I'm a writer looking for varied perspectives on pregnancy

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authorwork

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I'm examining the social, cultural, and religious views of pregnancy for a book I'm writing. I'm hoping to get information from people in all walks of life who have come up against questions of faith when deciding whether to continue a pregnancy or not, regardless of the decisions they made. All names and identities will be protected (in fact, I don't even have to know your identity when you provide me with your two cents) and the book has no agenda - I'm not interested in forwarding the views of people who want to change other people's minds, just illustrating the different perspectives.
 
authorwork said:
...I'm hoping to get information from people in all walks of life who have come up against questions of faith when deciding whether to continue a pregnancy or not...
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Interesting phraseology....I'm not knowing of questions of faith regarding continuing a pregnancy....seems most often religion speaks to decisions regarding aborting a pregnancy...
 
I have not chosen to end a pregnancy however I can speak to losing multiple pregnancies and the affect(effect?) that has on ones faith in anything...

If you are interested let me know...
 
Miss Amy said:
I have not chosen to end a pregnancy however I can speak to losing multiple pregnancies and the affect(effect?) that has on ones faith in anything...

If you are interested let me know...
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Namaste Amy,

It is interesting, my mother was a nurse, and she has issues with the word abort, as when she grew up that was the name for miscarriage, it was a natural abortion of the fetus. My mother had three kids....we were all three years apart and I the middle child. Wasn't till I was well into adulthood that I found out she had more miscarriages than births...5-3 and that probably had they not occurred my little sister and I probably wouldn't have been born, as they were planning on three kids...and three would have happenned before me.....


Forgot to say welcome earlier Authorwork....so welcome.

I do have a question for you as well...you say
I'm examining the social, cultural, and religious views of pregnancy for a book I'm writing.
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do you have a direction this is going, a idea you are promoting, an end in mind, an agenda or are you examining in the truest sense of the word with no preconceived notions as to where this is headed?
 
The term that is often used is Spontaneous Abortion and the word is now so known with choosing to end a pregnancy that when they said it to me in the hospital I (all emotional and hormonolly drunk) I kept saying "I wanted this baby" becuase that word is so ingrained as a negative now.
 
Thanks for the warm welcome!

Miss Amy, I am saddened to hear about your losses.

Wil, I do not truly have any agenda other than illuminating the personal stories of women faced with this decision. I am intensely interested in how we make choices of such magnitude in our own lives, and wish to know what role an individual's faith plays.

I have no preconceived notions, either. Any I may have had have been shattered by the interviews I've conducted so far.
 
I'll tell you what I believe and I probably will make and lose friends with this. A life is a life is a life. A pregnancy from the moment of conception is a life. A soul, a person. As a female of the spieces it is my duty to be the incubator and the mother. Hopefully the male of the species is the provider and protector, father of this new life. I know that sounds a bit clinical. Its just how I feel. I've had 3 beautiful sons and I've lost 2 more children. ( I like to think that they were my girls). This being said, I know that not all conceptions are ideal, and indeed not all pregnancies go to plan, but we have to give a life the best possible chance it can. Rape and other horror stories often result in pregnancy. But a life is a life. Now I'm probably just simplifing it. I didn't expect to be in this situation that I am now when I was young. I'm not complaining, mind you but this is just to illustrate that things rarely end up being the way you envisioned them. Some things are good but some are not. Its ok its life. I dont want to tell someone that they are wrong or bad if they terminate a life, I just know that after losing my girls, and having my boys, a life is precious.
 
Thanks for your thoughts. I appreciate hearing from women who have experienced pregnancy and childbirth, especially those who have some historical (meaning they can look back a bit) point of view from their own lives.
 
You know what I find interesting about Societies view on pregnancy. That it seems a baby conceived out of a marital relationship is autimatically an "accident" and vice versa.

I was engaged to my husband the first time that I got pregnant. 25 years old, done school, good job, he had a good job yet it was still a big deal even though we had made the decision not to use birth control. My parents (who are NOT SAINTS OR RELIGIOUS hit the roof. Everyone thought it was this big mistake...

But the second time I got pregnant; we were married, he was in school... my mom was really sick... we were having more trouble financially... our marriage was rocky... and I ended up pregnant while on birth control and everyone thought it was this wonderful planned event. And even though it wasn't planned people were always "you can't plan these things." It's so bizarre!
 
Hi authorwork

Is it just the issue of choosing to terminate that you are looking for?

There is a serious issue for Muslim women in Afghanistan now with losing babies because they cannot go to the hospital without the permission of their husbands, can you believe, and this has created a massive increase in still borns because the husbands are choosing not to take their wives in time and by the time women get to hospital it is too late to save the baby. If this is of any interest to you let me know and I can tell you where to do some research into the issue.

As a person of faith, I was faced with the decision of hystorectomy in my early twenties (20 yrs ago :eek:) to protect myself or having a child and accepting the consequences. This is not a subject I would discuss openly but if you would like to discuss any aspect of this I am willing to do so by PM.

Salaam
 
Miss Amy: thank you for your most recent reply. You are absolutely right that society views pregnancy in vastly different ways based on what a woman's marital status is. It is an interesting dichotomy and I appreciate your insight.

Muslimwoman: I am tremendously interested in what you are saying. I am unsure of how it might fit into my book, but would like to investigate and do some research as it speaks to the intricacies of social/cultural/religious relationships and the impact they have on issues of pregnancy. Thank you so much for presenting this information to me. I would be grateful for any other information you can provide.
 
authorwork said:
Muslimwoman: I am tremendously interested in what you are saying. I am unsure of how it might fit into my book, but would like to investigate and do some research as it speaks to the intricacies of social/cultural/religious relationships and the impact they have on issues of pregnancy. Thank you so much for presenting this information to me. I would be grateful for any other information you can provide.
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Am pushed for time right now but will get you the information in the next day or so, I will post the issue of the women in Afghanistan but PM you with the personal info if that's ok.

Salaam
 
hi authorwork,

In Ireland there have been several constitutional referenda over the past 20 years on the abortion issue - it is illegal, though there has been some cases brought to the high court in relation to unviable pregnancies or minors who have been rape victims and this is mainly been on the right to travel (The UK, where it is legal, is a flight or ferry away).

The image that Ireland is a religious, Catholic state is a lie - we are hypocrites - and export this issue to the UK where thousands of women each year, if they can afford it, travel to terminate a pregnancy.
 
Hi Authorworks

The good luck of traumatised Afghanistan | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited

This is an article by the Guardian and gives the general problem, with links at the bottom to related articles.

RAWA.ORG: UNICEF warns of continued threat facing women and children in Afghanistan

Doctors ordered not ot treat women without their legal Mahrams

These are short articles by the Revolutionary Assoc. of the Women of Afghanistan. It may give you an idea if this is an issue you want/could include in your book.
Physicians for Human Rights have some good research about the medical aspects.
The Taliban are Deobandi, so you can look up the religious issues regarding banning women leaving the home to seek medical attention without a husband or close male relative.
The book Birth Control & Abortion in Islam By Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari gives the views and rulings of the 4 major Sunni schools.

Will let you have a look to see if this takes your thought process anywhere, if you want more info or need to understand the Islamic view just shout up.

Salaam
 
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