Monday, March 05, 2007


on Saturday i attended a respect woman's conference in London, my train was at 6am, how do people do that on a day to day basis, waking up so early that you wake up even before the birds do?

i managed to get myself to the train station for 5:30am, i hadn't even prayed fajer yet (ended up praying on the train), i grabbed a coffee and a muffin and got my sleepy self on to the train, there where 5 of us altogether, the time to London went pretty fast, chatting away kind of makes time go alot faster, i can safely say it was not idle chat but rather constructive, interesting chat.

the conference place was just a walk away from Euston station which was great although we did manage to get lost slightly but it's all good, a refreshing walk in London.

the conference was due to start at 10:30 which it did, good timing :)the agenda looked good, and there where workshops being held, 3 at the same time and you had to choose the one you wanted to attend, i chose 'the right to choose' now i wasn't sure whether it was going to be about abortion or the veil lol, either way i was interested.

the workshop was about the right to choose an abortion, now i have to say i am not a supporter of abortion, as one scholar once said 'While Islam permits preventing pregnancy for valid reasons, it does not allow doing violence to it once it occurs.'
but also i respect the other sides opinion and i also acknowledge the fact that even within Islam, if a woman's life is in danger then she can abort, so there are exceptions which i accept.

Under normal health conditions, and particularly when the foetus is developed enough (that specialists consider it a live body), abortion amounts to deliberate killing and therefore, not allowed in Islam.

but saying all that its her choice, now listening to the speakers arguments was really interesting, apparently here in Britain its still a problem getting an abortion and her argument was that the richer folk can have easy access to abortions where as the working class have to wait on a waiting list and there are certain policies and regulations.

she also mentioned that the government want to reduce the abortion limit to 20 weeks instead of the existing 24 weeks, and she was against this, she mentioned that the government keep throwing examples of babies living at 22 weeks like the baby in Holland, but her argument was that its extremely rare for survival and that more than likely the baby will die by 18months of age as well as having sever mental disability. she said that if the government reduces the number of weeks then what's to say they will reduce it further in the future.

also she mentioned that the government should invest in offering better contraception to prevent the risk of falling pregnant and having to have an abortion, as all contraception's are not fool proof.

after her speech, it was time for comments and questions from the floor, i would say that 98% of the ladies in the room where for abortion and each had something to say, one of the ladies did say that she's a doctor and worked in the gynaecological department, and she had seen cases of woman who use abortion as a form of contraception, coming into the hospital and having an abortion each time they fall pregnant.

people didn't react very well to this comment, some went as far as to say that it was a lie, and that the government keeps coming out indicting the abuse of the nhs with such stories blaming it all on working class single girls who are promiscuous and careless.

the last lady to comment was a killer for me, she basically said:

'i am not usually one for conspiracy theories, but i do believe in the conspiracy theory regarding abortion, as we all know the rate of births in this country is considerably low compared to the third world, where those people are breeding like rabbits (!!!! i know i couldn't believe it when she said that, and not only that she looked at me when she said that particular sentence lol), so obviously they will over run us, and so the government wants to reduce the rate of abortion to prevent such things'.

i swear every one was shocked, and all i could do was laugh out loud, i couldn't believe she said that sentence about breeding like rabbits.

the speaker made a point on either answering or commenting on peoples questions and comments apart from the last ladies lol.

16 comments:

Anglo-Libyan said...

good topic, like you I am completely against abortion unless its for medical reasons, i.e. mother's health.
so that lady associated a muslim colleague with the third world and rabbits, very educational (if not ignorant) :o)

Brave Heart said...

r u respect member?i start to be jealous now, cos i down loaded the application form and i didn't send it to them.
this lady proves that stupid people are every where.will u change ur name to African rabbit.

Twisty said...

Marcus Richardson - 19 weeks, 6 days - 780 gm - Jan. '72 - (University Hosp., Cincinnati)

Melissa Cameron - 20 weeks - 450 gm - Dec. '83 - (Sault Ste. Marie Hosp., Cincinnati Enquirer)

Kenya King - 21 weeks - 510 gm - June '85 - (Med. World News, Nov. 11, 1985, p. 119)

Suzanne South - 21 weeks, 2 days - 644 gm - July '71 -(Bethesda Hosp., Cincinnati)

Kelly Thorman - 21 weeks - 596 gm - March '71 - (St. Vincent Hosp., Toledo)


http://www.abortioninfo.net/facts/development4.shtml


The bit about 18 months and mental disability are shere fantasy..

With reguards to what Islam says about abortion...my thoughts are the same as they would be to what christianity says about abortion..

I can see for myself what is wrong with abortion.I am an atheist, and a 98 % pro-lifer.

Largely pro-life due to my belief that life for "me" began at conception, that was the start of my existance,
that was my own personal "big bang" (no pun intended).
Three weeks after conception my heart started to beat.
First brain waves were recorded at six weeks after conception.
Seen sucking my thumb at seven weeks after conception.

You see, although moments after conception I was no more than a clump of cells, that clump of cells was me, I might have had a lot of growing to do but that clump of cells was me just the same.
I am glad I was left unhindered, to develope further,
safe inside my mothers womb until I was born.

Shouldn't they all be so lucky ?

They are our equil, no more or no less.


Bruce

Anonymous said...

conference sounds good:) Pity i couldnt make it

LadyCroc said...

I hate the thought of abortion! Especially since I was supposed to be one, but luckily my mother was talked out of it - abortion for other reasons than danger of health or rape should not be done; I´m so against it. Every human being has a right to be born!!!

So many girls and women here in Denmark just get an abortion because a child doesn´t "fit into their life at a time". Well, voluntary sex did fit into their life, and they should know that sex does not come without commitment; that´s why marriage was invented.

I´ts not that I don´t understand these women, but I believe that every child is a blessing and a blesses responsibility. Not a temporary nuisance easily to get rid off.

white african said...

thanks anglo, although what she said was very ignorent it still managed to make me laugh, i guess i couldnt belive she had uttered it lol.

i only just recently became a respect member brave, so your not far behind me :)

looooooool at the african rabbit.

twisty thank you for your brilliant contribution, i agree with you.

annon it was good, fun in some parts, maybe next time inshallah :)

safia thank you, your right, many of these girls dont consider the responsibility that comes with sex, its sad to have to witness there plight but its even sadder for a human to decide to end th elife of another human.

Anonymous said...

Actually here is an article that supports this conspiracy theory, in a way, where supposedly curbing birth rates in third world countries is required to fight poverty and global warming??????????????????????

Lebeeya said...

Abortion has emotional consequences. I've read that most women regret them later on and it really affects them.

I agree with what everyone said, I am completely against abortion unless its for medical reasons and maybe rape. Is a woman in Islam allowed to have an abortion if she was raped?

That lady's comment was damn funny! lol

white african said...

thank you for that link annon, i cant believe it, its the fear that they wil be over run, its nothing to do with global warming or poverty, i'm sick of the excuses that are continously thrown at us to 'better our world'.

lebeeya the whole rape issue is contreversial and i'm going to look into it, although i hav eto say from what i have heard from majority of scholars is that a life is a life regadless of the actions that got it there, god knows???

Anonymous said...

anon1-i didnt give you that link. You must have another anon reader:)

white african said...

lol at anon 1.

Anonymous said...

yes that was me :)

Anonymous said...

salam anon 2:)

Anonymous said...

wa alikoum alsalam anon1

white african said...

lol @ the anons,

i wonder how many annons exisit in the world

Anonymous said...

too many :-S