Abortion is one of the most contentious subjects out there. On the whole, I am pro-choice. Women who feel they can't take care of a baby shouldn't have that baby. We've all read the horrific stories of child abuse that happen every day, some babies even being beaten to death. I would prefer that these babies never have to endure that kind of torture. Nor do I think that an 11-year-old girl who was raped by a grown man should have to give birth and take care of a baby she didn't ask for. We all hope that when women get an abortion, they have thought very carefully about it and are doing it for the right reasons; however, we cannot go around grilling every single woman who decides to have an abortion, and putting her through a court trial to determine whether or not her abortion is "justified."

I also believe if men had children, none of this would even be an issue. However, I'm disgusted by a British woman named Sarah Catt who chose to abort her baby. Here's why.

Reportedly, Catt, of North Yorkshire, England, had an abortion when the fetus was 40 weeks along, which would make it in the last week or so of her pregnancy. Because it would be illegal to get an abortion that late, she ordered an "abortion drug" online through India, and allegedly did it herself. She then buried the baby and told everyone it was stillborn.

However, reportedly the baby was the product of a long-term affair that had gone wrong, so she decided to abort it. I'm not going to judge WHY someone chooses to have an abortion. As I said, we cannot start picking and choosing who gets an abortion. But there are laws in place for a reason about the when a woman can get an abortion. I'm not saying they are all correct -- I know a woman who, due to wrong test results, didn't know she was carrying a severely disabled child until well after her state's abortion cut-off. She was left with a huge dilemma. She eventually miscarried.

But women like Catt make it difficult for all women who have to wrestle with the difficult decision of abortion. Not only did Catt terminate her pregnancy on the week the child would have been born, but allegedly she'd already had one abortion, tried to have another abortion but it was too late, and also gave up one baby for adoption.

It's easy to say "birth control, hello????" And I'm going to say it. Birth control, hello???? But perhaps Catt has a lot of mental issues. I really don't know. Unfortunately in this world, all kinds of people, men and women alike, have children when they shouldn't.

But this just goes into extreme territory, and I can't feel sorry for Catt that a judge sentenced her to eight years in prison. Unfortunately, this leaves her other two children without a mother. Perhaps what she really needed was hardcore counseling and a lifetime free supply of birth control!

But what exactly would have been the solution here? For this woman to give birth to the child she clearly didn't want, and possibly would abuse or not take care of? I don't know. I just wish women like this didn't exist. But they do.

Do you think this woman deserves jail time?

 

Image via North Yorkshire Police