Assume abortion has always been legal with no moral stigmatism: do you believe your birth mother would have still kept you under the circumstances of the time?

My parents were married already and have a 2 year old daughter when they had me.
I’m pretty sure they were in full-parent mode at that point.

Unquestionably. I was the first child (and female) born to the oldest of five sons. I was well-loved. It helped to live next door to my grandparents and then four unmarried uncles.

I was born to a mother who neglected me [and I was subsequently seized by the State]. I dunno, I think she may have if she hadn’t been Catholic.

@squirbel: I wrestled with whether or not to say, “imagine no religion” in my post.

In that case, you are asking us to put ourselves in another person’s shoes – and we cannot possibly know their personality, typical reactions to stress, their plans, their goals, or their feelings.

It is an impossible question to ask.

Why not ask – “If you were pregnant, would you keep your child?”

@squirbel: and that’s what I didn’t want to happen because I do question how many of us would be here if our mothers had had a fewer obstacles in the path, be for or against.

My mother said she planned to have me (I was her 2nd child, the first was planned as well), but she did tell me that she was pregnant after having me and she decided to have an abortion because at the time my father suddenly got sick and she had to work three jobs to just to support us. She said it wasn’t an easy decision, but she knew that the stress would be too much to handle and that if she was able to support all of us then she wouldn’t have gotten one. I respect her decision as I am a firm believer in a woman’s right to choose, but I often wonder how different our life would have been if she didn’t go through with it.

My mom got pregnant with me on purpose. She was unwed and 18 and a runaway. When she moved back home, my grandparents (her parents) bought her plane tickets to New York where abortion was legal, so she could have the procedure. She said no.

So yes, she would. :) Good thing, too. I’m the only grandchild they’ll ever have.

My mother has had two abortions, guess my brother and I got lucky that she kept us. My mother is prochoice, and doesn’t have any moral stigma to abortion.

I was an oopsies, but my mother and father were married with a bunch-o-kids already, so probably not, though, we didn’t have a lot of money, so if there are no moral implications what so ever it’s possible that I could have been I suppose.

My mom planned to have me, and planned to have my younger brother. My parents had been married for a couple of years before I was born. We never talked about hre views on abortion, but I remember something she said when I was in high school. My parents had unexpectedly found themselves with another baby on the way. Her dr. wanted to do an amnio to test for problems because she was pushing 40. My mom told me that if the baby had Down Syndrome she would have an abortion. I didn’t question that, but I remember being very surprised at it, coming from her. All the tests were normal, but a few days later she miscarried. Of course, now she says abortion is evil and that no matter what she would never have had one because a child is a child, etc. etc. Difficult to know her true thoughts because she has some problems.

@squirbel: Never mind the fact that none of us knew our parents at the age we were conceived.

My mother was Catholic, I would have been kept. But that defies your question, religion creates moral codes.

big flaw.

My mother was diagnosed with MS just after she had my older sister. She was told not to have another child because it would put too much strain on her body. But, she was an only child, and did not want my sister to be one, so she purposely had me.

Neither of my parents are against abortion. They sure lobbied for it when my sister got pregnant at 17.

I’m not sure. My mother was pregnant with me when she was 17. I am sure it would have crossed her mind if it was something that was frowned upon. But, at the same time my mother really wanted me and was ready to start a family. I know it’s strange to hear that when someone is only 17, but I believe her because she is strong and knows what she wants. Good question though.

To be honest I can’t guarantee she would have. She was 18, had just gotten out of the military due to an injury and was considering heading for college. I was an “oops” of failed birth control pills. I’m glad i’m around and I know my mum is too, but at the time i’m sure she was less than thrilled about it!

No. What led to my conception, as far as I’m given to know, was apparently unwanted on her part.

My mom had a miscarriage between my sister and I. When she found out she was pregnant with me, she also found out her husband (not the dad that raised me) was cheating on her. They eventually worked things out, at one point, she thought about ending the pregnancy – but religion did factor into it and also, she said she couldn’t look at my sister and think of really ending the pregnancy. I think if religion hadn’t stepped in, she still would have kept me.

Yes. I was wanted.

Mine didn’t.

My mother spent a big chunk of her life and a bigger chunk of change trying to have me. She went through nasty, painful surgeries and medical procedures and got pumped full of drugs that may have caused the cancer she had when I was 10 and was almost disowned by her parents. Even if my mom knew that those drugs would give her cancer and force her into painful, early menopause, she still would have had me.

@MissAusten: I think miscarriages can change a woman’s view about abortion. I don’t have children and I have never been pregnant but I imagine that if I was pregnant and I had a miscarriage, whether I was planning on keeping the child or not, my views on abortion would change.

@KatawaGrey I can see where you’re going with the miscarriage/abortion thing. I’ve had three miscarriages, and I think if I didn’t have my son, then I might feel differently on abortion.

My mother wanted to have 6 kids, she came from a family of 8 kids, and my dad from a family of 10, both wanted large families. My mother was pregnant before I was born, with twin boys, and they were stillborn at I think 5 or 6 months. Somehow, I managed to be carried to term, while my parents tried either 2 or 3 more times, all ending in miscarriages after I was born. As such, I am an only child, and my mother was about as overprotective as they come as a result of it. Knowing that, I have 0 doubt whatsoever that I was planned.

Si.

I hope.

My parents had been trying for years before my mom became pregnant with Amoebic and I. They were 29. I’m 28 now… it’s kind of a trip to think about. My fiance and I will start trying for a baby after the wedding.

So, yes.

@3or4monsters :-)

I think mine would because I was the first child anyway. But I know many that wouldn’t.

@KatawaGrey I’m sure having a miscarriage can change the way a woman thinks of a lot of things. I didn’t mention that this was her second miscarriage. My parents also had another baby who was born premature and only lived one week. So, I don’t think it was that third loss that changed her views. I think her being mentally and emotionally disturbed now is one of the reasons she says drastically different things from day to day. If I were to ask her about abortion, what she’d tell me today would be one thing, and what she’d tell me next week would be another.

Yes, definitely. I was wanted and waited for.

While I’ve known for a while that I definitely wasn’t “on purpose”, my mom definitely wanted a baby, and her biological clock was going “tick tick tick”. Plus, she didn’t have anything better going on. From what it sounds like, she saw the advent of me as an excuse to quit her job, and she was pretty happy about the prospect.

My mother has told me I wasn’t planned or wanted and would have had an abortion had it been legal and safe for her. She was married at the time but wanted to get a divorce and was just about ready when she learned she was pregnant with me. I know my mother loves me but I also know her life changed forever because of me, I know what I have cost her over the years in terms of re marriage and planned children.

Wow. I had never even considered the notion before. Considering I was conceived after a failed vasectomy, this question really made me think. My parents already had a number of children and had actively sought to guarantee that they would never have any more.

If they were not Catholic, and there was no social stigma, and there was no problem with illegality, knowing the way my parents feel about their children and the fact that I was never made to feel like any less than a miracle baby, I still don’t believe I would have been aborted.