I have never understood the logic of this argument. If what they say is true, why should the rules change at birth. They should continue to apply until at least the beginning of first grade. If before that first day of school, a woman’s need for autonomy or self esteem, etc., etc. becomes threatened, then the little tyke should be done in, terminated, wished into the cornfield, ground up into fertilizer. What’s the difference?
I never understood it either. Being a mother has always been part of my identity, even before I’d met their father.
As a matter of fact, the love and sense of responsibility I’ve always felt toward my unconceived children helped guide all of the major decisions I made as a teen and a young woman... whether or not to try drugs, who to choose as my lifemate, how far to continue my education, etc. I felt that I had to make the better choice for *their* well-being and that short-term satisfaction and instant gratification wasn’t fair to them.
I think that it was good for a young person to not be so self-absorbed.