I think I can only do one big, bad, ugly topic at a time. The abortion debate first, i guess.

I think the biggest misunderstanding in the "pro-life" "pro choice" debate is that NO ONE wants people to have an abortion. Abortion is a last-resort decision and should never be taken lightly. "Pro choice" is not the equivalent of "Pro death", and no one's going "AW YEAH, I WANNA KILL ME SOME MUTHAFUCKIN' BABIES TODAY!" Come on, give me a break, right?

Abortion should be the end of a line of educated sexual choices. First (even though pro choice people think it's a shit tactic, and they're not completely wrong), letting people know that the only way you're 100% not going to get pregnant is abstinence (or at least the absence of PIV sex). HOWEVER, once sex education gets that out of the way, people need to be informed about the next level of protection: Male condoms, female condoms, dental dams, etc and how to use them effectively, how to store them effectively and so on. What are the pill and other contraceptives and how do they work?

I thought about putting this even before the contraceptives, but then a long, lengthy talk about consent is paramount. How a lack of refusal is not implicit consent, how you should NEVER say yes if you're not 100% comfortable, how you should not "test" your significant other and say one thing but mean another. CLEAR Communication is paramount and being anything other than crystal clear with your intent is a recipe for complete disaster and a breakdown of trust inside the relationship

After this comes an understanding of childbirth, Plan B, adoption and abortion. Knowledge is power, and knowing the ins and outs of all of these options, which run the gamut from chemical to governmental is important. I could keep going here ( a cultural shift on how we view men and women who have been raped for example), but i think you get what i'm talking about here.

Now, some people are opposed to abortion for religious reasons, or believe that life begins at conception. Okay, fine. whatever. I have an alternative for you.

The exact same thing, but remove abortion and plan B from the last step. THEN, add onto it much more robust funding for adoption organizations, scholarships for adoptive children, benefits for adopted children and their newly adopted parents. In America alone there are 397,122 children in the adoption system. a lot of those children go to group homes where, even when the people running them are doing the best they can, many of their needs are not met.

these children need funding and education support. 25% of those who age out of the adoption system without having found an adoptive family do not obtain a High school diploma or GED. I can keep quoting statistics, but basically if you follow the link i just posted you'll see that .1% of America's 313 million people need a lot more help than they're getting.

If you are going to force a woman to carry a baby to term, EVEN IF the conception happened under extenuating circumstances (condom failure, incorrect dosage of birth control, rape, any number of reasons) then you, YOU who have decided with your infinite knowledge that you know what is best for people you have never met, had damn well better see that anyone involved in the care of that child (blood relation or adoption) is getting all of the funding and support that they need so that that child can succeed in whatever they decide to do. You don't get to just make that decision and not suffer the fallout.

However, I have never met someone who is "pro life" who is okay with that arrangement. Once that child is outside of the womb it's no longer their problem. Can't get support your child? man, you should just get a better job, or make more money. Another chapter in the ongoing saga of how americans (especially poor americans) hate poor people.

"I'm down on my luck, I was raped by a relative after my husband died and I can't support my kids. I need this government support. But that Lazy fucker behind me in line? They just need to get a job, that's all!!! Just work harder and you'll succeed!"

But I digress.