i found the following article through google by typing in “abortion vs. adoption” into the search bar. It caught my attention because it seems to have been done by a religious individual who i correctly guessed would have some intense opinions. Please read the following short article and respond to the questions i have below it.
Why People Choose Abortion Over Adoption
I was recently involved in a discussion about a sperm donor (or his estate, if I recall correctly, but it isn't important) being sued by a lesbian couple to whom he had donated his sperm. A child was born, the child was adopted by the lesbian couple, the male donor's estate was sued for money.
The knee-jerk reaction to this kind of case seems to be that it is wrong to view the natural parent as having any obligation to support the child once the child has been adopted by another. But that knee-jerk reaction is, in my view, wrong.
Parents have an unbreakable and permanent natural law obligation to provide for their children. Adoption is one way to provide when the natural parent is unable to do so directly: it is a mercy available for the sake of an otherwise impoverished child. In adopting a child, another person or persons take on a parallel parental responsibility.
But adoption cannot break or in any way impair a natural parent's obligation. If a man gives up his child for adoption because he wants to party and doesn't want the responsibility, he has done a wicked thing. If the adoptive parents fall on hard times and can no longer provide, or if the natural parent comes into means, then the natural parent has a moral obligation to provide.
This doesn't mean that the natural parent would be in the right to attempt to take the child back: that would only be the case if it was in fact best for the child to be taken back as opposed to simply getting outside support in her present circumstances. If the adoptive family is a healthy place for the child to be, then the natural parent may have an obligation to keep his nose out of it and write checks. Deal with it, Dad: you fathered the child.
I think this unbreakable natural law obligation is one of those things that we can't not know, at least at some level. This in turn drives people to choose abortions: they know that once they've brought a child into the world, that child forever has legitimate claim to their support; and that nothing can break this obligation.
1. “Zippy Catholic” is saying that the reason people choose abortions is because they know that they will still be morally responsible for the child if they give it up for adoption. This raises two questions:
a. Do you think that a birth parent should be forced to be any way responsible for their child after they give it up for adoption?
b. Do you think that he is right in saying that factor is a big reason in deciding for abortion against adoption?
2. This author doesn’t go into this, but according to your own beliefs, how do the responsibilities and choices of “dealing with your consequences of having sex” differ from choosing abortion and choosing adoption? For example, this author believes that even though you give your child up, you are still obligated to help support them. I believe that contradicts the fact that he seems okay with abortion because that doesn’t seem like taking your responsibilities on and supporting your ‘mistake.’
3. Whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, what are some other reasons you can think of that people choose abortion over adoption? What are some reasons to choose adoption over abortion?
-Cheyane Frizzell
1. I do not think that a birth parent should have responsibiltiy forced on them; that's part of the reason people choose adoption over parenting. Also forcing anything when it comes to a child can cause more harm than good. (b) I don't think its a big factor but it still plays a role in the decision to pursue adoption.
ReplyDelete2. I think that no matter what you decide to do when it comes to pregnancy, you are "dealing with the consequences." Any decision has results that have side effects. No matter if you decide abortion, adoption, or parenting you have consequences and to say one is worse than the other is not true.
3. I think people choose abortion over adoption because it is cheaper in the long-run. With adoption, you have to pay for clothes, medical expenses, and extra food. I think people choose adoption over abortion because they want to see thier child born. They want to at least make someone happy, even if they cannot keep their child themselves.
-Sloane H.
1. a) I believe that it is completely up to the birth parents if they want to remain in the child’s life after they give it up for adoption. A major factor that influences parents to give their child up for adoption in the first place is the added responsibility. If the birth parents were forced to be responsible for their child after they gave it up for adoption then I believe abortion rates would rise while adoption rates declined. b) In most cases I do believe this is true. Like I mentioned above, many birth parents aren’t ready for the added responsibility and if they were still held responsible for the child after adoption, then why wouldn’t they chose abortion instead?
ReplyDelete2. In my opinion, having to get an abortion or give your child up for adoption is a consequence of having sex. Even with any form of birth control, there is always the chance that you could get pregnant. In other words, if you are having sex, there will always be a chance of having to “deal with consequences.”
3. I think people chose abortion over adoption mostly because of their financial status or their age. A lot of young women get pregnant and don’t have the means or the emotional maturity to care for a child. Some women look at their pregnancy as a mistake and just want a ‘quick fix’. I think people chose adoption over abortion because of their morals and values. It is a very selfless act to be able to give your child up for someone else to raise and care for.
1. A. Adoption is not like divorce where you are required to pay child support. Adoption is giving up all of your rights to your biological child and whether or not you want to stay involved in that child’s life is up to you and the adoptive parents. Requiring birth parents to be responsible for the child in any way is a contradiction in my mind to the whole concept of adoption. Requiring that could make things very stressful for everyone involved and cause a lot more harm than the benefits of having some extra money. Also a lot of the times it seems that adoptive parents really wouldn’t NEED the money since adoption for them is an expensive process as it is so they need to be financially well off in the first place.
ReplyDeleteB. I don’t think people choose abortion because they feel they have an obligation to the child after adoption takes place. I think many people feel that knowing their child is out there somewhere makes them uneasy and guilty and therefore abortion is a situation that makes them more comfortable in that sense. For many people it is also just the easiest, fastest, solution.
2. I think no matter what, your responsibility is to make the choice and then live with that choice and take all the necessary steps to make that choice work for the child. A responsibility for choosing abortion might be making sure you get it done safely whereas a responsibility for choosing adoption might be getting all the possible research you can on adoptive parents so you choose the best people you can to raise your child. And then a responsibility for parenting yourself is to get all the education you can and be the best parent you can be for your child.
3. Like I said earlier I think abortion is chosen over adoption because it is a slightly easier decision for many people to live with because they aren’t always thinking “my child is out there and being raised by someone else.” Also abortion is a faster and easier choice (as in it is less time consuming, takes less planning, and you aren’t pregnant for 9 months… not meaning it is an easy decision to make.) A lot of people choose adoption over abortion if they are pro-life or if they just want to bring the child into the world and give someone else the joy of having a child, especially because so many people are infertile.
Alyssa Kelly
1
ReplyDeletea. I don’t think the birth parent should be forced to be responsible for their child after they give it up for adoption. People give up their child for a reason; because they DON’T want to be the person primarily responsible for the child.
b. I do believe factor is a big reason in deciding for abortion instead of adoption. I personally could even fathom adoption. Just knowing that my child is out there in the world without me taking care of them would make me feel guilty each and every day.
2. If you are not ready for a child I believe abortion, giving up your child for adoption, or keeping your child are all consqeucnes that you have to face. You have to decide what is best for you and that’s not an easy decision for anyone
3. I think some people may choose abortion over adoption because their parents might disown them if they found out that they were pregnant. Some women may simply not want to carry a child for 9 months and feel like abortion is an easier solution. Some reasons to include adoption over abortion are for religious reasons or they would feel guilty for “killing” their child
-Chris M.
1) a: I believe once you give up your child for adoption you loose the privilege and right to be responsible for there action and where a bouts.I also believe that had the parent thought about it before they gave the child up they wouldn't feel "forced". I don't think they should feel forced though.
ReplyDeleteb: I do think it is a big factor a huge factor cause this is true it's easy to know a child that you haven't seen or witnessed born is going ,but to see them and know they are alive is different.
2) I don't think people think about the consequences of having sex until it actually happens. Sex is more of a heat of the moment type thing now it's not really thought out are planned just like the after math of it. People never think about adoption or abortion until it's there and i don't think that differs from sex.
3) I honestly can't think of a justified reason why people get abortions. Either they already have a child, don't want a child or they wasn't trying to conceive. Some reasons I think people choose adoption over abortion there morals there beliefs. Some people cant deal with it on their conscience
Dorsey
forgot my name! second comment---> Lauren Bellm
ReplyDelete