Ok. If you would rather roll your eyes at me, be snarky, and refuse to reply, then I guess it doesn't make sense to continue to reply myself, but I'm going to reply anyway. It's ridiculous to claim that I cannot believe that something is wrong, seriously wrong, evil, and not care about all of the people who have been involved in that thing, or be a "hypocrite" for doing so. Like you've never had a friend who had done something bad, was currently doing something bad, or intended to do something bad in the future? Maybe not murder, but adultery? Drug abuse? Drunk driving? Cheating? Theft? You've never cared about any person who has done any of those things? It is not correct to set up this dichotomy - "if you really think that is so wrong, then you don't care at all about a large fraction people who do that thing." The only purpose of such a dichotomy is to shame those who hold certain opinion into silence, or better yet, shame them into changing their minds through logical deception and herd thinking. I would welcome your interrogation and discussion, if approached with respect rather than snark. The view that abortion is murder is not extreme at all. I would say that about 30-40% of the country thinks so if pressed, a little bit less than the number of people who think that abortion should be mostly illegal. But they are unwilling to say the word "murder", either because it sounds mean or because they fear being verbally flogged and despised. I found a Gallup poll showing that in 2001 55% of Americans agreed that abortion is murder. 76% currently believe than an outsider who deliberately killed a woman's unborn baby out of malice should be charged with murder. I don't have a current percent, but it's hardly an "outlier" belief.

Of course considering people who have been, will be and may be affected is very important. The most important. However, the appropriate response to a very personal story of having an abortion and being shunned for it is not, "Abortion is evil!!!" The appropriate response to "my mom almost aborted me" is not, "you weren't a person anyway and that was her right!" I fully own the consequences of making abortion illegal, which I actively support and pray for. It would be incredibly difficult for some women, but I believe they would be better ultimately, as would all of society generally. No story of a particular abortion will ever convince me otherwise. I've heard and read lots. Certainly I am convinced that most women aren't really guilty but are victims. Certainly I want to change the circumstances that make it so hard to have babies and that lead to unwanted pregnancies and do what I can toward that too. I've spent a good deal of time actually helping women having babies, not just talking the talk. By necessity saying that abortion is wrong and that it kills a real child will hurt many feelings and make many angry, because many, many women have done this already, and most women probably have a sister or a close friend who has done this. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't say it. When I see people making philosophical claims that I disagree with, I want to rebut those claims. When I see women in pain talking about their past, I want to affirm them and comfort them. When these things are all muddled together in one conversation, which seems to happen more often than not, I'm not sure how to respond best. I know the answer isn't to just butt out of 80% of discussions of abortion because my opinion isn't wanted. I am open to thoughts! But maybe that should be a spinoff thread.

Totally agreed. Give me the money and I'll buy my own insurance. Part of the reason health care costs so much in the first place is that it is taxed at a much lower rate on various levels which drives up the cost significantly to those who don't get the same tax advantages.

I only visited my top two choices after I was accepted to both before I made my final decision. I think the opinion expressed in the article has a lot of merit. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The best time to comb hair is while it's coated in conditioner. If you keep it in a bob and teach her to smooth it or finger comb it just a bit in the morning, that's decent enough. There's nothing terrible about hair tucked behind the ears! If she won't let you comb it ever, and she can't or won't comb it either, then she will have to have a pixie cut. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What I was trying to say (badly) was this: an early induction to save your life would not be considered an abortion even by the Catholic Church, which is the biggest organized and strictest anti-abortion group in the country. The point being primarily that anyone who criticized someone for such a thing is absurd and cruel, and secondarily in defense of the Church against people who might think, "see, that evil church makes women literally die rather than induce before viability." Which a Catholic ethicist would not do. I do not think that most people give one whit what the Church says, but I'm trying to clear the broader pro-life population of the cruel words and actions of a few. About the murder comment, my point is that telling advocates against abortion that we are not allowed to use the word "murder" is either telling us that we are not allowed to consider abortion the unjust killing of an innocent human person or that we have to express this opinion in such gentle terms that it has no rhetorical force whatsoever. As I said myself, legally abortion is not murder. In my opinion, morally speaking, it is murder, and I will not allow others to forbid me from using that terminology in an appropriate context, is absolutely not calling an individual woman who had an abortion a murderer or any other rude names. I have personally spoken with plenty of women in this situation and have not called them murderers or said anything unkind whatsoever. But speaking in broad philosophical terms, yes, I do think that it is murder. I never really know how to treat these online discussions that start broadly philosophical but then individuals add their personal experiences. I suppose the whole conversation has to shift into sympathy mode at that point, but that effectively makes any blunt philosophical discussion of certain issues from the "wrong" side impossible in the public sphere. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My perception is that my insurance plan is great through an employer. Most employer plans are good or mediocre but not terrible. Medicaid is mediocre or good depending on location. Insurance exchange is truly terrible, but less than 3% of Americans get their insurance there if I'm remembering correctly. The real problem as I see it is the government meddling way too much to have a decent free market but not enough to have socialized medicine. I would prefer a mostly free market with state funding for the poor and excluded, but that's not realistic at this point and socialized medicine would probably be an improvement over the current situation. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

From first contractions to birth, six hours. From active labor to birth about 2.5 hours. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't know your situation, but it sounds like a situation where even The Church would have approved of inducing at that point, given that you were about to die. That would not morally be considered an abortion but an unfortunately early medically required induction, unless the fetus was euthanized first, and that would be an abortion per Catholic theology. Less than 1% of abortions are done to save the life of the mother, though it's at least 50% of stories circulated. If a fetus is a human person, and killing a human person is murder, then abortion is logically murder. However, I would argue that the surgical abortionist is the murderer and the mother is an accomplice to varying degrees of willingness. Of course if a human at some age isn't a person yet or a human embryo at some stage isn't human yet, that doesn't apply. And if you define murder as the legal crime only, then most abortions are not murder in most countries. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Are there really people who would decline inventing or using technology to save the life of a baby because it could imply that other same-age babies/fetuses are people? I have to let you die so that nobody gets any ideas about defending other lives? We should keep 22 weeks as non-viable (terminal) so that those lives are still fair political game? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think it looks great. And I'm kind of picky about design. The question is, is it in the same counter run as the sink or oven? Our sink counter floods occasionally, and everything within 2-3 feet of the stove is greasy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Melatonin is what I would recommend if he wants natural only, it works well (though I really doubt it could even touch a manic) and I've never experienced or heard of depression effects unless he's taking ten. Most bipolars need serious drugs to sleep while manic, if they sleep at all. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I switched from Android to iPhone recently. I like the iPhone better but would be perfectly content with an Android. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My non-dominant arm is stronger than my dominant arm because I always carry the baby on my left hip while doing things with my right hand. I could vacuum with my left, but my wrist would get sore pretty quickly. I can carry things left handed and eat with a fork acceptably in private. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In south central and southwest US it's a slide. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Only 25% of toddler eczema is food related. Mine gets it from dairy but has it regardless. Allergy testing did not cure his eczema. Baby oil is the best thing right after a bath. Even better than aquaphor in my experience. Not for general use but after the bath. Keep on the steroids as needed. If the eczema goes uncontrolled his IgE will soar and that can actually cause new food allergies! Long sleeves and pants whenever not absolutely weather prohibited. It prevents scratching, wind irritation and chemical irritation. Lotion every time he washes his hands. Wipe face diligently if it has food on it. Give a bath if he gets dirty. Generally keep skin clean. Only soft sheets and gentle detergent. No scratchy fabric. Watch waist bands! If he has bad diaper rash too, Vanicream diaper cream is amazing. Best product ever for diaper rash. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In the immediate family only I have dealt with bipolar disorder, depression of various kinds, OCD, anxiety, panic attacks, attempted suicide, eating disorders, alcoholism... but my family is really quite functional despite all that.

Would you be willing to share some of the mild issues that made you decide to go in?

Rather than try to use arbitrary numbers, maybe you can time her (surreptitiously) on a good day when you're helping her focus, and allow 10-20% more time than that. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh, gosh. I have an immediate family member with severe bipolar disorder and that's just exactly a classic manic episode, especially "I feel like I'm about to do something bad." I know you don't want advice, but you have my understanding! I will pray that this episode doesn't destroy his family and that it ends soon. If he had some kind of affair, you'd think that would be enough. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dishes are always done. Counters and floors are sometimes messy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I didn't drink coffee in the first tri because of morning sickness. After that I had my usual 0.5-1 cup per day. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Los Alamos, NM 0.8%. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I ended up getting the crossover grips. He hasn't used them enough for me to say whether it's working, but he did use it correctly for his first trial. We've been doing a lot of coloring. It will make my perfectionist heart sad to break his new box of crayons, but I'll go ahead and do that this afternoon. Thank you! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I guess I've never had a really good dishwasher then! Maybe that would change my mind on its utility. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk