure she had could be called, by some, a "partial-birth abortion" (which is a political, NOT a medical term, by the way), but it was the safest for her health (no small issue, considering all mitigating circumstances), and it made it possible for her to conceive subsequent children.

(She's had one lively girl, and is expecting an equally lively boy, if the ultrasound and repeated kicking is to be trusted.)

Somewhere upward of 80% of all abortions happen in the first trimester (the majority of which are scheduled by married white women, by the way, lest you think that abortion is an epidemic of black/hispanic women who "can't keep their legs together"). An even greater majority of second trimester abortions are a result of serious fetal abnormalities found through ultrasound/amniocentesis. And pretty much 100% of women who have third-trimester abortions do so as a last resort, and don't any of you DARE fucking judge those who make that horrific decision; they are women who desperately wanted babies, and picked the least horrible option available.

"Pro-choice" means just that... CHOICE. Choice isn't easy, and it take personal responsibility (something that Senator Obama emphasized in the last debate).

Imagine if the Bush "less government" forces had really meant what they claimed, and had applied their "limited regulation" philosophy to personal sexuality and controlling women's personal health instead of the damn financial markets...

#484 Maryann

The whole point of my telling the story of my three abortions is so that people know that it is a regrettable choice that I made.

I do not wish the aftermath of having had three abortions on anyone. Or even one abortion, for that matter.

It isn't a matter of having my cake and eating it too, but rather, I really never got any cake at all.

My being able to choose abortion instead of life was pure evil disguised as a good thing.

I was only thinking in terms of "what do I want now", and here I am almost twenty years later in deep regret that I aborted my children.

My hope is that people begin to understand that abortion is touted as a choice that will help women and society when in actuality it is very harmful to women and society.

I'm sorry. I do not believe it is your right to abort.

It was not the Nazi's right to kill the Jews.

We have laws in this country protecting the innocent.

Who is more innocent than that tiny baby?

Yes. The government does tell us what we can and can not do.

We can not kill, we can not steal, we can not hate.

Abortion is killing someone.

I didn't watch the debates because I think all politicians are liars.

But for me the issue is life. And I want to protect the most innocent.

That little baby chooses to live.

Because they are stories from real people's lives means it can't be propoganda???????????

Reading this debate is very interesting to me, but makes me glad as hell that i live in the UK and not the USA.

It makes me realise just how lucky I am to live in a country that provides free health care. Where you have a choice in your life.

I am pro-choice. This doesn't mean that I am pro-abortion. That would never be an option for me. But McCain scares the hell out of me. The truth of the matter is, whether or not you believe that abortion is right or not, women are entitled to that choice. NOBODY has the right to make that choice for them. Why should your views or mine, be forced upon someone else? How would you like it if someone FORCED you to have an abortion? If you had no CHOICE of whether or not to keep the baby? Somehow I think you'd be singing a different tune. It is tragic to me that people can't see that everyone deserves a choice.

Here's hoping America sees sense and votes Obama. Otherwise nothing will change and it will be Hello,George Bush all over again.

Krista (#17) is right about hospitals sometimes valuing the life of a baby/fetus or even a potential baby above the mother's or being unwilling to provide nationally accepted care that goes against their religious beliefs. And this is a worrying issue that goes beyond the issue of abortion.

I used to live in Montana, and the only hospital within 100 miles was a Catholic hospital. A friend was told she required a hysterectomy but that the hospital would not perform it, and she was sent to a non-Catholic hospital some distance away to have it performed.

Personally, I suffered from infertility after moving to the East Coast. The infertility treatment (my husband and I had two children via IVF) I received through a non-Catholic hospital would not have been available from a Catholic facility (although, as many people like to point out, other medications of dubious necessity, such as Viagra, were eagerly dispensed).

In fact, to receive treatment for my infertility while I lived in Montana I would have had to drive 4+ hours out of state to Spokane, Washington, every other day, which would not have been feasible.

I am hesitant to leave the choices of my medical care--be they for abortion, which will probably never be an issue for me, or otherwise--in the hands of someone other than myself, my family, and my doctor, and certainly not in the hands of the Republican Party or John McCain. I trust the Republicans to make decisions about my medical and family planning needs about as much as I trust the Catholic Church to do so.

My proposal to what to do about Roe v Wade is rather than fighting to overturn it we should compromise on putting ultrasound machines in every abortion clinic. A woman choosing an abortion would simply have to see an ultrasound and sign a waiver that she has had the entire procedure clearly explained to her before she can have it done. But you know what? Pro-abortionists would never go for it because that's just what they are--pro-abortionists not pro-choicers. They don't want a woman to have all the facts and be presented with both sides of the issue. If a woman went in for any other type of health procedure she would be a fool not to have a 2nd opinion and to know exactly what was going to be done to her own body, but not so with abortion. That's why it makes me so crazy that this is constantly being screamed about as a woman's health issue. It's more like a woman's convenience issue.

506 Lisa (sorry got your name wrong before) My point is that your experience may not be my experience or anyone else's experience. Tell your story, that is fine. Tell anyone you want. But don't use it to force by law your new perspective on anyone else. Your choices are yours. Mine are mine and I respectfully ask you to leave my decisions to me.

Roe v. Wade will not be overturned - people bring this up in an election year to promote fear. If you study the law, you will see that court decisions are based on precedence - each case/decision builds on the one before it. Therefore, no one is arbitrarily going to come in and outlaw abortions.

I love people sharing their opinion but when they only share stories to back up their side of an argument, it shows ignorance.

Have the courage to research both candidates and share both sides. this post would have had more power, if you had shared personal stories from opposites viewpoints.

And as for 'flip flopping' - I don't want a candidate that believes and votes the same way he / she did twenty years ago. I am always evolving as a person, and I hope the political candidates are as well.

Abortion is not the issue.

It is the regard for the woman that is the issue. Period.

Our right to chose what we do with our lives is the fabric of America. A persons belief that a fetus is a living breathing person is just that, a belief. We have many many body parts that are not only living tissue but that have life saving properties. Yet no one screams if we chose to have them removed from our bodies becasue they are harming our quality of life.

How would we feel if legislature was passed that forced us to donate healthy kidneys to those who need one?

I am pro choice. I would not have an abortion, but I would NEVER limit someone elses right to chose. Why? Becasue i am not willing to adopt. I just don'thave the respurces to support more children than I have. If I cannot contribute in apositive manner to helping conflicted women "solve" the probelem, then who in the hell am I to remove their other choices?

While there are clear exceptions to every "rule", in general, most people who are ferverant pro life are able to afford the children they have. They have support and can't imagine not having it. They have never, and will never be in a position in which they are chosing survival over parenthood. I know there are exceptions and bravo to you. but when I talk to pro lifers, the protesters who line our streets, they mostly fall into the above demographic.

Fianlly, I would encourage everyone to not just read Julies linked entry, but read her journal, her struggle with infertility and the absoulte personal fight she went through to have her children. How she almost died. If that doesn't give you a little perspective, how she can feel how she does after what she ahs been throguh then, respectfully, you need to open your mind.

377:

No, honey, that is YOUR opinion. OPINION. Not fact, OPINION.
Not only that, did you even read the two articles?
Heartless is what I'd call you and I'll pray to your god that you never have to go through something like that.
Idiot.

378, fuck your own honeyhole, you nassay cooze! How's that?

Abortion is a tragedy for most women who go through it, but can you imagine what abortion is for a woman who has been raped or a woman whose baby is the product of incest? They have already been traumatized, and now they must carry the weight of abortion on the hearts and their minds.

John McCain thinks that if I had gotten pregnant at the age of 15 as a result of my rape, that I shouldn't have been allowed to abort the baby. Sarah Palin also thinks I should be stripped of those rights. When John McCain or Sarah Palin has had the experience of having a man exert his will over you simply because he can strike fear into you, make you think you are going to die if you don't cooperate, and then proceed to cast a pallor over every relationship you have afterward, make it difficult to breathe when you see a man who resembles him on the street, cry when you have sex with your husband for the first time, I think he may change his mind about women's rights. Had I gotten pregnant as a result of my rape, I would have exercised my right to abort the baby. I wouldn't have thought twice about it. But, I know in my heart that I would have felt the tragedy of having to remove that life from my body. As if my soul wasn't already broken enough, I would then have to carry the guilt of an abortion. And then to have a man who could become the leader of our country treat me as a pariah, I could not bear it.

I beg of everyone, please think about who you are voting for. You, personally, may not ever have the need to get an abortion, but there ARE women who will.

As a woman with a uterus and a nurse (2 things that John McCain isn't), I think it is absurd that men need to muddle with choices that should be reserved for women only, since they pertain to women only. After watching the debate portion involving abortions, I am sickened that women were reduced to silly air quotations. There are many instances from a medical standpoint that would definitely place the mother in grave danger if she continued a pregnancy. John McCain sent the message that the mother's life is expendable as long as the fetus is not aborted. It is a woman and her doctor's choice to choose what the best MEDICAL outcome would be, not some suits in Washington.

Holy fuck.

What a retard.

531/Tara, I'm sure they hate it when you use terms like "pro-abortion" rather than "pro-choice"

Go read the goddamn articles, WOMAN.

Every time you post something political there are a raft of responses telling you how talented and smart you are, but to stop with the politics, that they'd rather not read your political opinion.

Those people are stupid, and don't understand writing, reading, discourse, or the creative process. Asking a writer not to be political is like asking a musician not to use certain notes, asking a dancer not to leap quite so high, or asking an artist to keep to one side of the color spectrum. Writing is about ideas and emotions, reason and passion. Sometimes writers become passionate about ideas, and sometimes, writers try to be reasonable about their emotions. You can't have it one way and not the other.

I think those reactions come from people who have been confronted with a thought that they don't understand, or an idea that actually challenges their own belief system, and they don't like it.

Heather, you're on the right track. Your success can always be measured in the quality of your opponents' arguments, and you've been so good at what you do, so effective, that your opponents are reduced to asking you nicely to stop, because they're irritated.

Congratulations.

GEE HEATHER - HOPE YOU ARE HAPPY!!! Did you sit up nights thinking about what you could possibly post that would bring out the nastiest and ugliest side of your posters???? Are you enjoying this as you sit around on your ass taking pictures of your dogs???? I rather think you ARE enjoying this which definitely says something about your character. OTHERWISE, you would have closed the comments to this disaster and put an end to the hate that is pervading your blog.

The next President is going to get to nominate one or two or three justices to the Supreme Court. McCain says very clearly that he does not agree with the Roe v. Wade decision, and the justices he's voted for in the past support his position. So if McCain were to be elected (shudder...), Roe v. Wade really is in serious jeopardy. And civil rights? Gay rights? Our children can forget about those rights for the next 20-30 years under a McCain presidency. I think this is one of the key issues of this campaign. The economy, the war(s), the environment, the Supreme Court.

Thanks for having the courage to speak out on these issues, Heather. A far-reaching blog like yours could make an impact.

Okay, had to post another comment after browsing the others. Heather's post/post title is not saying "Women must be pro-choice and not vote for McCain." It is saying that his debate answer was condescending and demeaning to women, and she is bringing some thoughtful responses to the discussion. Women who do not want a person in power who is so dismissive of their health/wellbeing may want to RECONSIDER (which is a pretty innocuous word).

Uh.....do you REALLY think abortions will become illegal if McCain is president? Don't you think if this was a possibility it would have happened during the 8 years Reagan was president - or the 4 years George H.W. Bush was president or in the past 8 years in which G.W.Bush has been president? That's 20 years in which it COULD have happened but didn't. It will never happen - chill out everyone.

If pro-lifers are so concerned about preserving life, why aren't they concerned about preserving the life of the mother?

I remember when abortion was illegal. That did not stop women from getting abortions, it only made it more dangerous. A classmate of mine in high school died from a botched abortion. We cannot go back to those medieval times and we won't since a majority of Americans are pro-choice.

What I don't get is the angry people who spew their righteous anger in your comments. If you want to voice a differing viewpoint, fine, but please be civil. It's like crazy McCain rally woman is commenting here.

Jeez, I can't believe how many people buy into the pro-choice propaganda. First, there are many good reasons to be pro-choice or pro-life. "Saving the life of the mother" (yes, I'll use quotes) isn't one of them. In today's modern world, there are extremely few instances where terminating the pregnancy would actually "save the life of the mother." There is a better chance of me winning the Powerball than this case actually happening. To paint it an "either/or" situation makes a good soundbite, but it's crap.

Second, why do so many of you buy into the idea that religious ideology is the only basis for being pro-life? I thought all you secular-humanists valued life? Guess not. It's straight up science. An individual, growing, reproducing (cellular) life with unique DNA begins at conception. That's freakin' science. Terminating it ends an individual life. Life begins at conception, and that has nothing to do with any religious dogma. Ergo, if you abort, you take a life. Hell, even Joe Biden agrees with that, but he's too much of a damn coward to stand up and protect those lives.

Third, I've heard many on here say "McCain hates welfare," so who's going to support all these babies that are born poor? Well, what about the rich women who abort? What's their excuse? I also don't see anyone, Republican or Democrat, rushing around to deny medical care to babies. Please don't bring up SCHIP...any thinking person can see that was a total BS law. People making 100K/yr qualified for that crappy giveaway. Hawaii just ENDED free medical care for kids (the only state in the Union to have such a law) because it's not feasible to do. Besides, all this is noise. Boiling down a human life to financial concerns is akin to killing inmates because it's too expensive to house 'em.

Fourth, how many of you rabid pro-abortionists support partial birth abortion? How about denying medical care to infants who accidently survive an abortion attempt? Probably not many, because to support either of those would make you a damn monster. Oh wait...THE ONE WHO WILL SAVE US ALL, the junior Senator from Illinois, supports BOTH of those ideas. And someone here said they LIKED his answer on abortion? Gimme a break.

"Keep your laws off my uterus." What an insipid statement. Women can't make laws or decide on issues relating to men? What about white people making laws that affect black people and vice versa? You don't have a penis...should that disqualify you from having opinions about male issues? Besides, you narcissistic idiot, it AIN'T about your damn uterus...it's about the life in it.

Finally, to the poster who wants a "Blue States of America." I concur. You can have the northeast and the west coast. Don't be surprised when EVERY OTHER STATE IN THE UNION comes with us. In case you haven't been paying attention, every blue state is pretty much red with pockets of blue cities. Y'all can have your blue country, and be completely dependent on the Red States of America for your food, labor, DEFENSE, goods and services. Y'all can just sit around, sip your lattes, gaze at your navels, and talk about how much freakin' smarter you are than everyone else. You won't be missed.

536...

Yes, I'm sitting here stupefied by the sheer gravity of Heather's writing. I'm utterly stunned at the logic of her two linked posts, and my world is turned upside down. Everything I believed is under attack by the stark raving lunacy of two women, and my neanderthal conservative brain is all atwitter.

Get a grip. Why is it liberals think conservatives just haven't thought about things? Because I reach vastly different conclusions than you is not an indication I simply don't "understand" the issues. Frankly, I'm stunned that anyone can ascribe to what passes for liberalism these days in America. JFK and FDR would be aghast at what is at the forefront of Democrat politics today.

Finally, 'a musician not using notes?' Did you make that up? Besides being unworthy of even cliche status, it makes no sense. Prose, music, art...no political requirement.

Okay this is a legitimate question and I'm not trying to be a smartass, despite my earlier posts.

Do pro-abortion women sincerely equate support for abortion as 'caring about women?' Is it a litmus test? If I'm pro-life, does that mean I have some deep-seated, perhaps unrecognized, hatred of my wife and mother? All women?

I'm trying to see the logic in such a position, but I'm grasping at straws. If that's some sort of article of faith that you must accept to be part of the cult, I'll understand. However, if it's what passes as reasoning or logic, I'll need someone to explain it further.

You know, this is what pisses me off. That the conservatives think that people love abortion, like abortion is a hobby that we practice in our garages on weekends or something. I am a mother. I hate the idea of abortion. But making it illegal will only cause desperate woman to find underground ways of getting it. And if I am raped, if I am a victim of incest, or if my health is at stake, I want to be the only one making my choice. That John McCain would imply that woman use "health" concerns as an excuse for getting an abortion is so insulting. No one WANTS an abortion. It is a horrible choice women are forced to make in the direst of circumstances. And the fact that he doesn't understand that shows that he knows nothing about women or even people in general. Thank you for continuing to write about politics. It is so important.

And on a side note, I am from California and terrified that Prop. 8 will pass. They other side has lots of money (much from the Mormon Church) and they are very organized. I'm having trouble even getting a lawn sign to balance out my neighborhood from my No on 8 people.

Thank you for having the courage to lay your political beliefs right out there on your blog. I'm afraid I don't have your strength. I can't bring myself to go there on my page. I tip my hat to you.

I'm well past childbearing age, so abortion wasn't an issue I thought much about. UNTIL I stumbled across a piece of startling information that filled me in on my daughter's secret anguish. The light of my life had been date raped and got pregnant and...yes, aborted the pregnancy. I wish she had shared her problem with me, but I'm sure she felt she was protecting me. Imagine my shock at discovering that, at this point in my life, abortion was suddenly a very personal issue for me.

It is chilling to think that McCain/Palin (and the Supreme Court Justices McCain would appoint) would like to force my daughter into raising the seed of that despicable man who brought darkness to her life.

This is not THE issue that drove me away from McCain. There's a whole boatload of them. But, as a woman, I can't vote for someone who would take away my daughter's right to make what was the right choice for her.

Obama voted for partial birth abortions. That is the number one reason I am not voting for him. he wants to give all the poor people a chance, you know the ones that go to the government (our taxes) FIRST. It used to be the last thing you would do, head for the welfare office. Obama is a socialist. Nobody can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and become rich, they must share so everybody has some. WHAT? I think NOT!! Killing a child is wrong no matter if it's fully formed or not. and incest or rape? it's A BABY. what did he or she ever do to you? I used to love this site but no more, the owner/blogger/moderator has become too LOUD and anyone who has to constantly voice their opinions to others is pretty insecure and I guarantee has lost a lot of readers. Seriously. God will sort the good from the bad. Taking a life is B.A.D. a.k.a. after you die, you will be looking up wishing you had not taken that life and you will be paying for it FOREVER. WOW.

RE: 511. randi said:
"I don't think abortion is murder. I believe that a woman (and potential father) have the right to choose whether they are ready to be parents...if they have taken the proper precautions to avoid a pregnancy. "

Randi - are you saying that the child conceived without precaution is more of a child than the one conceived with precaution? Hence if a woman took precautions to prevent a pregnancy, but still got pregnant - then she is justified in terminating the 'lesser' life she created? And the woman down the street who didn't take precautions must carry her baby, because she was careless?

I am quite sure science would disagree with you. A fetus is a fetus is a fetus. It comes with heart, blood, DNA, and soul. Abortion is murder - any way you look at it.

I would love to see Roe V Wade overturned. It'd be a great start in turning this country back into a nation that values the morality is was built upon.

*One responder said that a single cell organism isn't a baby. Yeah she called the baby a single cell organism...UH it is NEVER a single cell organism...yikes. And by the time a woman learns she is pregnant, these "lump of cells" as another called it...has a heartbeat and brain waves. Do people really think it isn't alive? That it is a lump of cells until it is born then POOF! A baby! That is really scientific people. This precious life is viewed nothing more then a it until it breathes air? It is less then the lowliest of animals? This breaks my heart...and yet I am the evil one? WOW.*

Look, I'll make it simple for you. When the vast majority of abortions are performed, the embryo does not have a heartbeat, it has cells that are beginning to learn what they were designed to do. They flutter, yes, but it is not a "heartbeat" as it does NOT pump blood. Sorry. As for brainwaves? Honey, Jello and potatoes have more sophisticated brain waves than a first trimester zygote/embryo/fetus.

Biology hurts, don't it. An embryo or fetus is no more a baby than an egg is a fried chicken dinner. The potential is there...but it simply isn't a baby until it is born. The fetus has exactly as many rights as the person carrying the fetus decides. Period. I am not obliged to give anything of my body, even something as simple as blood, to anyone else, even if that person will DIE without my contribution. I am also not obliged to let my uterus be used without my direct decision to do so.

My choice. Mine. And your choice for your own body and uterus, and beliefs.

However, beliefs are just that. Biology and fetal development is fact. Sorry.

Heather,

I'm strictly pro-life and vote accordingly, but you have every right to post your thoughts and opinions. With that being said, I always find it fascinating to see a Republican actually win an election.

With so many forces fighting against our cause (media, for instance), it's incredible to think we're able to provide nearly 50% of the votes in our favor. I wonder how it would differ if the media, celebrities, etc leaned towards the right?

Keep writing. I'll keep reading. I so enjoy your blog.

PS - You must be made of stone. Just a small sampling of the comments here would break my heart. Keep your strength!

Thanks for posting these Heather. I read both of the original posts and am even more sickened by John McCain now. I agree with Alexa at Flotsam especially because she addresses the issue that a large portion of our goverment really doesn't respect women. It puts me in angry feminist mode again. It just reminds me that despite the fact that I don't really experience a lot of sexism in my daily life, it is still everywhere. And the fact that my government wants to tell me what I can and can't do with my own body even when my health is at risk infuriates me. Since when did John McCain become a doctor? But to be honest, it isn't McCain that angers me most, it's his ditzy, self-righteous running mate. I don't think I can properly express in words how much I hate that woman. I'll be so glad when this election is over and I don't have to listen to her bullshit any longer. Please get that idiotic woman out of all our faces! Please! I can't even imagine the disappointment and depression I will feel if McCain and that woman get into the White House.

oh for christ sake! Here we go again. Would you just shut the hell up and blog about your daughter and dog shit!? Really, you aren't going to change anyone's mind. No one who is voting for McCain is going to change their mind and go running scared to vote for Marxist Obama! Shut the fuck up already!

It has really troubled me to hear how much "courage" it takes to bring a child into the world and "choose life"- to me it feels like a lot of finger pointing at those who have had abortions as cowards. Is a woman who chooses to have an abortion a coward? I think that both sides of the spectrum are brave... every woman is brave! It takes one hell of a woman to have a child and it takes a woman with a brave heart to have an abortion. It almost seems that since MCCAIN/PALIN are so out of touch, that they think an abortion is like a resort visit for a woman. It is so "brave" to have a child but an abortion is like going on a vacation. Really? Is it?

#571 Anon
Wow, you said that so well! I totally agree.

Does anyone know the procedure for partial birth abortions. You should look it up and then decide whether your for abortion or not. After hearing it ,I couldn't eat for days. It made me so sick! Of course there are some people out there who would say they are for abortion but not the partial birth abortions. When do you draw the line ( what week does the "tissue" become a baby). OBAMA needs to decide to either quote scripture like he did at that New York charity event a couple of days ago or be for abortion. He can not have it both ways! Because if you believe in God (OBAMA) I'm sure God would not exactly appreciate "infanticide" which Obama shows he is for with his far, far left abortion views. That is the one of the things that bother me about Obama. HE CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS! Pick believing in God as he says he does or pick being atheist or agnostic.

Wow as of Sat 2pm est less than 600 comments. Your first political post several weeks ago generated several thousand. Then your next political post not quite so many but still ALOT. Now this post - less than 1000 comments. I'm sure it will get up towards 1000+ but still not as much heat as the first

Perhaps most of those people who said you are better at writing about dog crap and your kid were right and chose not to come back because you insulted them because of their political leanings. I know that I haven't been back in over 10 days but decided to stop by today to get a break from all the political noise in the news. I want stories about dog crap and instead I get your political view. It's your blog though...

Why not ask yourself how your life has been the past 8 yrs under a pseudo GOP administration and then tell us why it's so stinking horrible in this USA today. You make more writing a weblog than me & my husband ever will make working at a white collar job. You came out on the up side of a mental breakdown because you got excellent medical care...THAT IS AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE...don't believe the BS about it not being available. And yes - I've spent the last 8 yrs sitting in 2 of the biggest Cancer hospitals in the USA getting treated and saw those w/out ins. or money getting treated.

How many people are you influencing to change their vote by writing about your narrow view? Maybe a few but get real - you mostly want to rag on those who are choosing to vote for a GOP ticket.

Just answer this one question - AFTER YOU FOUND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT WITH LETA WHEN DID SHE BECOME YOUR CHILD? REALLY WHEN DID SHE BECOME YOUR CHILD INSTEAD OF JUST A BLOB OF GOO IN YOUR BODY? Why did you feel so "EMPTY" when you miscarried several months ago? Just because someone doesn't want their "goo" doesn't mean it isn't a child.

I'm half hoping that the phony O makes it in next month - I'm going to sit around watching & waiting for him to make your life so much better. Let us know how traffic has been going to since you have decided to go political.

& April # 139 - yeah this blog and it's success does sorta revolve around me & the other people who come here on a regular basis and click those ads. But your right - it's her blog & she can write as she pleases. Also - if she's going to open up comments then I would guess that she wants to hear what her "fans" have to say.

The thing that bothers me (ok, only one of) is how pro-lifers imagine pro-choicers, all of them, skip to the abortion doctor. That it's some kind of freaking PARTY.

The thing that absolutely disgusts me about Palin (ok, one of them) is that the middle schooler I once taught, who was raped ONLY ON HER WAY TO SCHOOL, SHE WASN'T DOING ANYTHING WRONG, if Palin had her way, would be told, YOU HAVE TO GIVE BIRTH NOW, TOO.
WHO SAYS THAT?
TO A CHILD?

I'm sorry, if you don't make abortions freely available for all, how do you handle the rape and incest victims? My student was no more than 13. I CAN'T IMAGINE a state that would deny an abortion to a rape victim or force her to PROVE she "deserved" one. What kind of morality would tell my former student ANYTHING but "YOU DO WHAT YOU WANT, HONEY. I'M SORRY WE DON'T HAVE A SAFE PLACE FOR YOU TO LIVE."

Cry me a river about the unborn child but you think NOTHING of the third world situation we have HERE IN THE US, FOR THE LIVING. All I hear is a pervasive "those people" deserve "their" situation. Republicans are great for defending the rights of future humans and blaming those who are here, NOW. {Unless it's in regards to the deficit. Then they're happy to screw everyone's future grandchildren.}

Sarah Palin exemplifies the WORST of our culture: self-righteous, intolerant, disrespectful of beliefs different than her own, arrogant, manipulative, and power hungry. For his choosing her, and her self-proclaimation as the "heir apparent" to Hillary, yes, his choice is deeply offensive.
Palin's a garden-variety nut job.

A baby isn't a woman's property. A baby is that woman's child whom she is the legal guardian.

I am not going to say that abortion is never an option for some but you have to admit it is far too frequent a means to end an unwanted pregnancy that could have been prevented by not having sex or being careful.
Having lack of personal responsibility isn't a good enough reason to let all abortions be legal. They should overhaul the system and stop the abortion industry from taking too many precious babies from this world without any thought. Our society believes life is disposable. Sure, let's get healthcare for everyone. But to use that as an excuse to say McCain is an evil woman hater is stupid and ignorant in my opinion. Obama supported letting babies who survived abortions die alone in closets with soiled linens. This post makes me sick. Women who can have multiple abortions because they can't keep their pants on make me sick to. Religion does not guide my pro-life views. But being a mom does.

446: Your anecdote is just that--an anecdote. Statistically it doesn't jibe with why women say they choose abortion. Furthermore, PP and other clinics often provide other services, up to and including, blood testing for STDs, pap smears, gynecological examinations, breast examinations, and sometimes low-income general health care. The teenage girls could have been referring to any of those treatments as well. Your anecdote is incomplete and intended to draw the worst inference.

Now, I have had an abortion. I didn't particularly want to have an abortion. Nobody really does. But I was six weeks pregnant, in a different country (albeit one that allowed abortion, thank god), ill, and throwing up five to six times a day. When I got pregnant, it was unexpected, and I hadn't been taking vitamins, and due to a certain level of poverty, I could only afford to eat one meal a day. My ex smoked as well, and on top of that, my family has a history of clinical depression. I couldn't afford hospital care or neonatal visits, my ex-fiance and I were in the process of breaking up after several years of living together, I was trying to move back to the US, get a job, and live without being dependant on anybody. Before making the appointment, I researched everything I possibly could. I read up on fetal development, the complications of abortion, side effects of abortion, side effects of pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy (mine wasn't, but I had no way of knowing that at the time), adoption options, everything I could. I even read parenting and pregnancy forums where women who wanted to be pregnant shared their struggles. And I can not tell you the number of religious websites I ended up on, while trying to research the other side. In the end, I decided the best thing for my continued physical and mental health, financial stability, and general well-being was to get an abortion. I thought about this for the two weeks between making the appointment and the day.

The day I got the abortion, I walked to the clinic, to save money for the taxi ride I would need home. My ex escorted me. They tell you not to bring any small children with you, don't wear strong deodorant, wear no perfume as many of the women experience severe morning sickness, and don't eat or drink for X number of hours before hand. (I think 16 hours.) We arrived, showed identification, filled out paperwork, and waited. After half an hour, I was called into a counselling session with a doctor. I was told all my options, at least twice. I was asked if my boyfriend had coerced my decision. I was asked if this was my decision. I was asked if I knew I had other avenues. I was told once again the medical ramifications and what to expect. They were very kind but firm in making sure that I had decided this and that it wasn't anybody else's decision. Nobody made any judgements about how I had got into this position. I was asked if I wanted more birth control options for after the surgery, since my previous BC (condoms) had failed. Then I went back out into the waiting room and waited about an hour or two.

I surveyed the other women in the waiting room. Almost everybody had somebody with them. Usually a guy, but in several cases, a mother, an aunt, or a friend. In one case, a girl had come from a long distance, fourteen hours, and an older woman had helped set up the appointment and housing. One woman came in with her husband shortly after I came out of counselling, and she was obviously in her mid-to-early forties, with really lovely silvering hair, and he was her age as well. I remember being really struck by her. Some of the women were professionals, in business suits, and some were just kids there to get birth control. (You could tell those appointments because they were in and out in half an hour or forty-five minutes.)

Finally, I was called in. A nurse had me disrobe and put all my belongings in a tote. I was brought in to a room and given a sonogram. She answered any questions I had, and I asked if I could see the sonogram. The fetus was about two centimetres long, she said. I asked for a printout, and they said they could give me a xerox copy of my sonogram. I asked the nurse, nervously, if she had ever had given birth, and she said she had both given birth and had an abortion, and both were hard but abortion was less stressful on the body before the first 12 weeks or so. She added, not to worry, the doctor they had in today was the best in the province. Then she took me into one of the operating rooms and started getting me hooked up for my anesthetics. (They gave me stuff through a vein in the arm, if I recall correctly.) I was vaguely conscious of a green coated doctor and several nurses coming in and putting my legs into position. I remember feeling this weird internal vibration as they eased the instruments in but other than that, I don't remember any physical sensation. I floated in and out, and eventually woke up in the next room over where the recovery area was. (The whole surgical part of the procedure took about fifteen to twenty minutes, or so I've been told.)

As I hadn't been allowed to eat or drink, the first thing they did was give me a bland but not horrible-tasting little cookie and some apple juice. It tasted wonderful after all those hours of being foodless, but I soon threw it up because of the lingering effects of the anesthesia. They gave me a heating pad to curl up around and something that would let me rest a bit, and apparently I fell asleep for two hours more. In the meantime, the lady in her forties and one of the teens in the waiting room had since had their own procedures and were resting in the beds next to mine. I was given more cookies and apple juice, then given a chance to dress, then sent to a sort of debriefing room where I was issued a package of really big pads, a sheet of instructions, two different pills (antibiotics for infection and super tylenol for my sore body), and a six month supply of birth control, although I was warned not to have any sex at all until I could be cleared at my post-op checkup in two weeks. In the mean time, if I soaked any pad in under an hour, I was to call them immediately or get to an emergency room. My ex collected me, got me into a taxi, and I went home and slept. The next two days I spent in bed, or on the couch, and ached a lot. I followed all my instructions to the letter, went back in two weeks, was given a clean bill of health, and life went on.

I felt sad about the abortion for a few months. (Women can have similar post-partum symptoms after any termination of a pregnancy, whether through miscarriage, abortion, or delivery of a child.) I had hormonal fluctuations too for probably a year or so afterwards, which I'm told is normal. And then eventually I stopped feeling bad, because the whole point of getting the abortion was to not bring a child into the world under sub-optimal circumstances and to maintain my physical and mental health. That end achieved, my life went on. I regret that an abortion was made necessary, but I don't feel sad about it any more. Nor do I have guilt. I made a tough decision during a tough time in my life, and I'm glad I had the choice.

Since having had my abortion (now going on seven years) I have worked to make sure that other women are provided with the same choices I had. Access to birth control, correct information about sex, information about options, and procedures are all ways of giving women the option to the most number of choices so that they can choose what will best aid the quality of their life and the life of their loved ones. Some women choose to remain pregnant, and I salute that choice. But other women choose to abort, because of the health of the mother, the welfare of the family, the care needed for already existing children (like my nurse, who had a child who needed lots of care and who felt that another child would distract her from giving the necessary levels of care to her existing child), the financial wellbeing of the family, the mental stability of the potential mother, the readiness of people to become parents, and so on. All of these factors and more seem to be carefully considered by every woman I know that has had an abortion. After telling a few of my friends, I was surprised at the numbers that had also had to make that heart-wrenching decision. But all were glad they had that choice.

So to see Senator McCain making air quotes and talking about stretching exceptions, and generally displaying a disregard for women who have, indeed, probably wanted their child, but whose health is now risked, it makes me angry. This is not a candidate who can feel empathy for women, or respect their decisions. Those women who chose to have abortions are not moral cowards. We did not pick "the easy way out" but we did choose what we felt would be best for ourselves. This is not selfish, but practical. McCain has no respect for that decision, and no respect for those who must make it. As such, I do not trust him to pick potential justices who could decide to take that choice from me.

To 574: Obama has never stated that he supports women getting abortions as a method of birth control, but he believes that a woman's LIFE, her LIFE, your LIFE, should be protected. By voting 'present' on a third-trimester abortion bill, he wasn't saying that he supported that method of abortion, he was simply stating that there should have been a provision for exceptions concerning the endangerment of a mother's life. This is a tricky situation, because who's to say that God doesn't want human medical advancements to be practiced to save the life of a human being?

Gooooooooooooooo Bama!
VOTE BAMA.

I've said this so many times lately, I'm starting to avoid myself:
I've been pregnant when I didn't want to be and not pregant when I did want to be. I am forever grateful that during both of those tumultuous, emotional times there was no one involved in the decisions but me, the father, and my doctor. FYI, I did not terminate the pregnancy, my young fiance and I did get married, and I never was able to conceive again. But it was MY DECISION and MY BUSINESS.

PLEASE, please, please check these out. I know you always believe what you want based on what you see and read in the media, but with all the comments on this site, I'd love to know what you think about this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RZVw3no2A4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYhv75q_b6o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuMxKQhqCbc

The presidential candidates stance on this is one of many to be a concern in this years election. For those of us in Colorado Amendment 48 is a very real effort to not only outlaw abortion but affect a woman (and a man's) right to choose birth control, see specialists locally about IVF and save a mothers life in (as these posts) mention the worst case scenario.

I tend to agree with something Obama said in his acceptance speech at the DNC "We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country."

If you don't agree with abortions it is simple don't have one. If you want to work to educate people about options great do that, but forcing your will onto the medical choices of a family is unjust.

Criminalizing abortion is not going to happen. And even if it did, women who thought they had no other option would still seek - AND GET - abortions.

By criminalizing abortion, Conservatives are lumping abortion with drugs and guns..."bad" things that "bad" people will acquire through whatever means necessary.

The only difference is, a woman who decides that abortion is the best option in her situation is of NO DANGER TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. The same can't be said about a crackhead with a handgun.

OMG!!! Obama is the Antichrist!?!?! Some of your readers are very scary, ignorant people. Be sure to keep your address secret so they don't come storming up to your house with burning torches.

And how dare you have (and voice!) a political opinion on your own web site. Don't you know you are just here to amuse and entertain us??? You need to quote Jon Stewart to these people: "I am not your dancing monkey."

I love your (and Jon's) political discussions. They are always articulate and smart. Rock on, girl!

I'll be voting Obama. Thanks.

I am pro preventing unwanted pregnancy,personally.I also happen to be for bringing more people into the middle class so they can afford the kids they have. I am for educating and providing healthcare for those very same kids, and keeping them from a potentially criminal life that could cause them to be on death row someday. I am voting for Obama.