Thursday, October 6, 2011
6-The Women Rebel: Margaret Sanger and the Birth Control Movement
Start by reading the Historical Context. Read the various primary source documents that follow and the Postscript. Respond to the article and reflect on specific aspects with which you agree/disagree. The questions on page 130 may be helpful if you feel "stuck" for ideas.
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In some ways I agree with the ideas of using specific birth controls, and in others I most certainly do not agree. Talking about Sanger specifically, in some arguments I thought she had the right ideas, and in others I did not concur. One way that I agree with Sanger’s outlooks on birth control is the fact that she believes that it should be the woman’s choice on whether or not she has a child. If the woman does not have the necessities to raise a child, the abilities, or just did not want a child at that time, then she should not be forced into having a big family. Another way that I believe Sanger is in the right mindset is that of if ways of birth control are available to one person, they should be available to everyone else. (Or no one, although that was not was Sanger was going for.) If one woman is given the choice of having children or, in this case, not having children, all women should be given the choice. Otherwise, like Sanger has stated, specific women will resort to uneducated abortions, or will be come sickly after giving birth to an unsupportable child. Yet, one way that I disagree with Sanger is how she believes that it is okay to kill the child even after it is developed. I think if you are going to use birth control it should be used before conception, instead of after, although I know this was most likely not very easy to get a hold of at such a point in time. I guess what I am trying to say is that I am Prolife, but if worst comes to worst, it is the pregnant woman’s choice. My reasons against Sanger bring me to my feelings about some of Sanger’s opposer’s, specifically Anthony Comstock and Winter Russell. With Comstock, I was against his views that by allowing forms of birth control to be legal we are letting women disengage from all self-control. I think by allowing birth control you are not making women more promiscuous. Yet, on one term I recall agreeing with Mr. Comstock. That is, when he stated that he would be willing to allow abortion if giving birth to the child would endanger the mother’s life. Regarding Mr. Russell on the other hand, I did not agree with in any aspect from what I read of him. I did not think he was right in saying that he believed that we do not get any pleasure without pain. I also did not think he was correct in his thinking that all women should want large families and not worry about education. I believe that if a woman wants an education, she has the right to one. Now if she chooses that path or not is her choice. Those are some specific ways that I agree and disagree with the topics and people presented to me in this reading.
ReplyDeleteBirth control is a very controversial topic. Grace reveals just how controversial in her response to this assigned reading. Several points were significant in her discussion. Women should have control over their bodies. Part of that control is the right to contraceptives. And just because women are using birth control, it doesn't mean that they are going to be promiscuious. Every person on the planet has their own views, and their own reasons for their views concerning pro-life or pro-choice. It is interesting that our government is involved with what women can and cannot do with their bodies. No one will ever agree on the correct answer when it comes to pro-life or pro-choice. The important thing to remember is that everyone has the right to their opinion.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Grace and Owen in saying that birth control is a very controversial argument. Grace made several good points about birth control dealing with the assignment she was given. I especially liked Graces comment that said “If one woman is given the choice of having children or, in this case, not having children, all women should be given the choice.” I agree with grace completely. I think that it would not be fair if one woman was given the choice to not have a child and another was not. What we as a country have been striving after for so long is equality. Not letting women have the right to do whatever thy please with their own bodies is taking a step in the wrong direction. What we have fought for so long to have is equality. Taking the right of their own bodies from the women is a step backwards, from where we came from. I also agree with Grace in saying that killing a baby after it has already started to develop is wrong. Once the baby has started to grow I think it is terrible to kill a life that has just started. Yet, it is all up to the mother, and what she thinks is right. If she as the pregnant woman believes that the child would be better off dead then alive then it’s her choice to kill it. Like Grace stated some mothers may be unfit to have a child and it may not live anyways. As a conclusion I believe strongly that women should have full rights to their own bodies and if they so choose to have an abortion it should be the women’s decision.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Grace and Owen in saying that birth control is a very controversial argument. Grace made several good points about birth control dealing with the assignment she was given. I especially liked Graces comment that said “If one woman is given the choice of having children or, in this case, not having children, all women should be given the choice.” I agree with grace completely. I think that it would not be fair if one woman was given the choice to not have a child and another was not. What we as a country have been striving after for so long is equality. Not letting women have the right to do whatever thy please with their own bodies is taking a step in the wrong direction. What we have fought for so long to have is equality. Taking the right of their own bodies from the women is a step backwards, from where we came from. I also agree with Grace in saying that killing a baby after it has already started to develop is wrong. Once the baby has started to grow I think it is terrible to kill a life that has just started. Yet, it is all up to the mother, and what she thinks is right. If she as the pregnant woman believes that the child would be better off dead then alive then it’s her choice to kill it. Like Grace stated some mothers may be unfit to have a child and it may not live anyways. As a conclusion I believe strongly that women should have full rights to their own bodies and if they so choose to have an abortion it should be the women’s decision.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, I believe that it is the women’s choice when it comes to how many children she has, if any at all. I agree with Margret Sanger in almost every aspect of the chapter. She says on page 118 that her mom died from being over worked and having to many children to quickly. Which is true, when was it decided that woman must bare so many children, in the long wrong it only causes more health problems for them. She also explains how many times she had been next to a woman during childbirth that had cried in relief that her baby was born dead. Having an unwanted pregnancy is unhealthy for the child and also for the unwanting mother. I do not totally agree with Anthoney Comstocks view, but in his interview with Mary Alden Hopkins I did. He was asked: “If the parents lack self control the punishment fall upon the child?” And he answered. “The punishment falls upon the parents. When a man and woman marry they are responsible for their children.” I completely agree the only way to completely avoid an unwanted pregnancy is to abstain. And if you cannot and you become pregnant you must deal with the consequence, but that falls right back into the hands of contraception.
ReplyDeleteI agree with some of the viewpoints on birth control, however, I do not agree with some. One person to whom I agreed with is Dr. Aletta Jacobs. Like Sanger, she said that many of the women were relieved to hear that their child had died and had not lived. She also says that if the child survived, they would become ill due to their mothers’ wishes. When a mother didn’t have the right attitude or didn’t care what she ate or did, the baby would malfunction in result. Birth control could have prevented some of those problems faced by woman. However, the main point in which I agreed with Dr. Jacobs is the very last bit of her argument. She stated that a child should be born no often than three years. I believe this is true because like Jacobs stated, the first year you should be able to care for your new baby and the second year you should regain your strength and relax. During this time you would also learn what it takes to become a parent and then if the timing is appropriate, you could put into consideration having another baby. A point on which I disagreed with was during the debate between Sanger and Russell. I disagree with Russell when he suggested that “Birth control says “yes.” You shall pay the price.” Because he is a man, he would have no idea what it would be like to have five or so many children. Birth control would prevent the amount of abortions, poverty in families, and it would be better for the women who risk their lives for abortions. As a woman, I believe Russell does not understand the situations certain women have been involved in. Those are some specific ways in which I agreed or disagreed with the people in this article.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of my peers in that birth control is a very debatable topic. However, unlike most of them, I disagree with the concept of abortion. If a person chooses to have sexual intercourse and thus becomes pregnant, they should suffer the consequences of their decision. This is why most educators preach abstinence. I think that by giving women the right of abortion, we are giving them the right to abstain from obeying the law. Murder is a crime, and if women abort their children, they are definitely not obeying it. Is it right for women to not have to obey laws, but men having to? This is not necessarily my argument, but it is another argument that can be made. The main reason why I believe that abortion is wrong is because it is murder, and because of my religious views. Abortion is a crime, and should come with consequences.
ReplyDeleteWhile reviewing my peers’ comments to this post, I agreed with most of the points on Grace’s response. One point on which I completely agreed with is when Grace restates that Sanger believes birth control should be available for everyone. In this article, it states that birth control was for the wealthier, upper class and not the poorer, lower or middle class citizens. The lower class families ended up having more children. At the end of Sanger’s speech, Sanger recognizes that birth control will prevent false pregnancies and will make parenthood an intended function. That’s why it should be available for all citizens. Also, I believe that killing a baby after development is wrong as well. After a life has started, I think it is a horrible thought to end it so quickly. Another response in which I agreed with was Allie’s. I also concur with most of Sanger’s viewpoints and opinions during this chapter. Sanger’s own mother died from overworking and an abundance of childbirths. Like Allie said, when was it really decided that women had to have so many children? And like Sanger’s mother, these women will most likely suffer from health problems later on. Birth control could have solved many family problems.
ReplyDeleteOn this matter overall I would have to say that I am pro birth control. To me birth control is just a smart decision, if your not ready for a child, or to have another one, then your just not ready, and as a woman its your decision to decide whether your ready or not. Its also unfair to the baby, if your not mentally, physically, or financially ready to take on such a task, you should have a way to give yourself time until your ready for that task. To wait that long to have sex might be hard for some couples though, so birth control would be the only answer to solve this. Also I agree with Emmas reason that birth control would limit the amount of abortions women would risk their lives to have. Also Margaret Sanger said that children who are raised lovingly, and with the proper care, will resemble gods. So if a woman has a unwanted pregnancy, and she is not prepared to care for that child. Obviously the child won't mature, and socially grow right. So if we use birth control it will help create more reliable, hardworking, and virtous American citizens also.
ReplyDeleteAnyone you ask would probably say birth control is a very controversial and debatable subject. Throughout this response, I will be expressing my opinion on the subject of birth control by comparing a woman to a well taken care of, high-precision machine, like a machine that makes engines for airplanes. A machine that is well taken care of is under no more stress than it has to be. It does not run too fast or too slow. The products it produces are the paragon of perfection. Ideally, a woman making babies should have similar traits. In our reading, under Document 5, Dr. Aletta Jacobs expresses her thoughts. She noticed that "many of the sickly children born in the hospital were children that had been born against their mothers' wishes. The mothers' state of mind during pregnancy had affected the baby." The machines that Dr. Aletta Jacobs is referring to are under stress, and made defective products. Defective machines make defective parts, and when assembled, make bad finished products. These children with bad heredity could have easily been prevented through the many methods of contraception. Dr. Jacobs said that parents with mental or physical sicknesses made children with bad heredity, which would most likely appear in their offspring. She says these children should never have been born. In the last part of Dr. Aletta Jacobs's thoughts, she proposes that not until the third year after birth, the mother should again become pregnant. This is similar to a machine's cool down period after a hard week's work, and its slow warming up to the next week. I agree with Dr. Aletta Jacobs. A woman should be rested, stress-free, and completely willing to bear a child before she becomes pregnant. She should be able to control her parturition with contraceptives.
ReplyDeleteWhile a good portion of Chapter 6 is pro-abortion, I am fully against the idea. Abortion is taking a child’s life, although unborn, the child is practically living. It is not right to take a human’s life to make your life easier; adoption agencies and foster homes are willing to accept your child if you cannot offer the proper care. There are also many other reasons abortions are hurting the human race. “…when you come to sift the matter down to its final analysis, [birth control] is what is shortening the lives of the human race, making weaklings in mind and body the children of strong men, and wrecking the nerves and bodies of women who ought to be the proud and happy mothers of a dozen healthy children.” Dr. R.C. Brannon, pg. 123. Indeed he is correct. Abortion often hurts mothers more than it helps them. For instance, Margaret Sanger told of a mother who was killed by a cheap abortion. Had the mother simply given birth and gave the child up for adoption, she would still be able to care for her other three children and live. There are only two instances in which abortion may be considered: if the birth puts the mother in danger of death or the woman was raped, for it would not be fair to the woman. Otherwise, abortion should not be an option, especially in a world where there are adoption agencies and other programs available.
ReplyDeleteWhile looking through many of my peers’ posts, I see that many are for abortion and believe that it is the woman’s choice. As Allie said and many others, they say that the number of children a woman has is her own decision. While Allie is correct, the way the mother chooses her number of children should not be by killing the unwanted ones. After all, as mentioned in Peter’s post, if someone becomes pregnant based off of their own decision, they should not be able to say, “That’s okay, I’ll just have an abortion,” and brush the pregnancy off as if it were no big deal. The child should not suffer from another’s choice. If a woman becomes pregnant, she should have to suffer the consequences. Abortion should not be another option.
ReplyDeleteI admire Abby Widger’s thoughts on women’s long strive for equality, and her thoughts on what rights women ought to have. Like Abby, I believe that it is all up to the mother, and what she thinks is right. It is her choice. I also believe that a woman is the primary being in the subject of childbirth, which gives her further reason to be the final decision maker on what is to be done with her child, or potential child. When a mother makes this kind of decision, she is simply exercising her inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. A woman may not be happy when trying to raise eight kids. Who knows, maybe only two of the eight were planned. Another woman may only have one, because she didn’t think she could support more than that. Woman number two may have used a form of contraception to prevent having more than one child, and by doing so she is exercising her right to pursue happiness. 15sieglerf supplied very valid points concerning abortion. In my opinion, to prevent abortions, simply prevent pregnancies altogether through other methods of contraception!
ReplyDeleteMany beliefs expressed in this chapter are agreeable. I definitely agree that birth control should be an available option for women. Although some may argue that the use of contraceptive devices is "obscene, lewd, or lascivious," I believe that it can be practical in today's society. Today, having too many children can be costly. The Historical Context reads, "As Americans left the countryside for the city... large numbers of children usually became a hindrance... to a family's economic well-being." "...children entered a family more as mouths to feed than as hands to labor." Birth control can also be beneficial for women who have had several children and wish to save themselves the strain of childbirth. As Sanger said, "When I was seventeen years old my mother died from overwork and the strain of too frequent child bearing." Margaret definitely has strong arguments. Dr. Aletta Jacobs seems to agree with abortion. She claims that some babies born against their mother's wishes had become ill due to their mother's state of mind during pregnancy. As Dr. Jacobs believes,"these children should never have been born." Dr. John W. Williams adds that it's best to perform an abortion if the mother is suffering from disease. On the other hand, I definitely agree with the pro-life doctors. Dr. R.C Brannon reveals that the prevention of large families leads to an increase in mental and physical problems. His statements remind me of Michael P. Dowling's views. Although Dowling focuses more on biblical evidence, they both touch on the thought that man was put here to multiply and replenish the earth. In conclusion, Dr. Howard A. Kelly quotes, "There is no right or decent way of controlling births but by total abstinince." It's hard to argue with that. Birth Control and abortion are very controversial topics.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Emma's perspective on the chapter. One of her points that I related to was about Sanger and Russel's arguement. Emma says that she disagrees with Russel's opinion that birth control is a price you must pay. I definitely see Emma's reasoning. Russel comes off a bit ignorant. There are many reasons why a woman may choose birth control, and Russel shouldn't judge a mother's choice. He's a man, and was never in that situation. On the other hand, I really like Fallon's views on abortion. I've always believed that birth control is acceptable in certain situations. If a woman is raped or could die from childbirth, abortion should be available to her. I believe Fallon was spot-on with that statement. She also makes another point that I like. She says that abortion shouldn't otherwise be an option since there are thousands of people in the world looking to adopt a baby. Why deny a child a good life just because the birth mother is unwilling to provide one? Also, like Peter said, if you become pregnant by free will, you must suffer the consequences of your actions. Lastly, as some of my peers mentioned, your opinions on this topic are often influenced by your religion.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the extensive documents and arguments of chapter six, it occurred to me how substantial of an issue birth control was. Both sides, those for and those against family planning, raised considerable arguments. Personally, I do not see the advantages of abortion. I am completely against the idea. Margaret Sanger stated that women were happy upon learning that their children had died in the womb, but if you look into the reality of the statement, the woman had really just killed her child. Every child born into this world, planned or unplanned, should be given a chance at life. Women have the ability to choose abstinence and control themselves in their relationships, and many, such as Howard A. Kelly, believe that this is the only way to control births. There is a line, though, that needs to be drawn between prevention and abortion, with prevention being the better alternative then the latter. Winter Russell’s first proposal apposing abortions relates to the self-control and self-discipline that women need to have. If, though, sexual activity is forced and the women cannot afford to raise her child, adoption is a smarter and healthier opportunity in lieu of an abortion. There are many parents who are unable to have children that would gladly accept a child. Also, along the lines of prevention, taking a pill to prevent the birth of a child is not related to actually killing it in the womb, which is abortion. Margaret Sanger agrees in the promotion of what was previously described as abortion. If a child has already started to grow, it should be given the opportunity to grow and live a life. She also states that some parents do not care about their child when it is still being developed; they drink too much alcohol, overdose on drugs, or refuse to obey doctors’ orders during pregnancy. These acts often lead to birth defects, and Margaret claims that abortion could prevent the birth of these “feeble-minded” children. The reason that children are born differently often lands in the hands of their parents, as stated previously. This again relates to Winter Russell’s statement depicting that abortion would not have even developed if not for the poor decisions of adults. I do agree, though, with Margaret Sanger’s belief that all women should be educated about abortion; they should be educated about the disadvantages to the method and the proper alternatives of prevention or adoption. The size of a family should not be forced to stop at a certain number. Every human on Earth was born for a reason, yet abortion makes this statement non-existent. Each child today has the opportunity to make a difference in the World; abortion does not give them this chance. Instead, the child, turning into a human being with every moment, was murdered by the poor choice of its parents.
ReplyDeleteThe act of abortion has always been heavily debated, as shown even here by my classmates. Many of my fellow peers have commented in favor of abortion, agreeing along the lines of Margaret Sanger. I, though, would have to agree with the mindset of 15sieglerf and 15gourliasp. Abortion is never a healthy alternative. I found that 15sieglerf’s quote, “ The child should not have to suffer from another’s choice,” to be completely true in every circumstance of this argument. Many of my peers seem to be confused with the distinction between prevention and abortion. They say that they are pro-birth control, yet they have arguments that disagree with abortion. Do they support the planned prevention of birth or do they support the killing of children in the womb in order to sustain a certain number of children? Their viewpoint on the argument seems to be unclear. Also, many of my peers say that women have the right to do whatever they please with their bodies and their children. If they did not want a child to begin with, then why did they choose to have sexual intercourse? I do not agree, though, with 15sieglerf when she states that under the circumstances of rape or illness, abortion could be considered an option. In the case of rape, the conceived child could be put up for adoption of the mother is to frightened to unable to give the childcare. If a woman is sick and she is pregnant, she should consider the fact that if she died, her child may be able to live on and flourish. The natural life cycle of our planet, one is born as one dies, would be balanced. Abortion could not only kill the child, but also sicken the mother even more. Even after reading the extensive comments of supporting abortion, my mindset has not swayed in the least. Abortion should not be practiced, nor should it be legal.
ReplyDeleteAs everyone that has posted has stated, this topic is extremely controversial. For a moment I would like to specifically address what Peter has previously said. In his opinion, abortion is wrong, and I would just like to clarify that I feel the same way. Yet, on the other hand I do believe some forms of birth control are okay, such as the ones taken before conception. If you are married, you shouldn’t be forbidden from having intercourse with your own spouse. Now from my personal standpoint I do believe that abortion is wrong, but it may be necessary in some cases, and it seemed to be necessary more often back then. If a woman must receive an abortion to save her own life, then it is her life at risk. She may not have known that she would be unfit for childbirth at the time that she conceived. That is just my personal opinion though. Yet, I still believe that if such things were available to one woman, they should be available to all. I think that if you give one woman the choice, all women should have the choice, whether they choose to keep the baby or not.
ReplyDeleteI find myself agreeing with most of the comments on this page so far. I most thoroughly concur with Grace’s 1st response. She mirrored my opinion that it should be a women’s choice whether or not to conceive a child. Along the lines of what Stephen said, if a woman is not ready to have a child, or does not want a child, the result will be most likely a neglected child. So I fully agree that birth control should be available to all women. Now to the immensely controversial subject of abortion. I agree with Fallen that if a woman is in danger of death or in the case of rape abortion should be an available opinion. After all, how would you like to be an orphan who later learned your father raped your mother and your mother then couldn’t support you or didn’t want you? Or, how would you like to have asked your dad for years why you didn’t have a mom only to learn your birth killed her? Try and tell me that won’t negatively impact a kid’s life. I also accede with Geoffrey’s statement that “…to prevent abortions, simply prevent pregnancies altogether through other methods of contraception!” If a fetus has developed enough to be a thinking human than obviously abortion is not an option. However, if a woman is only a few weeks pregnant I would rather see an abortion than for her to use other dangerous means of hurting herself and the baby.
ReplyDeleteI found 15gouriliasp's post very agreeable. I agree that having sexual intercourse,but still being able to medically withhold from having a child without killing anyone in the person. Notice how I use the word "anyone" I use this because once the woman is pregnant, and fetus starts growing, it becomes a human being. Meaning that if you murder it that should be deemed legally as murder, and the women, and doctor should be punished for it. So actually in modern time I very much agree with laws, and restrictions the goverment has placed on abortion, which is in a abstract agreement with Geoffreys previous post.
ReplyDeleteI found chapter six very disturbing, the information I read was not only shocking, it was offensive. Margaret Sanger discusses the issue of birth control which I believe is a woman’s choice, but I do not understand why some women as discussed in the reading came to the decisions that they did. Margaret Sanger was a trend setter of her time, she couldn’t even vote yet and she had the confidence to discuss a topic that was so controversial during this period. Margaret Sanger wanted women to be able to control their choices for parenthood. Since the start of birth control the birth rate in the United States has decreased drastically “In 1800 families averaged slightly over seven children, under 6, in 1825, 5.4 in 1850, 4.24 by 1880, and 3.54 in 1900. In other words, the overall fertility rate declined by half in a century, with the most urban middle-class families having no more than 2 children.” (Page 11 paragraph 2) Perhaps this tells us that more educated urban women were making different decisions regarding children than those living in rural areas. Birth control is still a very hotly debated topic today. In my opinion safe birth control is acceptable to prevent conception. A woman should be able to choose if she wants to try to avoid a pregnancy, and a woman should be able to determine how many children she wants without any government control. I agree with Ms. Sanger on this topic. Where I disagree is if conception does occur a woman should not terminate her pregnancy. Throughout chapter six it was stated numerous times that “the mothers were happy that their babies came out dead.” That upset me, why would someone want to kill a baby. These women took birth control pills knowing that this would result in a dead fetus; basically they were performing an abortion. I think abortion is the same thing as murder. What is different between killing an unborn child and killing an innocent man walking down the street? If you realize that you are unable to care for your new born child instead of killing the baby, why not put the child up for adoption? There are many loving families that are unable to conceive and would make a very good home for an infant; these children should be given a chance at life. Margaret Sanger was very convincing in her speeches. She discussed a topic that many women have trouble with. She was telling women that it is acceptable to take birth control to prevent conception, but it is also acceptable to end an unwanted pregnancy. To this day this is a highly debated topic. I don’t believe in abortion but I also can’t pass judgment on women who choose this option. I don’t know all of the circumstances that a woman would be in to be forced to choose to terminate a pregnancy.
ReplyDeleteI completely disagree with Fallon's analysis of this chapter. When she offers the compromise that a pregnant woman “simply” gives birth and give up the child for adoption it is obvious there was no thought for the depth and possible complications of childbirth. When she insinuates that giving birth
ReplyDeleteis safer than having an abortion it is statistically wrong. In the united states the maternal mortality rate is 24 deaths for every 100,000 births. Compare this to the .0001% death rate on abortions the fallacy in Fallon's argument is obvious. When she says that abortions are “hurting the human race” I also disagree. In an era where overpopulation is quickly becoming a rampant problem I fail to see why this hurts the human race. In Fallon's response the institutions called foster homes are greatly romanticized. In reality children in foster homes are often condemned to lives of poverty. The bottom line is that the only real controversy surrounding abortions are the moral implications of terminating a pregnancy. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to that, it is for each individual to decide individualy.
Wow! We have sparks flying around on this topic! I'm glad to see quite a mix of responses from ladies and guys. At the heart of the debate seems to lie the common ground that each of us must make choices....and live with the consequences of those choices. Interesting reading gang:)
ReplyDeleteI feel this topic being so controversial at that time made the argument more vivid, and revealing the true facts of birth control in the early 20th and late 19th century. Women were using some sort of contraception to limit their chances of having too many children as the Industrial Revolution reared its head, but no couple would end up fussing up to the matter. I agree with Margaret Sanger’s actions to make the public aware of the benefits of birth control. As many of my classmates have touched upon, the need for many children was dying down at this point in time. This meant for women trying to pursue some sort of career in the big cities that they would have to put their own career and dreams on hold to take care of their children. The more and more the government tried to put a stopper on birth control distribution, the more the government saw the determination of these women who wanted a life away from raising children. When birth control was finally allowed to be distributed many years later, I personally would have felt relieved for future generations of women. If they make the wrong choices in life they don’t have to suffer and make their child suffer along with them.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with Geoffrey’s metaphor of women being compared to high precision machines. I understand your statement saying that a woman shouldn’t have children if she is experiencing any form of problems physically, emotionally, or financially. Geoffrey says that once a high-precision machine has produced a baby it will come out perfectly and there will be no health problems what so ever, but does that always happen? Some women are blessed with a perfect baby while others have babies with various issues, so Geoffrey’s thought of every child is born perfectly is incorrect. I do think what he meant was ideally women with emotional, financial and physically sound situations would make the best mothers.
ReplyDeleteI happen to agree with Geoffrey's metaphor. It made perfect sense but with one little flaw. The average american won't look into their genes, and that of there partner's to see what they might pass onto there children claire. Sanger made the public aware of birth control because of people having accidental pregnancy's. Not because of what you said. There is a relation between birth control and abortion forcing this argument into a never ending cycle of arguments between liberals and realists. My points have been proven in many of the posts above so restating them, as many classmates have done, is unecessary. I agree with Geoffrey a lot and both sides of this argument have sufficient reasoning.
ReplyDeleteIn retaliation to Claire Christensen's reflection of my first post, I wish to add that I used machines of high precision in my metaphor because such machines require special care, just as any woman does. Claire was under the impression that I thought that a high-precision machine under ideal conditions will produce a perfect baby with no health problems whatsoever. Then, Claire posed the question: Does that always happen? First of all, machines don't produce babies. Now, the real answer: No. In fact, that never happens. Perfection is unobtainable by humans. Can one even define-- even conceive the concept of absolute perfection? Imperfection may be why the human race must endure the struggle for equality... forever. When someone asks, "Have we arrived? Do we have equality? Have they arrived?" The answer should always be a unanimous "No!"
ReplyDeleteThat may have gotten off track of the chapter we all read, however, it is relevant to our studies about the struggle for equality.
I have nothing against birth control, when it is used correctly. If a mother knows that having a child will cause her serious medical harm, then I am all for her using birth control. Or if the child’s parents are absolutely unwilling to have anything to do with the child, then birth control is somewhat understandable. On the other hand, wanting to make your life easier is not a legit reason to use birth control. In this situation you could either stay abstinent, forget yourself and take care of the child, or put it up for adoption. Abortion should not even be considered as an option because it is so wrong. When a person uses abortion they allow themselves to become irresponsible and selfish; they would kill an innocent child to make their lives easier. Dealing with pregnancy before it actually happens is okay in certain situations. But once a person is pregnant, it is their responsibility to complete the process. Sadly 35% of women in America decide to kill the child. Did you know that abortion kills around 1,200,000 people each year, cancer only kills around 600,000. Yet cancer is fought, and abortion welcomed.
ReplyDeleteMany of the writers in this chapter, and some of my classmates, say that abortion should be allowed because the unwanted child will be neglected by the mother anyway. This argument is unreasonable and invalid. There are plenty of ways for parents to solve this problem without aborting the child. They could, for example, maintain sexual abstinence.This would be a difficult and unreliable way to fix their problem. If that solution did not appeal to them, another possible solution would be to use one of many pregnancy prevention products. These products usually have around a 98% reliability rate, if used correctly. If the mother happened to be one of the 2% of women who still got pregnant. She still does not have to abort the baby. There are hundreds of good people out there who would love to adopt the baby and give it the live it deserves to live.
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