My 7 year old son was in the room while the news was on and heard the word abortion and asked what that was. Have any of you experienced this? How did you explain it to your child? Did it make a difference if you are pro choice vs. pro life? I did my explaination, as simplified as he needed to know, but just wondering if anyone else has had their child ask.

That's a very delicate situation especially for the younger ones. I think it needs to be told as the truth.

I would simply say that abortion is when a mother terminates her pregnancy and let it go at that.

I recently had my 10 year old DS ask that question. I told him that it is when a mother decides she does not want to have her baby and she terminates it. He then said, but mom isnt that murder. I said yes, but it is legal. We are prolife and I wanted my son to know that. Of course my DS is older than your daughter.

We had this situation come up when I was pregnant. DS (5) overheard a family member suggust that our last pregnancy was a mistake (it wasn't, it was very planned) and that we should get an abortion. He (my son) asked about it and we said it was an uneducated way of looking at the situation...obviously my view says that is true but later, when he is older I will have to give more information.

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saraedawson@yahoo.com

Mommy to Jake, Alexis, Abigail and Joshua, Wife to Matt

IMHO, 7 years old is way too young to grasp the concept of just what an abortion is. Also, Not all abortions are at the hands of the Mother. Doctor's refer to abortions as miscarriages. ( I have had 2 miscarriages and one still born ) and every single doctor I've seen since that time has always referred to the miscarriages as an " abortion" Given the age of this child, I personally would have explained it as the loss of the baby. Older children should know what it means ( around 10 or older ) However, it also should be explained to them that some are NOT the results of the mother doing it at her will.
Just MHO.


An abortion is the removal or expulsion of a mammalian embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death. An abortion can occur spontaneously due to complications during pregnancy or can be induced. Abortion as a term most commonly refers to the induced abortion of a human pregnancy, while spontaneous abortions are usually termed a miscarriage. The term abortion may also refer to the aborted embryo or fetus.

Abortion has a long history and has been induced by various methods including herbal abortifacients, the use of sharpened tools, abdominal pressure, and other traditional methods. Modern medicine utilizes medications and surgical procedures to induce abortion. The legality, prevalence, and cultural views on abortion vary substantially around the world. In many parts of the world there is intense public debate over the ethical and legal aspects of abortion. The approximate number of induced abortions performed worldwide in 2003 was 42 million, which declined from nearly 46 million in 1995.[1]



I also wanted to add, Personally me, I think it's totally wrong to ONLY explain that an abortion is by the hands of the Mother, While this is the general rule, it's NOT the medical rule. When I'm asked the question by my last 4 kids I'll explain it to them as I did my other children with Both, not just the general rule. It's only fair to let them know that doctor's and the medical field refer to a abortion as being willing and unwilling.

I've always answered my kids questions in an age related way. You can explain what it is to a 7 year old without getting into detail. I don't remember how old my girls were when they asked, but I kept all politics out of it. They will learn all that soon enough and when they're old enough to have an opinion.

I just told them that it's when a woman gets pregnant, but chooses not to have the baby. She goes to the doctor and she's not pregnant anymore.

Make it very simple and if they ask questions, just answer them the same way - very simple with very few extra details.

Lisa

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It's wanting what you've got"

miscarriage is the "nice" term for what is medically known as a spontanous abortion. Thus if you told a child that all abortions are murder, and are at the hands of the mother--you are LYING to the child.

I think at 7 y/o you should just explain that sometimes after a woman finds out that she's pregnant, circumstances can cause her to not be pregnant anymore and the baby inside of her goes to heaven (or a better place--or whatever it is that you believe in.)

I'd leave my own opinions out of the discussion. Unfortunately, the harder a parent tries to cram their beliefs down the throat of the child, then the more likely a child is to rebel about those beliefs.

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

I just told them that it's when a woman gets pregnant, but chooses not to have the baby. She goes to the doctor and she's not pregnant anymore.

that is basically what I told my kids at 7 (about the age they asked). My 9 year old knows more only because we discuss politics in front of him and he asked what Roe vs Wade and so we sat down and told him as basic and simply as we could. We told him our views and why we think it's important to fight to keep it legal and that when he's older, we can explain more so that it's easier to understand.

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The medical community does indeed refer to a miscarriage as a spontanous abortion but the general public doesn't. Most people make a distinction between abortion (deliberate) and miscarriage (not deliberate) and use one of the two words that suits the situation. 99.9 % of the population doesn't consider an abortion and miscarriage to be the same except for the end result. They say either abortion or miscarriage so an abortion would be a choice made by the mother.

But, I guess if one is overly concerned with political correctness, they could simply say that abortion is the ending of a pregnancy to be certain that they didn't offend the hyper sensitive.

I don't think it has anything to do w/ political correctness or not offending the "hyper" sensitive--we're talking about a 7 y/o child. A child who may not even fully grasp how babies are "made". Some children are very literally and would interpret all pregnancies that end abruptly as "murder" and the fault of the mother. Would you really want your child to think that? Are you (the general you) ready to explain lots and lots of issues, and answer some really tough questions about serious matters? I keep hearing that our children are not as innocent as they use to be....maybe this is why. Maybe parents have decided it is a good thing to explain everything in detail and expose the children to subject matters that the kiddos really shouldn't be exposed to. Just my opinion.

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

No but why would they confuse abortion and miscarriage? Both signal the end of a pregnancy but I wouldn't give a detailed explanation of either to a 7 year old. I'd define either word in the simplest possible terms and only if asked. I certainly wouldn't confuse a child with medical terms since most people (if not all) know that abortion is by choice and miscarriage is not.

Call me old fashioned if you want but I think my answer to a 7 year old would be: "Abortion is medical procedure for pregnant women" or something to that effect.

I wouldn't bring up the concept of terminating a pregnancy or a woman deciding not to have a baby or anything like that. Especially in this situation where the child just wants to know what it is because its a new word they heard on tv, I'd keep it as simple as possible.

Kids at 7 do not need to be concerned with what abortion is, the debates surrounding it, etc. They are just too young to be dealing with adult matters that will not effect them for many years to come.

I am very pro-choice and would have no problem explaining/discussing abortion and my views on it with a child of say 12 or so.

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This is how I would explain it as well

Just want to say that abortions are NOT an uneducated way of dealing with pregnancy. I am pretty sure there are many educated women that find themselves making this decision. Education has nothing to do with the difficult decision these women make. Also, there are men out there that also decide if a woman should have an abortion, therefore it is not only a woman's decision alone.

acidreignn

My son didn't ask about it until he was 11. At that time, he was old enough to understand the procedure and we discussed the entire subject.

Well, to abort anything is to end it. I would start there. When you abort a baby, you end the pregnancy. You end the growing of the cells in the mommy's body. Most Mommy's don't do this, but, some Mommy's are faced with a very tough decision and choose this option. This is something that you don't need to worry about right now, you are fine, and we will go into further discussion when I think you are able to understand it better.

Hope that Helps.

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I swear to God you are the most stupid, and hateful individual I have had the misfortune to have had contact with.

The vast majority of women who choose abortions do NOT laugh, or throw parties--and if you can't understand that then you are truly, truly an idiot! Just when I think I can tolerate your dumb postings, you post something so vile that it turns my stomach. May God have mercy on your dark and sick soul.

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

Nothing but pity for you. Nothing but pity. No anger, no sorrow, nothing but pity. Pity that you can come to a faceless message board and expose your racist, bigoted, mean spirited self in such ways. You are a caricature of a human being.

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RJB 3/18/60 - 5/22/04
We miss you, sweet brother
God Bless the USA!!!!! Praying for my Youngster son at United States Naval Academy, class of 2014!!

Are you human? Seriously. I have my doubts. You are the most miserable person I have ever encountered. How do you sleep at night?

Your comment is very sick and twisted....

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

I didn't read any of the other responses, so forgive me if I repeat them. I wouldn't explain it to a 7 year old. Just like I wouldn't explain sex yet. They aren't old enough to really know what I'm talking about at that age, imo.

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

Personally, I wouldn't feel the need to explain something that is so grown-up to a 7 year old. Maybe 12 years old? but not 7. My tendency (when topics like this come up or are asked about) would be to change the subject or divert his/her attention to something more age appropriate. The 7yo imagination is too vivid for this topic to be discussed without putting fear in the child. Also, birth/death are very abstract concepts for a child this age.

Just my opinion for what it's worth.

I have a six year old, almost seven year old. If he asked me what an abortion was, I would say, "I don't know." And he would get back on his scooter and go. I don't think our kids need to know everything at such a young age, no matter how you want to couch it,

Just to claify - when I said uneducated in my post, I was reffering to the situation where the family member was taking an uneducated look at our family. We don't use the word stuipid in our house or else I would have said GRandma is being stupid.

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Mommy to Jake, Alexis, Abigail and Joshua, Wife to Matt