Wow, let the mischaracterizations begin.
First of all, when did I "throw stones" at anyone? Incog, you completely miss the point. I'm talking about a gross inconsistency in our society whereby we make 17 year-olds get parental permission to go on a school field trip but doctors aren't allowed to tell parents of their child's pregnancy, or that parents have no say in how they raise thier child (read, whether or not to accept abortion as a form of birth control).
Second, if I were to declare that life begins at conception (also a long-held belief in this world), I would be chastised until the cows came home. How dare I make such a claim, yadda yadda. Well, you're making the blanket statement that a child yet unborn is not life. I've seen people make the claim that post-birth abortions are acceptable. Kind of like a trial period for your baby. So, where are we drawing the line? I'm sorry I digress, because that isn't even the point of my post.
FT5S: the parents have an absolute right to deal with their kids' screw-ups in the manner they see fit.
By that logic, if a 5-year old stole a candy bar, the parents would be well within their rights to lock the child in the dark, damp basement for a week as punishment. Forcing a teen to bear a child can have lifelong medical implications, not to mention financial ones if the teen actually raises the child herself, or emotional ones if another member of her family does. Pretty big punishment for two minutes of passion.
And liberals say we conservatives live on the slippery slope. Yeah, genius. I'm saying that parents should hold a public hanging if their kid swipes a pack of Juicy Fruit. Good grief. Seriously though, if parents have raised thier children with the understanding that abortion is the wrongful killing of an unborn child, the decision of whether or not to have a baby has already been made once those thighs parted. That would be referred to as a "consequence" of having sex. Talk about a life lesson. It's one that has been learned the hard way in the past, and I'm sure that if people were forced to take responsibility for their own actions, many problems would solve themselves. By the way, I'm not talking about an 11 year old that got duped by a 16 year old. Yes, in that case serious medical conditions can arise, and then you're also talking about the "rape and incest" qualifier that even Catholics will concede to. Oh, and have you ever heard of "adoption?" Just sayin'...
As much as it irritates me, abortions are not only legal, they are readily available. That is an unfortunate fact, but a fact nonetheless. There are liberal parents that think that a baby is a punishment (wait...didn't a presidential candidate say something about that?) that their poor son or daughter shouldn't have to deal with. That's where we are in today's society. Abortion is a choice. A pretty crappy one, but a choice nonetheless. I will say that yes, I strongly disagree with a parent's decision to force an abortion when teens act mature enough to take responsibility for their own actions. I obviously don't support abortion, as Guitar-zan claims. Unfortunately, it's within their rights as parents.
Many of the responses I received here are proof of what I'm saying. The belief in abortion rights, for some at least, is bordering on a cult-like religion. Make any mention of inconsistencies or disagreements in any way, people cannot discern fact from opinion and go right onto the offensive, thus implying or even directly accusing any pro-lifer of hypocrisy, such as in Jazz-boy's post. I admit it's kind of fun triggering the knee-jerk reactions. Once in a while, though, it would be nice if we could read the words on the screen and take them for what they are.