Excelle

Obama is helping women make large strides in a society where we're struggling for voices & equality. But recently, he fell short, having removed a family planning initiative from the latest stimulus package.

This begs the question: should the government even be involved in your reproductive rights in the first place?

Read more about the Medicaid Family Planning State Option here.

Personally, if you can afford to support what ever children you produce, you should be able to have as many as you would like to. 

It's the people that are expecting support from any form of welfare that should be more in line with governmental control of how many kids we are supporting.  Especially if the people involved are having kids just to avoid working and getting off of any and all welfare assistance.  If you are expecting help from the government, why can't they have a say in how many kids you are creating?

And before anyone complains, I do not personally believe in abortions, but there are more effective ways to prevent either unwanted children or children you cannot afford to house, clothe, feed and school.

We have 7 billion folks in the world. The US has gone from about 120 Million in 1954 to over 330 Million in 2008.  A 275% growth rate which is similar to the rest of the world. If we don't take government policy actions now to educate folks as to our total lack of ability as a nation and a planet to cope with this type of continued growth, no economic stimulus package will matter. The stimulus package should contain as many jobs as possible for all types of edcuation, including family planning jobs to help people understand what pro propulation growth means in terms of diminished standards of living for all folks.  19 million homes sit empty, there is no short term stimulus package that will cure the oversupply of houses.

Definitely, if you are on welfare, popping out kids left and right, there should be a line somewhere.  It would only benefit the woman, HER OTHER CHILDREN , AND THE REST OF THE  AMERICANS who pay for her children to eat and have halthcare.  It would benefit the woman by #1, giving her more time with and money for the children she already has.  It would also give her a chance to get off her butt and get skilled (since there are so-o-o many scholarships for minorities these days that it's basically unfair for whites now-but that's another blog), AND give her a chance to actually GO get a job and get off welfare!  I know that many people (regardless of nationality) are just lazy and don't want to work, and for them I say get a life.  But for the ones who are either abused or held back by someone and keep getting pregnant to keep them at home, they need this to improve their way of life, which will improve their children's way of life (now AND later), and give them more self-confidence to be more successful, whether they work at McDs or for a successful financial firm!  The whole welfare system needs to be overhauled, and they need to really stop feeling sorry for everyone and help the ones who actually NEED it, not just lazy people!!!

Overall, though, I would say if you have EARNED income, and can afford to feed/ raise your kids and keep them healthy, then yes, you should definitely be able to have as many kids as you want.  Personally I think this woman with octoplets with no husband, no income, and a 3 bedroom house that belongs to her parents, should receive child support from her fertility doctor, not the rest of America's taxpayers.  If we took all the BS that our taxes pay and finally said no more, like illegal immigrants healthcare and welfare for people like her and just controversial 'shtuff', our taxes would probably be cut in half.  Then people would stop b*tching about having to pay taxes so much!  (Oh by the way, before I get attacked for the healthcare for immigrants, I think they should definitely be treated, but their government, or themselves, should pay their medical bills, not Americans. 

I recently found out that my niece, who had three children, gave all three to the state because she could not support them, nor was she trying!  When I was at a family get together the other day, to my astonishment, there she was with her new baby!!  As part of her decision to sign her other three over to the state she should have been required to get her tubes tied!  That is when I believe the government should get involved with women's healthcare!!  She is a perfect example of someone who should be childbirth controlled by the government!  It would save us, the taxpayers, millions of dollars a year!  The welfare programs have allowed this to continue to happen over and over again!!

This should not even be part of the stimulus package.  The stimulus package has been adulterated to fit several Democratic wants.  I am a registered Democratic, but haven't voted for this party for the last 4 elections.   President Bush did what he had to do to protect our country.  In my few travels to other countries, I have been embrassed by the attitude of other American travelors, they are rude and demanding.  I was also suprised and concerned by America's lack of security before 9/11/2001 compared to other countries.  Most of the world has been subject to terriost attacks for years and their guards carrying guns at airports are proof of their concern.  We had to show the rest of the world and most of all terriosts that we will fight back to protect ourselves!  War is terrible, my heart goes out to the loss we have encountered as a country.  But, the fact is, times have changed.  Our children are no longer safe playing in the streets, going to school or even shopping at a mall.  This reflects a lack on the part of most Americans and their values.  I see too many children allowed to do want they want and go where they want because the parents are mostly concerned for themselves.  Recent economic times should be bringing families together.  We have experienced this personally through job loss and change and have discovered the priority to us is our children and the blessings we have been given.  We still own a home, have a car and some income as well as insurance.  We are not in debt, mostly because we did not "improve" our life style by buying the bigger home, etc.   Through God we have found peace and a promise that will not be found in any government.  I do not believe we should even use birth control because that is saying to God, my will over yours.  We have been created in a wonderful image with wonderful possibilities, the ability to have children being the best of those with a heavy responsibility.  I would encourage everyone to read and follow the Word if they wish to improve their lives.  Remember, stress is a blessing that will make us strong.

I personally think that the choice should be left to the woman.  It is her body and her life that will be changed forever with the decision to have children (or not to have children.)  In a perfect world; the decision to have children would always be a planned and educated one.  Unfortunately; that is not the world that we live in today.  There are gaps in society and the only way to improve the current situation is by education (not by stimulus.) 

Where it gets tricky is in the area where the woman is using government assistance to finance her reproductive decisions.  People using government assistance to support the families that they have today - there should (at a minimum) be required to attend birth/birth control and parenthood training as a requirement - both to assist with the child and to make better decisions before pregnancy.  I definitely believe that we need to work to ensure that our children are all safe and healthy (regardless of their family background) however this should be done with programs, training, and assistance - not with a government mandate on reproductive rights... 

It may seem cold; but having a child should not be an easier choice than buying a car.  If you cannot afford one - you should not have one. Instead of having a welfare society where women/men get more based on family headcount...the government should not control a women's right to have (or not have) a child; but they should be able to mandatetraining and ensure that there is no additional Government payout when the decision to have a child is made and mandate the necessary training to ensure that they can do more with less - the same way a familiy with a mid-range income would be required to.

Hi Everybody,

You know it's really hard to say what should be regulated and not regulated.   My thoughts on it are that the goverenment should not regulate every aspect of our personal lives.  As far as having childern,  Common sense should be encouraged and proper counseling and educattion should be meted out.  As for the women that selifishly have alot of childern are either very immature and don't now any better and not really thinking about the consequeneces  for the future of their childern.  After all they are people too,  Childern look up to us for guidence safety and love. Not just thrown away. I am very lucky to have my daughter and I had a very diffucult delivery.  So after words I was told not to have another child.  So, to prevent a surprise pregnacy I had my tubes tied.

    Again we are all govererned by are own instincts. as far as the government running everything there is a limit.  But in the end we must govern ourselves not having someone else do it for us.

Take everybody

Gap50-75

The answer is no, EXCEPT when death may be involved. I am pro-life. The person inside a woman's womb is not a possible person, not a puppy, not a potato. This tiny person is the mothers' child, the same child that you hold at the moment of birth, the same child that you will enroll in pre-school, the same person that you will applaud at her graduation, the same person that will bring tears to your eyes the day she marries, the same person who will have a career, become a mother, become a grandmother, and live out a life-the same as you and I.

If you argue that the fetus is an incomplete human(a clump of cells if you will), well everyone is an incomplete human being: My one year old granddaughter looks nothing like she will in 20 years-her arms and legs are ridic ulously short, her head is disproportionately large, she can't talk or walk well, she poops all over herself, she's weird looking and is quite a burden. She's still human though, right? Same with my 2 year old grandsons and my 10 year old grandson. And my 13 year old grandson-don't get me started on what a burden he is. And talk about a clump of cells-he's a pimple faced , sassy brat. But the law prevents his mom from "aborting" him, even though he is a risk to her mental health(she's a single mom headed towards a nervous breakdown over his behavior0. We are all actually just a clump of cells-all of us - from conception to death, but we are all human. We are not cats, trees, rocks or gum. Our DNA is human from the 1st cell to the last. And we have no right to kill one another because we're inconvenient, no matter what stage of human development we're at. If we had the right, than I would say that the teen years would be the time I would pick to knock off my progeny: my now 28 year old daughter pt me through hell and back between age 12 - 19! I'm so glad she's still with the living though because she is a precious lady and has as much right to live as you and I do, and has had that basic human right from the time of her fetushood until her life ends naturally.

I am confused athow intelligent people are denying basic scientific facts. The unborn are called many things, given many euphonisms, but if we're being honest, one has to admit the truth that the HUMAN fetus, is just that, HUMAN. I am the same person I was 10 yrs ago, 30 yrs ago, and 54 years when I was living in my mother's womb. If she had aborted ME, I would be dead. My life had started, and a doctor or whomever would have killed me, snuffed out my life, aborted me. I don't want to be "aborted" now, and I didn't want it then. How can so many people argue with Life? By arguing with life you are supporting the opposite. I believe Roe vs. Wade should be overturned and the gov't should should stop regulating not only our reproductive rights, but also legalizing human murder in all its forms.

Considering 50 millions lives have been lost since abortion became legal, I do not want the government subsidizing the taking of more innocent lives.  We have lost a whole generation of people who could have contributed to society in many ways, not to mention the loss of 50 million tax paying citizens. 

I do believe as women we should have the righ to decide what is best for our own bodies, I do no think the government should legislate to us what we can do.  I do however disagree that the stimulus package should ONLY include economic stimulus and no funds for ANYTHING, I repeat ANYTHING ELSE or in my opinion it is politics as usual in Washington and Obama is just the next pawn in the game.

I think that women's reproductive rights are human rights. Women have a right to safe and effective contraceptives, birthcontrol education, pregnancy preventitives like the morning after pill and as a last resort abortion. If the government is subsidizing the cost of medications, medical treatments, then the government should not stop short of providing adequate reproductive healthcare for women too. Not covering birthcontrol pills is discriminatory. 

I was driving on day and a minivan pulled in front of me. That van had a bumper sticker on it that said Abortion is a Holocaust. I have also read something comparing abortion to slavery. Does this seem right to you?? The government cannot demand that you donate a kidney, part of your liver, bone marrow to someone who needs it. Nor would you want the government to have that power over you. Why do we let the government or some drug store clerk tell us that we must continue an unwanted pregnancy. I hate the bumper sticker, Abortion stops a beating heart. Women are being discriminated by the government, churches and each other because the emphasis on abortion is way out of proprotion and deliberately or not tainting us a potential murderers.  We appear to be less moral than men.

We have so few women representatives on the Federal level. Women are better educated and healther today than in any other time of written history. We have careers, we pay taxes. Yet American women don't have adequate representation in government. I think that we, women and men view women with much more suspision than we do men because abortion, like giving birth is one of the few things that affect women only.

Just listen to the news coverage and the commentators. Try substiting the words women for liberals and men for conservatives sometime.

I really understand that there are some feelings on both sides about an unborn child.  I do not THINK I could ever pick abortion.  But, I dont know for sure...with different sets of circumstances.  I do know one thing for sure!  If abortion is not a choice, there is no choice.  I dont want to live with that!

Well after seeing the woman who gave birth to octuplets, and already had 6 small children at home it makes me think that YES ofcourse it needs to be regulated. There should be a limit. That woman has 14 kids under the age of 7!! And cant support them. She had filed for bankrupcy last year so how someone would get pregnant with octuplets, have a doctor implant 8 embryos(on purpose) on you when you already have 6 kids at home?! Like if 6 kids isn´t enough!!

Thats the problem, if you have kids you are supposed to support them yourself. If you dont have the money you shouldnt be able to reproduce, specially if you are gonna have multiple children, you cant expect the goverment or taxpayers to do it for you.

Are you kidding????????????  Do any of you know any man who hasn't done his very best to get into a woman's vagina?????  One way or another.  They think with only ONE HEAD!!!!!  Because 99% of them are INFERIOR they have to try to CONTROL a woman somehow.  These so called 'males' know more about what is going on, on the moon than they do SIX INCHES BELOW THEIR NAVEL. It's none of their damn business.  CONTROL!  CONTROL!  CONTROL!  Beyond me how the law on our reproductive rights can dictate as to OUR bodies.!!!!!