Told I'm gullible, infantilised and gaslit.

I give them food, now, as I was caught out by a Panhandler in Dublin at 2009.

Hi Desmond. I would never want to invalidate someone's experience but I hope you don't mind me asking is there anything in particular what caused you to conclude the person in question was a panhandler in a dishonest sense of the word? Particularly that led you to be distrusting of their own money-management? I know people are individuals and not necessarily representative as a group, but I am interested in hearing about your particular experience with the individual in question regardless as I'm very sorry to hear you have been left with an experience that appears to have left you distrustful. And I hope it is not insensitive to ask if you enquire (or will in future enquire) as to food tolerances before you give homeless people food, as often no matter how grateful people are of another's kindness that generosity can be misguided, as if the homeless person has for example a dairy allergy, they may appreciate the sentiment of you buying them a cheese sandwich but will be unable to eat it as it would cause them potentially greater health issues in the long run. I realise it sounds trendy to a lot of people but I implore you to take it in the good faith it is meant if you give homeless people food to try and give them as close to allergen free, vegetarian food as possible to cover a wide variety of medical dietary restriction bases. I have found a humous and dairy free butter variety to be the best for example.

Hi Desmond. I would never want to invalidate someone's experience but I hope you don't mind me asking is there anything in particular what caused you to conclude the person in question was a panhandler in a dishonest sense of the word? Particularly that led you to be distrusting of their own money-management? I know people are individuals and not necessarily representative as a group, but I am interested in hearing about your particular experience with the individual in question regardless as I'm very sorry to hear you have been left with an experience that appears to have left you distrustful. And I hope it is not insensitive to ask if you enquire (or will in future enquire) as to food tolerances before you give homeless people food, as often no matter how grateful people are of another's kindness that generosity can be misguided, as if the homeless person has for example a dairy allergy, they may appreciate the sentiment of you buying them a cheese sandwich but will be unable to eat it as it would cause them potentially greater health issues in the long run. I realise it sounds trendy to a lot of people but I implore you to take it in the good faith it is meant if you give homeless people food to try and give them as close to allergen free, vegetarian food as possible to cover a wide variety of medical dietary restriction bases. I have found a humous and dairy free butter variety to be the best for example.

There might be "nothing wrong" with abortion, but for most of the more human women I know who have had one, it appears to have been an experience they'd rather not have had, on many levels. It definitely changes them..

When my partner found out just after we had split up finally and for good, that she was pregnant I was morally glad that she did not choose an abortion, but terrified for the future, given my own upbringing and the broken relationship I was in.

We made as good a go of it as anyone would, based pretty much on their needs, for nearly a decade after that, until she'd finally had enough of either me or the undiagnosed Autism and lost interest in me as a person completely, and a few years after that I'd had enough of living with someone who clearly did not love or care for me or the relationship. We split as amicably as possible, she kept the house, I got some money, we both got onto different relationships quite quickly, and I got weekends and other bits of time with my kid but crucially, her new partner neither replaced me, nor was a trouble to my kid.

I know our child is quite glad that mum chose not to "get the medical attention that she needed".

I know more than one woman who is still troubled by a part of her soul? biology? ghosts? morality? I do not know what, but I do know based on my own observation, and independent of any opinions I or anyone else may hold about the pros and cons of an abortion, it is a decision that should not be made without grave consideration and informed knowledge of all the consequences and costs.

It's not as simple or cut and dried as many people make it out to be. 

We all want right/wrong binary decisions, and it makes us pick sides in arguments, even when we are woefully misinformed or poorly informed (allegations that either side will make about the other side). 

It's taken me personally more than 5 decades to learn the meaning of "nuanced" and realise and submit to the reality that in real life, just as in driving, things go a lot easier if we all agree what the rules are and follow them, and those rules had better be well thought out, and fairly applied, then only ever changed when we all agree, and not on the whim of some specialist (often not very visible) group of people, backed by a deep pr campaign and trucks of money... 

Idealism, I still got some!

I agree with you awkwardsomeone but it's one of those topics that does divide opinion. 

There's nothing wrong with abortion. I hope she got the medical attention she needed.

She told me that she was pregnant. However, on reflection, she was looking Abortion money.