You could argue that this was really about abortion, and not about wanting to prevent women from having immoral sex, as fewer women having premarital sex would mean fewer abortions, but that ignores two things—reality, and birth control . Some women have always become pregnant out of wedlock, regardless of the stigma against single parents; trying to control the sexual behavior of millions of women is simply not realistic. Furthermore, there are ways to interrupt the connection between “immoral” sexual behavior; promoting birth control access and use is a far more reliable solution than reinstituting or increasing social shame.

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Ah, yes ... if single mothers were not disliked and stigmatized, some women would choose to go ahead and continue their pregnancies. I have known women from fundamentalist families who got pregnant while single and suddenly became "pro choice" because they were so afraid of being disowned. When I was in my teens (I am 63) I knew women who dropped out of high school and went to "unwed mothers' homes" or got married - they were called shotgun weddings back then. Whatever they did, they got insulted and judged. They were often kicked out of high school and were not allowed to get their diploma. They had to get their G.E.D. Ah, yes ... those "good old days".

You are finding that anti-abortion extremists do not hesitate to stigmatize, hurt, even persecute anyone who disagrees with them. They are destructive single issue people who are poisoning our culture and political system.

Wouldn't make a difference, because I don't believe it is about that (for me anyway) Society and what they think can fuck off. I have had an abortion before, it was nothing to do with what society would think of me but for other reasons I can't be bothered discussing here. What society thought of me if I was a single mother was the last thing going through my head. What a lot of nonsense.
Maybe that's just because of where I live plus my own nature.
I am pro womens choice, abortion is legal and free and easy here. What anyone else has to say about it beside the women and man involved and possible families can go &%$$^%$#%^.
Something I feel strongly about obviously lol

Of course the whole point of Christianity that is angrily denied by Christians but nevertheless true is that it is 90% about social control. There is a deep-rooted sick drive to judge and punish. The bible is chock full of admonitions against independent women, thinking women, sexually active women, etc. I think a big part of the motivation behind the anti-abortion campaign is NOT a desire for more babies in the world. It is, rather, to stop women from enjoying any real independence. Bastard Pharisees!

@Douglas Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've never had to make that choice myself nor have I lost a baby. However, whenever people talk about a woman who gives up custody of her child, even to the biological father, the trash talking begins. I agree that the American mindset needs to change in order for women to seriously consider placing their child elsewhere. Many women, when faced with this choice, unfortunately bend to societal pressures. That is how resentment, failure to bond, depression, suicide, abuse, or infanticide germinate. It cannot be an easy choice to make. More Americans need your mindset. Thanks for speaking out against a very real problem in the States.

I think if the catholics and other assholes were to have a supportive environment for single mothers they'd carry the baby and care for it. I agree, if the catholics and any conservative group wants the abortion rate to shrink they need to support women, PERIOD. Good job, no stigma for pregnancy, Women's issues are Human issues

After waiting around 42 years for the right guy to come along, I’ve decided to delve into single motherhood through adoption... I think the only judgement I can expect will be about my financial preparedness, which of course is nobody’s business!

“If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people.” -House

But yes, even as a man I can see that if if there's a "no win" situation, any one will pick the lesser portrayed evil, which in this case single motherhood is way more stigmatized than an abortion. Even if the stigma is equal or greater towards abortion, you can't hide that you're a single mother as easily as you can hide that you had an abortion.

I don't give two shits about the judgments of others. If I wanted to have a child, using any method at my disposal, what anyone else might think about it wouldn't even make my list of considerations. That said, I also don't think whether any woman chooses to avail herself of any legal medical procedure is anyone else's damned business. Abortion is a fact of life. Nothing has ever made it go away, nothing ever will. If it's not your body, it's not your business, and you don't get a vote. I don't even know why people think they have a right to have an opinion on the subject. It's NONE of their business.

Next time you are engaging a pro-lifer, offer them a grand compromise: you will support restrictions on abortion, if they will agree to support family-friendly government and corporate policies such as extended paid child leave, quality low cost child care, extended medical coverage for pregnancy and wellbaby care, and contraception covered in all medical plans. Then tell them that the two cannot be separated. See what happens.

Stigma would increase chance of abortion and so would financial anxiety. I think most anti-abortion people know this and don't care. They just want to punish those "slutty" women for not "keeping their legs closed."

Who can believe this is still a topic of such dividing debate? Ridiculous to bitch about "welfare" mothers but not support sex ed and free birth control.
No one is Pro-Abortion. Supporters of Planned Parenthood and a woman's right to CHOOSE, don't especially like the choices we are stuck with. But if the options are to carry out a pregnancy you do not want, knowing you will be unable to provide adequately for the child or offer a safe environment, will be socially ostracized and/or disowned for getting knocked-up OR having an abortion, we've got to choose the absolute right to abortion...
Until the choice is made AS A GLOBAL COMMUNITY to provide unfiltered education, free female exams and birth control to every woman ever, we will remain Pro-Choice. The choices fucking suck but that's all we got.

Why are Catholic men so interested in this?? I want to see more Catholic women stand up and insist birth control be used so might not have to have an abortion. I have seen men show up at Planned Parenthood rallies with abortion fetus pics, usually with a group of little mousy women standing around them. If men had to carry babies things would be different. If you Catholics don't want an abortion, don't have one. Don't take my right to choose. Single mothers need a lot of support, emotional and financial...care to help out Catholic men???