General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: This message was self-deleted by its author [View all]Butterbean
(1,014 posts)I have to say that nothing, but NOTHING irritates and gets under my skin more than a man who says that he knows what the pain of labor is like because he had _______ (insert physical ailment/surgery here). Usually they say kidney stone or knee surgery.
No. No you DON'T know what the woman is feeling, TRUST ME. You DON'T. Plus, pregnancy is not just about the birthing of the child, it's about the carrying of the child, and all the complications that can come with that. I have taken care of women who were so swollen with pre-eclampsia that they couldn't bend their fingers or open their eyes. I have taken care of women who had to remain in trendelenburg position (lying on your back with the head of the bed tilted down and your feet tilted up) 24/7 in order to save their pregnancies. Try peeing in a bedpan when you're pregnant and in trendelenburg...anyway...
The point is, that it is the WOMAN'S body that is so permanently and profoundly altered, and that doesn't even begin to touch what goes on psychologically. To demand a woman go through a pregnancy when she is not ready and does not want to is just.....well.....barbaric.
Take care of a child rape victim whose mother doesn't believe in abortion, and witness forced birth at the behest of someone else's wishes and desires in action. I promise you, you will never, ever ask this question again.