“explain to me again why her being able to get an abortion without worrying about being picketed and harassed by right-to-lifers would have been a bad idea?”
“All you parents out there that have teenagers care for your children should take note of this. Perhaps you should reconsider that Friday night out next time.
She is old enough to hold a license and operate a car…. yet isn’t aware that abandoning a helpless child in the woods would eventually lead to his death????
Give me a break!”
“Wasnt fully aware of the consequences? If she feels old enough to engage in sexual activities then that alone is all the proof they should need for someone to be aware of the consequences. This sentence is a slap in the face for the boy who never had a chance.”
“She’ll go to jail for 18 months and come out a worse person then she already is. She’ll go from a bad mother to a burden on society. She should be psychologically examined in a hospital. Obviously she was messed up in the first place. People will judge her without all the facts. Where is the father? Was she raped?”
“I’m a fairly young mother myself and used to being judged by a lot of people like some of these posters about it. What happened was an absolute tragedy. I will definitely be giving my little one a HUGE hug and kiss when I pick her up after work and reminding her of how much I love her.
But keep in mind that it’s very easy to judge when we don’t have all the facts. This girl probably had absolutely no support, very little education in these matters, was scared out of her wits and confused. I’ve been there and I know how terrifying it is even with all the support in the world.
Who knows what was going on in her head? We sure don’t. She didn’t try to hide the fact that the baby was out there, so that knocks off callous murder. The closest theory I can come up with is that she was simply ill equipped and lacking in education along with a poor background.
This is a devastating story to read from all angles and in the end, she is paying for it both in time and probably for the rest of her life emotionally. Though that’s never enough for those of you out for blood.”
“To all those who are quick to jump down the throats of those who mention abortion as an option, this probably isn’t the place and time to do so. This isn’t an issue of whether or not abortion is right or wrong.
While, to you, an the removal of an aborted fetus is no different than the murder of a living child, the majority of Canadians (as well as Canadian Law) would beg to differ. In this case, regardless of what anyone may think of it, abortion would have been a perfectly legal alternative to the course of action that this girl chose to take. Would it have been the ideal situation? Probably not. Ideally, this girl would have kept her legs closed until she was old enough to deal with the consequences of sex (that is, pregnancy). That being said, the world we live in isn’t an ideal model. Teenagers are going to have sex whether we like it or not. It just goes to show how critical it is that these kids have access to proper sex education and birth control.”
“What a tragedy from any perspective - whether you are pro-choice or pro-life. A baby is dead, and a teen (and her family) has been forever changed.
However, it is also disturbing to read messages from those who purport to respect life, sound so harsh and glib, with little sympathy for another living being - the teenage girl.
Pehaps you have not witnessed a woman give birth - or appreciate the physical trauma that she undergoes to deliver that child. It can be physically and emotionally difficult, frightening, and disorienting. I can’t imagine what it must be like to do it all alone.
So easy to flippantly remark “She should have just had an abortion, she wouldn’t have got any time for murdering her own infant.” or “Wasnt fully aware of the consequences? If she feels old enough to engage in sexual activities then that alone is all the proof they should need for someone to be aware of the consequences.”
While you feel smug and righteous, there is a dead baby, a young woman who will undoubtedly need psych. supports and you get to avoid the longer term questions about teenage sexuality, and why it was that she felt she could not go to her parents, doctor, friends for help - maybe because she felt she would face that same level of inhospitable judgement.”
“So I can understand that this girl had a lot going through her head, and probably panicked at the time, but keep in mind she was pregnant for 9 months before this day! She had nine months to come to a realization of what was happening to her body, and that the day would come where she had to give birth. Did she honestly have no plan after that?
While her age is a factor, a 16 year old clearly knows the difference between right and wrong, and for her to leave the baby in the woods (IN NOVEMBER!) while she went to get medical attention for herself is inexcusable.
I’m curious as to where her parents were during this, and if they supported her during the pregnancy.”
“In cases such as these, the mothers are dealing with a combination of factors. The physical, emotional and mental trauma of having just delivered a child, the post-partum hormones. Many (if not most) of these girls have been abandoned by the father of the baby and are afraid of how they’ll care for the baby, how their lives are going to change, how their parents will react, etc. These girls have carried children inside them from conception, and have dealt with every physical occurance along the way. Medically and psychologically speaking, there’s a lot more to it than that, of course.
In the case of a young father, there are no physical issues- no childbearing, no birth. There are no post-partum psychotic episodes, no hormones. The emotional ramifications are usually not as bad with the mother, because a father can just take off and abandon the mother. It is much more difficult (and rare) for the mother to abandon the child with the father. So if the father is present at the time of the birth, chances are (given the nature of birth and all) that the mother will be there as well. It’s not a solitary situation.
So when a mother commits infanticide, there are emotional, mental and physical factors behind it. When the father is involved, the decision is usually more thought-out, adding up to full-blown murder (whether or not it was planned in advance).
Comparing the two is really like comparing apples and oranges.”
“The freedom to have a safe abortion should be available to any pregnant woman/girl who wants one. Absolutely no-one should ever have to have a baby she does not want to have.
What were the facts in this case? Did the girl try to get an abortion? Was she refused?
Why do so many guys want to exert control over the internal organs of other people? Frankly, males shouldn’t even have a voice in this discussion. They seem to think having a baby is as easy as burping. They know nothing about the physical/emotional/hormonal/psychological trauma, fear, pain, and even revulsion involved in carrying a baby that you absolutely, positively do not want to have growing inside you. Nine months of being forced into having such a thing inside you, literally feeding on you like a parasite, day in and day out could make anyone crazy. Add to that the post-partum hormones and you have a recipe for disaster. This is most true when the baby is a result of rape. Seduction followed by abandonment is not a whole lot better.
Don’t get me wrong - having a baby can be the most wonderful, glorious, creative thing a woman can do, making her feel like a goddess creating a new being - but ONLY if it is a baby she WANTS to have. I know. I’ve done it. I love my children and my grandchildren, and if any one of the girls ever needs an abortion she shall have one.
Right to Lifers should not be allowed to protest abortions unless they also provide safe, helpful places for delivery and safe places for the babies to be immediately placed and cared for - for 18 years or until they (the Right to Lifers) find suitable homes for the children. Otherwise, they have no right to interfere.
Of course what this girl did was wrong, but until all the facts in this case are known it is inappropriate to send out the lynch mob.”
