Emergency: My friend is pregnant

Carl Hernandez2 said:As for those Catholics you’re calling a "safety net" for the anti-abortion crowd... I mean, Christianity is pretty much the only logical stance here.

Give me a break; everyone just wants to hype up their own side.

What's wrong with Hindus then?😁

Ha! You've got to be kidding me! I'm just glad I have you here to steer me back onto the one true path. 😁

Look at it this way:

You don't need to be raised with certain traditions to figure out what's right and what's wrong.
What does my status as a Catholic or how many kids I have have to do with this?! Our spiritual leaders practice abstinence. For everyone else, the whole point of life is family. If I don't have a family of my own, maybe I'll just practice abstinence to reach some higher state of being.

Precisely, my friend.
That’s exactly the issue here. This thread was started by a girl trying to help her friend; she’s looking for practical information regarding an abortion—specifically, the logistics of a decision that has already been made.
You’re stubbornly playing dumb (I hope! 😁), clinging to this topic just to lecture her about how she's choosing the "wrong path." Honestly, man, did she or her friend even ask for your opinion on that?
Do you really think someone in her position cares about the empty ramblings of a barely legal college kid telling her how to live? Especially when you approach her with that disgusting, judgmental attitude of "well, she shouldn't have been so reckless"? Bravo. Truly empathetic. Is that what your spiritual mentors taught you?
The question wasn't "should she have an abortion or not"—and let me say this clearly, since it obviously didn't sink in the first six times: the question was "how do I get an abortion?" If you don't know anything about the morning-after pill, please, just go join a church and shout about fire and brimstone with your buddies instead. 😁
Furthermore, I was wondering how many children you actually have, given your obsession with who is qualified to speak. From what I can see, you don't have any. What I see even more clearly is that you lack any real-world experience. You have no clue what independent life is actually like, and you're probably still living under your parents' roof. Giving advice when you're in that position is, quite frankly, misplaced.
The connection between your Catholicism and your number of children is this: you're sitting here on these forums, acting like a self-righteous preacher, rambling about how easy it is to raise a child, finish college, hold down a job, provide a great life for yourself and your kid, and still have plenty of time to relax in the garden 😁 all while being single. 🙏
Now, look, I'm not saying that isn't possible, but I refuse to have that lifestyle promoted to me by someone who has opted out of dating, relationships, and family entirely just to pursue—get this—"higher conclusions." 😁 What could you possibly know about human relationships? Nothing. You have zero clue because you practice abstinence. Yet, you still feel called to lecture us on "correct values." That is exactly why I am addressing you as a Catholic. I can't help but notice this overwhelming urge among people of your faith to aggressively push what you call "the truth" or "the right path." You can fill in the rest.
Why can't you just accept the simple fact that this is YOUR truth, and YOUR path? In your last post, you proclaimed the Christian vision of life as the absolute truth, blissfully unaware of the intolerance and narrow-mindedness that comes with it.
Just let people think for themselves.
The same logic applies to your spiritual mentors, provided they actually practice what they preach regarding abstinence. In fact, I’d take it a step further and say it applies to all living beings.

Exactly.
👋

On this thread, everyone seems to be piling on the anti-abortion crowd, acting like every girl should just go ahead and give birth, raise the kid, and live happily ever after—like everything will just magically fall into place. Even though the guy involved might not even want to hear the word mentioned.
Then, you turn around and see a discussion about single moms, and suddenly there's a whole spectrum of opinions flying around, ranging from supportive to people claiming a relationship with someone who already has a kid is doomed from the start.
I mean, look, a girl has her baby, her parents step in to help, they figure things out, but obviously, she needs a life partner eventually (since her parents won't be there to hold her hand forever). And then you run into men full of all these prejudices—I’ve heard them say stuff like, "Why would I raise someone else's kid? I'd rather find someone to have my own with..." And how is she supposed to find happiness if her child becomes an obstacle to finding love?

And I'm not just talking hypothetically here. My best friend had her baby back in high school. She finished school, went through college... she has a wonderful son, truly sweet and smart. Luckily, his dad steps up too. But for a long time when they weren't together, it was incredibly hard for her to find anyone who wouldn't see the little guy as a burden.
As much as she loves that boy, it's been tough on her. Her family helps out, but they can't do everything for her. She found out she was pregnant when it was already too late to make a different choice, but in our private talks, she admits she probably would have gone that route... just so she could keep living like a normal teenager.

It’s so easy to sit back and pass judgment or play philosopher when you aren't the one standing in the middle of the storm. When I think back to how overwhelming those periods of life can be—all those heavy decisions, the tears, the pure struggle... honestly, when you're actually in the thick of it, all those polished opinions you used to hold are put to the ultimate test.
That's why I believe everyone has to make their own call, regardless of all the noise and advice from others. At the end of the day, that person is the one who has to live with that decision for the rest of their life.

Carl Hernandez2 said:And while we’re talking about kid counts... and those Catholics of yours. What on earth does my personal number of children have to do with anything?!

The reason I'm venting is because absolutely nobody has bothered to address what I pointed out several pages back in this thread...

And here are the following FACTS [and if you want to play skeptic, go ahead and check the official records held by the Department of Health and Human Services regarding pregnancy terminations at medical facilities across the US]:

#1: The largest group of women seeking abortions falls within the 30-39 AGE RANGE. -> So, surprise, surprise—we aren't just talking about teenagers here. 🙄

#2: The highest percentage of women requesting an abortion ARE MARRIED (66.1%). 🙄

#3: Among all women seeking abortions, the biggest demographic
is actually those who already have two children—34.9%. 🙄

Now, take a look at the general percentage of Catholics in this country, compare it to the total number of women in America, and tell me how many of those women getting abortions are actually Catholic. Then, feel free to draw your own little conclusions from that. 🙂

http://www.cdc.gov/publications/reports/abortion_statistics_report.pdf

🙂

Megan Reed said:It’s because nobody actually addressed what I wrote a few pages back in this thread...

And these are the following FACTS [if you don't believe me, just check with the social medicine department at the CDC, which keeps all the official records here in the States regarding terminations in medical facilities]:

#1: Out of all the women seeking an abortion, the largest group falls in the 30-39 AGE RANGE. -> So, look at that—it's not just teenagers we're talking about. 🙄

#2: The highest percentage of women requesting abortions are actually MARRIED (66.1%). 🙄

#3: Among the women who seek abortions, the biggest group consists of those
who already have two children—that's 34.9%. 🙄

Now, just look at how many Catholics there are in this country overall, compared to the total number of women in America, and tell me how many of those women getting abortions could possibly be Catholic. Then, maybe, give me your conclusion. 🙂

http://www.cdc.gov/publications/pregnancy_termination_stats_report.pdf

🙂

They probably aren't even married to the father.🤣

Hannah Davis18 said:claiming pregnancy is the most beautiful thing in the world😉

well, it just occurred to me—I had an ovulation window a few days back.
honestly, if I’d actually taken advantage of that to have a seventh child, they’d be heading off to elementary school right about now.
I suppose I should spend the next three days mourning that unfortunate missed opportunity...

There is a profound difference between simply being fertile and actually bringing a life into this world... when you combine male and female cells and then opt for an abortion... it's as if "nothing happened"... which leads me to think—perhaps animals are somehow more enlightened beings than we are...

Betty Barnes43 said:Please correct me if I’m wrong—I’ve actually started feeling a bit agitated by the sheer amount of stubbornness being displayed here—so I just couldn't bring myself to read through this entire thread anymore.
So, is it just my imagination, or has none of the self-righteous Catholics present here (and please, don't jump down my throat about how I know that—we all know it 😉 ) actually stated how many children they have?

The question was asked quite explicitly at one point, yet nobody seems particularly eager to boast about their "blessings" 😁... in fact, they all seemed to elegantly sidestep the whole thing... perhaps I simply can't list them all? 🙄 😁

Come on now, you champions of the right to life, the pure consciences, the morality, and all that other shallow rhetoric: HOW MANY CHILDREN DO YOU HAVE?

I am not some narrow-minded Catholic, nor do I have children... and I am still quite young... in my early 20s. I don't believe children should be produced like items on an assembly line... rather, I think if you don't want kids... you shouldn't have them, and you should make sure it stays that way (meaning, prevent pregnancy instead of aborting!)... if I were a closed-minded Catholic, I would be protesting against condoms and birth control pills....
go to a church... you'll find more of them there

bluecyclist5 said:There's a massive difference between just being able to conceive and actually making a baby... once those cells meet and then you go through with an abortion... and then act like 'nothing happened'... I guess animals are somehow higher beings than us, huh?

I mean, whatever.😉

To people just looking for attention, it all looks the same, I guess.

Honestly, if you really think some animal is more evolved than you, maybe you wouldn't know.😎

bluecyclist5 said:Look, I’m not some stuck-up Catholic, I don't have kids... and I'm still pretty young... in my 20s. I don't think people should just be popping out like they're on an assembly line... I mean, if you don't want kids... then don't have them, and make sure you stay that way (like, prevent pregnancy instead of dealing with an abortion!)... if I were actually a religious zealot, I'd be whining about condoms and birth control pills...
just join a church then... you'll find plenty of those types there

hm, so apparently nowadays, being totally inconsistent is what we're calling "not being a zealot" now... 😎

rustymoose54 said:So, apparently, being completely lacking in any moral backbone is now being rebranded as "being non-judgmental." 😎

Exactly. 👍

I honestly have zero patience for those "I’ll practice self-love before marriage, use birth control, and if I end up pregnant, I guess we'll just have a white wedding in a chapel while I'm showing" types of Catholics. 🙄 😬

It's especially grating when those exact same people turn around and act like they have some divine authority to lecture everyone else on how to live their lives. 👎

Megan Reed said:Exactly. 👍

I mean, I’ll be honest—I just can't deal with those certain types of Catholics who preach this whole "wait until marriage" thing... yet they're out there using birth control and condoms, and if a pregnancy actually happens, they just figure they'll head to the chapel and get married with a full baby bump. 🙄 😬

It’s especially grating when those very same people feel entitled to lecture everyone else on how to live their lives... 👎

Go ahead... try to find me ten Catholics in your neck of the woods who actually stay pure before marriage... I'll wait...🙄

I honestly have no clue why the mods haven't shut this thread down yet. 👎

bluecyclist5 said:Go ahead, try finding ten Catholics in your neck of the woods who actually wait until marriage... I'll wait.🙄

Fine, here’s my take...
in my part of the country... I can name at least five right off the bat; and there are probably more, assuming I don't go around interrogating everyone I know about what they're doing behind closed doors... which, honestly, isn't something I care to do. 😬

Everyone knows the rules for what a "Catholic" is allowed to do and what isn't. If someone is a true Catholic, they aren't sleeping together before marriage. Period.🥳

Karen Brooks said:I honestly don't get why the mods haven't shut this whole thing down yet. 👎

Exactly, because if they actually did their jobs and nuked the 95% of mindless threads cluttering this site, we wouldn't even have a reason to log on anymore... 🥳

And looking back at my history, I just realized I've actually contributed more posts to this specific thread than anyone else... 😲 😬

The topic itself isn't stupid, but you all have drifted so far off-track with these responses. Honestly, it’s hard to tell who’s more stubborn here. It seems like everyone with a sense of moderation has checked out, leaving behind only the most rigid, inflexible people. As a neutral observer just following along from the sidelines, it’s glaringly obvious that there isn't actually much difference between you all—only the specific angles of your arguments.
To the girl who originally asked the question: I’m sure you found all this bickering incredibly helpful.

For instance, when > chimed in earlier, she made a claim that had absolutely nothing to do with reality, simply because she doesn't understand the subject: "We know what a 'Catholic' can and cannot do. If they are a true Catholic, they WON'T be hooking up before marriage. End of discussion."
If you understood even the slightest bit about the actual essence of faith (specifically Catholic, since I don't know enough about other denominations to comment), you'd realize how nonsensical that statement was. But I won't lecture you; I don't attend religious studies just to get dragged into debates like this.

And to those of you acting like judge and jury: "Judge not, lest ye be judged, for the same measure you use will be used against you."
My life is my own. How I live and what principles I follow is my business, but I have no right to dictate how anyone else lives or what they must do. In fact, judging others is fundamentally contrary to Christian values.

Anyway, that's all I have to say. Regards to everyone. 👋

Karen Brooks, :klap: :klap: :klap

I honestly think we’ve covered everything on this topic already. It’s time to finally close the book on it. Period. Done. Nothing left to say.
😈:

Karen Brooks said:Look, I’m not trying to lecture you since I don't even bother with religious studies just to avoid these kinds of debates.

Oh, please, go ahead—enlighten me then, since my comment apparently rubbed you the wrong way.

In other words: convince me otherwise. Because, frankly, I haven't exactly noticed the Catholic Church giving its blessing to premarital sex or the use of condoms and birth control. 🙄

I still operate under the assumption that if everyone were actually as devout as they claim to be, we wouldn't be seeing such staggering abortion rates across the country. 🥳

Another point regarding abortion:

As I recall, the US may have restricted abortion rights last year or the year before—previously, it was permitted up to 7 or 8 months, perhaps even right up until birth?! Now it’s been scaled back to maybe 6 months, or possibly even 5.

In the EU, legal abortion is generally only allowed up to about 2.5 months into the pregnancy.

So, what do you all think—is it somehow "better" to let teenagers make these calls entirely on their own, without any judgment if they choose an abortion?

After all, an embryo lacks a soul—it can't feel pain, nor can it hold a grudge over a mother's decision to terminate.

We should be looking much closer at established mothers who already have two or three children but still opt for an abortion; these individuals actually make up the largest demographic in American abortion statistics. We need a real analysis of this—the motives vary wildly: financial instability, failing marriages, paternity issues, or other factors.
The middle class might be doing okay for now, but they remain obsessed with independence and avoiding financial strain at the expense of having children. To what end, and why?