Thinking Out Loud about Very Taboo Topics so parental permission please if under 18

Hello, sorry for the 'alarming mysterious title..but also for the way the print cuts off the tail end of the letters...' Now I am seeing the copy fine as I am editing. I did bring this over from FB or thereabouts..so maybe that's the problem..Okay, so I will post and hope the print clears up.

These are difficult realities some young men were discussing online..the legality and occurrence of abortion, especially late-term abortion with some specific procedures being questioned as necessary,  humane or rational. I am grateful people are wrestling with since the questions are pertinent to everyone, not the least of those being aborted or having to make such difficult decisions and undergo the procedure(s).

While Bill Nye is saying the issue distracts people from many other important matters, we could all stand to allow much more interaction online and with meaningful movements to clarify what we would like to see happen in this modern world. Many educated people are looking at the possibility that 'life as we know it' may change dramatically in the next decade..and certainly by 2050 which is just a few decades away.

Back in the 1980s I spoke about complacency being a challenge for the promising college graduates (this was at a service with a few hundred people or more.) I hardly knew what I was saying, but to prove the point of having to take a chance in order to see if I was in the ball park I went for it. Overall, the idea that people have clear picture of What We Are Doing Here on earth is not a given.

We are very much 'brainwashed' into thinking there is nothing more to consider than the physical aspects of our existence...eating, sleeping, recreating..and procreating (or not)...with a distant idea of 'consequences or karma.' More people are feeling they must work extra hard to survive and especially to Thrive...so the idea of slowing down and thinking about life as part of a team, other than one's immediate family, is not one that can be explored in a meaningful way. Plenty of 'experts' are saying we are beyond clueless about our country's history as well as our current and future options...I think the talk about abortion is 'too little too late..'

How many women would really be planning to 'just have an abortion' if things don't go as planned for them? If there were free birth control and Plan B pills for those unplanned unprotected times...likely the later-date abortion rate would drop substantially. If women had more support to carry a pregnancy socially as well as financially, that also would likely make a dent in the rate.

These options are not clearly explored...and the many social factors that weigh in as well are often overlooked. Free therapy and support for all women of child-bearing age (even under 30 since by then they've usually figured some basic things out...) It does seem there could be a wealth of options to anyone having a late-term abortion...When we hear of many countries not being allowed birth control (even the use of condoms was not condoned I believe by a leading church in Uganda for instance) then we have to question why That would be permissible in light of the health and mental challenges pregnancy can bring to any woman (and her family or others in her circle.)

Let's take the pressing concern to keep us 'awake at night' and acknowledging the incongruities, the horrors and misery that merit our attention at least for discussion and ideally for finding better solutions that can allow for the life of a child to continue 'with no strings atttached' if a birth parent is not up for that connection...which clearly many are not for a variety of reasons. Free childcare would be reasonable to make up for the shortcomings and abuse children have suffered for generations.

Until the money can be found, taking the public education money and allowing it to help youth through age 6 would make sense (and yes 24-7 care would be ideal, like local camps and so on for parents who work at night or otherwise cannot or do not want to be with them...) As long as we are dreaming it makes sense to think about What We DO Want. More businesses and much of the prison budget could be used to support the early care years.

Then more students could attend grade school from ages 6 or 7 and up, when they could benefit from 'formal studies'. Pacing youth in grades to help them enter high school at age 15 or so and finish closer at ages 18-19 would allow them to mature and gain some college level classes for credit during high school. Again with more support in the early adult years, fewer unplanned pregnancies and pressures would result. Every young woman and man needs to hear about the biology and options for birth control as well as the challenges and laws about relationships. It's not for the feint of heart...

The laws are very tricky in some states and muddier than mud in others...but often jail, violence, fines, programs and 'craziness' can be the result..so woo with care and double check everyone understands the terms and laws (there's that Biggie again ) for consent of sober people so conflicts and crime do not escalate or emerge 'out of nowhere'. Since these are new developments for most people over 45, be extra careful if over those ages even if pregnancy is not as much of a risk..which it generally isn't..but again, no guarantees until a woman's been without a period for a full year due to menopause..(biology tip for midlife folks.)

Okay, that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are support people for everyone in these situations and many other challenges in life..doulas for not only birth but for abortions, or for the dying and their families and so on. Likely more outreach could be done and even more public gatherings to show support for any group of people. Small groups likely would be better and safer emotionally.

I actually would recommend just one-to-one for the most part. Many bereavement groups do not acknowledge the possibility of meaningful connection with the spirit of someone whose physically died or is missing or not in one's presence. This kind of 'wall' can be what many feel when someone breaks up with them or won'd communicate with them..that feeling of abandonment, or a total detachment and shutting out.

Maybe some people intend that for the person they are leaving or no longer want to relate to (and even if someone ends their life to hurt others that may seem the final call...) Yet if one can be open to the idea that in one's dreams, heart, mind and even on some level in this 'reality' there is a way for one's spirit to connect with that of another, then the heavy door can be left ajar.

The door never need 'slam shut once and for all.' Other people, yes mediums but other intuitive or compassionate people, may also be able to connect to that person's spirit (some say one's angels can speak with the other person's angels...) Perhaps music, song, poetry, drawing or other endeavors will come to mind to explore the connection with the person in question (whether a new human being that was not born due to an abortion or a miscarriage or injury or illness.) On a wider level what does the pain and suffering and even one person's life being 'cut short' (intentionally or accidentally..) bring up for us as a collective?

Again we are trained mainly to 'disconnect' or 'not think about that' (publicly or even privately...) I explore many of those issues on www.livfully.org and will wrap up this post (and put it on the blog even). Comments are welcome there even without one's real name (and I have to approve them to let them show, so speaking one's heart is fine and asking it not be posted is okay too...)

My condolences to all women who have walked the difficult path of considering and/ or following through with an abortion for the pain and suffering it brought them, their familes and any others, including the unborn baby. Spiritually there may be reasons we will learn in time 'why these things came to pass'. Some brainstorming ideas may be to remind us all of the responsibility for being in safe, sensible relationships (with support from helpful other people...isolation is not a good sign nor is not having anyone to talk with in a meaningful way even if surrounded by otherwise functioning people...)

There's lots more of course, but the bigger gift of life and the idea that we do not condone killing by guns or otherwise if someone is innocent and unless in self-defense...but there are many abortions done. For those women having to have those due to a lack of support or more of a mandate from the biological father or other people in their lives, again we can acknowledge that. I made an extensive but not exhaustive list of the many basic facets a person may have as part of their definition.

I think I should include whether they have a gun safety training or actually have a gun in the home or one they personally own (and whether they have open or concealed carry...) A person nowadays has to be more aware of the level of the risk they are in and even that they are to others..due to statistics and maybe that would bring the mortal stats down considerably..especially when pondering whether a spirit continues on beyond this mortal realm...