How will you obtain a car seat? What will you do for recreation?

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Jul 15, 2005

The National Abortion Federation ("the professional association of abortion providers in North America") presents some questions to help the pregnant woman choose between her options of abortion, adoption, and parenthood. The fact that NAF has a distinct financial interest in one of the three decisions is, strangely enough, not mentioned. If you're in the habit of asking salesmen at a car dealership for the pros and cons of hanging on to your old rattletrap, you'll love this site. Put yourself in the shoes of a college freshman who just found out she's pregnant, and check out NAF's helpful rundown of the issues attending (gulp!) parenthood:

You may need to think about how you will accommodate potentially increased needs for:

1. changes in lifestyle
*Will you be able to obtain childcare if necessary?
*Do you want to continue your education? How will you accomplish this?
*How much time do you want to spend with your child? Is this possible?
*What do you do for recreation? Can you continue to do some of these things after the child is born? What if you cannot?
*Will your decision to be a parent come closest to giving you what you want in your life?

2. medical support
*Are you taking prenatal vitamins and having regular exams with an obstetrician?
*Do you have a doctor and hospital lined up for delivery?
*Have you chosen a pediatrician?
*What will you do if there is a problem with the pregnancy?

3. financial support
*How will you pay bills for prenatal care, delivery, and a pediatrician?
*How will you provide health insurance for you and your child? (You may be eligible for government assistance.)
*How will you pay for rent, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, laundry?
*Will you need to take a different or second job?
*How will you obtain (buy or borrow) a crib, baby clothes, maternity clothes, blankets, a car seat?
*What will it cost to hire a babysitter, if you need one?

4. emotional support
*Do you have a person (possibly your partner) who is going to make you a priority during your pregnancy?
*Do you have a person who is going to be available for your delivery and the weeks afterward?
*If you are in conflict with anyone over this pregnancy, are you willing to live with that conflict?
*Are your family and/or friends supportive of your decision? What do you expect from them, and what do they expect from you? Are these expectations realistic?

Skilfully done. The "you may be eligible for government assistance" line raises the prospect of being obliged to go on welfare -- goodbye, daydreams! -- and the point about the cost of a babysitter will hit home with girls for whom babysitting has meant income rather than outlay. Contrast all this with NAF's take on abortion. Note that here they provide ANSWERS ("Procedure is completed in 5-15 minutes") instead of multiplying anxieties.

There's also a page delicately titled "emotions" that grudgingly concedes the possibility that abortion might turn out to be a bummer for some women, but attributes this directly and indirectly to pro-lifers and their judgmental attitudes:

Although the most common emotion after completing an abortion is relief, there also can be feelings of loss or sadness. Some women may have difficulty after an abortion because of:

*The obstacles encountered while trying to obtain abortion care
*Feeling alone while making an important decision
*An environment where choosing abortion may be stigmatized

Some women feel grief even though they know they made the right decision. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. The feelings are real, and you should give yourself permission to have them.

NAF also covers its bases with this ever-so-sly innuendo: "The most reliable indicator of whether a woman will experience feelings of distress after an abortion is her emotional stability before the abortion." Got that? If you come out of our shop a wreck, that's because you were already a wreck when you came in.

Love these guys.