(Expanded from a comment I left in someone else’s journal)
Any time there’s intercourse between two adults of the opposite sex and of the same species, there’s a chance of pregnancy.
Contraceptives fail. Even tubal ligations and vasectomies have been known to fail (yes, it is very unlikely, but it has happened). Hysterectomies don’t fail. Those and total abstinence are the only 100% effective methods of contraception.
When post-puberty male and female humans have consensual intercourse, barring the woman having had a hysterectomy, both people are implicitly agreeing that they know that a pregnancy could happen, and they each bear full responsibility for any child conceived as a result of the intercourse.
People who are not ready and willing to deal responsibly with pregnancy have no business having sex.
I am truly pro-choice. I completely support women’s right to choose to carry a pregnancy to term or to terminate a pregnancy safely.
However, I’ve known since I carried Katie that I absolutely could not survive an abortion. I have attempted to make that absolutely clear to every sexual partner I’ve had since that time.
After one long-time partner’s response to learning that I might be pregnant (“I don’t know why you’re worried, I can afford to pay for the abortion”), I learned that having said so wasn’t enough—his selective hearing/memory meant that it didn’t “take.”
After that, I chose not to have sex with any male who does not actively demonstrate his understanding and acceptance of the fact that I will not ever abort a healthy baby. Period. And agree that he will not ever try to suggest, encourage or otherwise influence me to do so, or attempt to shirk his responsibilities should conception occur.
This is a public post. I think there are a lot of people in this world who need to be beaten about the head and shoulders with a clue-by-four on this issue.
