The Travis County Healthcare District board is considering renewing two contracts with organizations that perform abortions. The contracts are due for renewal in December.
It's not that I'm against abortions in any way, shape or form. I'm not! People have the right to choose what they think is best for them. Personally, I would never choose to have an abortion, but that is my choice and my choice alone. Since it my choice to either have an abortion or carry the baby to full term, it should be my responsibility to pay for that that abortion should I decide to have one.
Property taxes are already very high in our county. The revenue raised from these taxes should be used for those services that the benefit the county population as a whole. Police and fire protection, streets and public health are but a few of these services. Providing for abortions is not one of these services.
Tensions run very high when it comes to abortions, and those who are agains abortions for any reason no matter how they are paid for do not need another reason such as public funding of abortions to feed their frenzy. Public funding of abortions to the tune of a half a million dollars just might push them over the edge. Possibly a better use of this money would be for better sex education programs that would inform the public on the safe sex practices that would ultimately reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and thus reduce the need for abortions, no matter how they were paid for.
My fellow classmate Whitney chose to do her commentary on the issue of tax dollars paying for abortions. First of all, I do like the fact that she is for woman's choice- not pro abortion or against abortion, but, instead, realizing it is for the woman (and some input of the "father") to decide if the decision of the abortion is the correct one in each individual circumstance. She goes on to say that she would not choose to have one, and I think this can create a bias when deciding on the issue of taxes funding abortions. Of course, one would not support "hard earned tax dollars" going to something that he/she does not believe in. But the fact remains, it is still a medical procedure that many cannot afford. She says she thinks that the money should go to more deserving things such as police protection, streets, and public health. I feel like abortion is a deserving issue because it is an issue of public health. In many cases of abortion, the woman chose to have it because she knew and realized there is no possible way (emotionally, financially, physically, maturity, etc.) to take care of a baby. Many say these reasons are selfish and the mother does not take into consideration the baby's feelings and personal choice. But I feel like the opposite: Choosing to have a baby because they cannot admit that they are just not ready is the real selfishness. Why bring something so innocent and pure into a world where there is not proper care available? This brings me back to the issue of tax dollars. If a woman is to rely on public health care for the baby's care this can become way more expensive than the initial abortion. In other words, if a woman chose to have a baby because there was no way to pay for an abortion, i.e. contracts not being passed for tax dollars to help pay for abortions, than the amount of money invested in her, her pregnancy, and after the child is born increases greatly. I think by passing theses contracts, it gives a woman even more personal choice. Yes, it is a woman's choice completely to have an abortion or not; the government should have no part in controlling that choice. Yet, when things aren't passed to help aid women, isn't this a form of indirect control?
ReplyDeleteI n my classmate's blog entry "Should Our Tax Dollars be Going To Women To Have Abortions?", she talks on the subject of using tax dollars to fund abortion. I do not think that tax dollars should be used to fund abortion. I think that abortion is a woman's choice, but I do not feel like that my hard earned money should be spent on someone's possible mistake of not using some sort of contraceptive and got pregnant. I think that abortions should only be performed for only a few reasons such as a woman getting raped or if there was some sort of health at risk with either the baby or mother. I do not think that a 16-year-old girl should be able to go through the hard emotional process of killing her child because her and her boyfriend thought they were mature enough to have sex. However, I can not tell someone what they can and can not do with their body just like someone can not tell me how to use my body. I think that if a woman or a young girl decides that having an abortion for whatever their justifying reason maybe that they should fund that themselves. I do not think that raising taxes or shifting money should go to pay for something like this. I agree with Whitney that it is their responsibility to pay for a procedure like that, not mine. There are other options for woman out there to choose than abortion. I think for some many people that is the easy way out. I also believe that if people have funding to pay for this that it might make it okay for just anyone to be able to get this done and it is not.
ReplyDeleteIn the Blog entry " should our tax dollars be going to women to have abortions". I agree that tax money sholdnt be used for aboritoins i have nothing against abortion because there are times where people cant afford a kid or its not the right thing at the time. The main thing im into is that i dont want my hard earned money going to something like that, i would rather it go to something more meaningful. Now im not saying that abortion isnt a serious matter because it really is because the challenges these kids go through with that isnt an easy task at all. I also agree that it is a persons choice to have an aborition and thats completely fine. There are some cases that people say that its wrong to have an abortion but its a 50/50 kind of thing with those types of people it a no win. In the end though its down to choice.
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