In Undecided...Out Decided.

Sadly, this blog project is coming to an end, and I would first and foremost like to thank everyone who took the time to read this blog and respond to the points I brought up in my posts. Without your comments and responses through engaging in this topic, this blog couldn’t have been successful. Throughout this blog, I have tried my best to present you with unbiased information while interjecting my own opinion on this topic in an un-influential way. As a writer I feel that I have developed in this aspect (with your help), while as a thinker I have grown intellectually in being able to see both sides of an issue. In examining North Carolina’s laws on abortion, I feel that I have become more pro-choice in the context that, if we as a state are planning on following the constitution on legalizing abortions then we need to take that stance. First, we need to make abortions available to all women, then we need to make clear we will never indoctrinate spousal notification, and finally, we need to eliminate parental consent laws as they are clearly unnecessary. Though I may not like the idea of abortion, in researching this topic I have accepted that abortion is legal in our current system, and, as a state, we need to fairly recognize this.

A Cloudy Future

In this post I would like to examine the future of abortion laws in North Carolina if we do not resolve our current problems. Currently, I believe that we have pointless, confusing, and unnecessary laws in our great state. If neither the public nor our politicians attack this issue, then I believe that the frustrations on both sides of the overall abortion issue will rise as a result. My only hope is that we will never experience a tragedy such as Paul Hill’s shooting, and Eric Rudolph’s clinic bombing

Check These Links Out!

Similar to the last post, in this post I am going to offer you guys some links to a few of my classmates blogs that I would recommend checking out. In order to respect their privacy, I will only offer the first name of those hosting the recommended blogs. The first blog located at http://againstabortion-janay.blogspot.com, is hosted by Janay. This blog most directly compares to the topic of this blog in that Ms. Janay focuses mainly on her views of abortion. I find this blog very interesting to read because it is both informative, and persuasive to her views on abortion. Being that I love to hear peoples own personal opinions and beliefs, I would highly recommend checking this blog out!

Another blog on a very heated political topic of today, is hosted by Lashawna. In her blog, Lashawna has tackled the topic of illegal immigration in the United States today. I especially like this blog, because it is both informative and respectful to all ethnicities and people who may be reading. In today’s society, it is very hard to offer one’s own opinion on such a heated topic without appearing to be biased or bigoted in any way. Lashawna proves that one can offer an opinion on immigration with class, while respecting all ethnicities involved. Here is her url: http://englishhomewrk.blogspot.com.

Though Lawshawna can examine a racial topic with respect to other ethnicities, many people in America do not have such a tolerance for those of other races. As apparent with the Jenna Six issue, racism is still very alive in today’s world. Therefore, I would recommend checking out Devonna blog on racism in our country today. This blog tackles issues of racism that are current and real to our generation. I must admit, being Caucasian and middle class, I was completely unaware of racism until the Jenna Six issue came to light. Devonna proves that racism is still very alive, and offers an interesting insight on this issue. I would highly recommend checking her blog out at: http://racism-today.blogspot.com.

UPDATE: In response to the last comment, here is a link for information on the Jenna Six that (I will warn) is largely biased, but I would highly recommend checking Devonna's blog out, as she has artfully tackled the Jenna Six issue.

Credible Links

In this next, I’ve decided to offer a list of links that I think are credible sources that depict a lot of the information on the issues discussed in this blog. For example, the two largest internet sources for the overall binary argument on abortion are: http://www.prolife.com, and http://www.prochoice.com/. The first site listed is supported largely by Christian beliefs, with emotionally driven arguments for the preservation of life in all cases. The second site largely reflects pro-choice views, with ethical arguments favoring the woman’s right to choose, and offers a lot of information on both abortion and adoption procedures with support service phone numbers to call. Another credible source for the pro-choice view is a site run by the US National Abortion Federation at http://www.prochoice.org/. This site is largely politically driven, supporting quick action on behalf of promoting pro-choice laws in the US.

While both of the above sources are great for researching one particular side of the overall abortion argument, my favorite site for this project is: http://www.abortionfacts.com. This site sources hundreds of textbooks written by both credited professors and doctors. The best feature about this site it is completely unbiased. This site offers information supporting both the pro-life and pro-choice views, and is presented to the viewer in such a way that they can make an informed decision for themselves. Another unbiased, credible site following the development of US Supreme Court laws pertaining to abortion and contraception is: http://maxweber.hunter.cuny.edu/socio/kuechler/309/absc6590.html.

In narrowing down this blog to abortion laws in North Carolina, this site does a really good job of grouping the states by their stance on certain issues-http://members.aol.com/abtrbng/stablw.htm. The only problem, is that this site is not credible by any means. Therefore, I only used it as a good site to group information contained in other various credible sites such as: http://www.coolnurse.com/abortion_laws.htm, and http://www.pregnantpause.org/lex/abortsum.htm. Also, pertaining to abortion in North Carolina here are a few news article links for the local News & Observer: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/columns/story/752160.html
http://dwb.newsobserver.com/24hour/religion/story/3729895p-13189338c.html.

Finally, here are the two best NOT-credible-in-any-way sources that I found, to represent a few stereotypes. The first site is dedicated to the memory of Paul Hill, a man who shot an abortionist in his attempt to take a public stance against abortion: http://www.armyofgod.com/PHillMessageBoard.html. This second site is a blog written by a man who not only is pro-life, but an anti-abortionist. The logic used in de-bunking abortion, and abortionists is just funny. Here is my favorite quote: “Plainly, someone who murders an obviously pregnant woman is not pro-life, so they must be pro-abortion.” While I did find stereotypical pro-choice sites that named called pro-lifers as hicks, etc. these were the best two stereotypical sites (they just happened to be from pro-life views).

Theories

First, I would like to thank all of those who commented on my last blog posting, and in this post would like to highlight on both Vilese11 and the first anonymous post’s comments. These two comments were great examples of the complications in writing abortion laws. Everyone may have some idea of their opinions on this issue, but ultimately have a hard time deciding exactly where they stand on specific issues involving abortion laws. I believe that both abortions on a whole and, abortion laws in North Carolina specifically, have become such a debatable issue simply because it is so hard to balance the chance for human life against a woman’s right to her own body. As a result, complications, heated debates, and blood pressure’s alike all arise from this issue. In order for abortion laws in North Carolina to become less debatable, I believe our system should first and foremost examine the practicality of current laws, while allowing for a public vote during the upcoming elections on debatable issues such as spousal notification and parental consent.

Spousal Consent?

Despite the landmark passage of Roe vs. Wade in 1973, a number of abortion issues were never dealt with. For example, on major question completely ignored in the decision was the issue of spousal consent in order for a married woman to receive an abortion. While many people supported Roe vs. Wade, and the woman’s right to choose an abortion, the fundamental question then became how much can she choose, and does the husband have any say in a life that he helped form? Obviously, balancing woman’s vs. men’s rights, then became a tougher issue in the battle over choice. This question was later answered in the Supreme Court case Planned Parenthood vs. Casey. This case set a judicial precedent stating that no woman, in any state, would ever need spousal consent before having an abortion. Despite this judicial precedent, across the United States, a total of ten states still have unenforceable laws pertaining to spousal consent, yet North Carolina is not one of them. Currently, there are certain grassroots organizations in North Carolina petitioning the state for a formal notice (not consent) to the other party whose child it is. Thanks to those who posted their comments to the last blog on Parental Notice Laws for underage abortions in North Carolina. I understand that some of you feel these laws are pointless, so how do you guys feel about spousal notice in North Carolina? Do you feel that spousal notice infringes upon a woman’s right to medical privacy?

UPDATE: Here is a link to a fairly recent (by legal terms) news link pertaining to spousal consent and the abortion issue: http://peoplepress.org/commentary/display.php3?AnalysisID=122.

Parental Consent: A Waste of Time

In today’s post I will examine the use of parental consent laws in North Carolina, pertaining to medical abortions performed on minors, and will prove that they are seemingly pointless laws. Currently, in North Carolina, for a minor (under the age of 18) to receive an abortion they must have parental consent. But, loosely defined, North Carolina allows for parental consent to be that of a grandparent, sibling (over the age of 18), or trusted family friend. If you can not receive any of the given, you are allowed to get permission for an abortion through a counseling waiver, judicial bypass, or even a doctor’s written consent. While many people support parental notification laws, those who do not support these laws argue that the minor may try to avoid notifying their parents of their pregnancy by performing dangerous abortions themselves. Through North Carolina’s loose laws, these children may be able to bypass the requirements of parental consent ensuring that they will receive safer abortions. Personally, I am not quite sure why North Carolina even has parental consent laws given that it is so easy to get around them. Do you think that these laws serve a purpose, or that they simply create more paperwork?

UPDATE: Here a well defined article on the binary issue of parental consent/notification laws that I recently found. Though this article does not define the issue relative to North Carolina specifically, it provides a plethora of information for those interested: http://www.reproductiverights.org/pub_fac_mandconsent.html