First some history to tie this post in with my own past.
My girlfriend my freshman year in college (1970/71) became pregnant. I won't go into the nuts and bolts of her decision to abort, but let's just say, I chose to support her decision, no matter what she came up with. It was my first exposure to the world of Planned Parenthood. At that time the Feds had yet to weigh in on the controversy of abortion on demand. It was still in the hands of the individual states. Roe v Wade would not happen until 1973. Maryland was a state that allowed abortion.
Up until that time I had no opinion regarding abortion. I was 19 ferchrisakes and male. I did not walk or deny my responsibility. I went with her to doctor appointments, appointments at the local Planned Parenthood offices, and held her as she agonized over what to do. Neither one of us were ready to be parents and she knew it. I was impressed that the first choice offered by the Planned Parenthood people was to help her decide to carry the pregnancy through full term. It was only after they had made sure her decision to abort had been thoroughly tested by the alternative of delivering a live baby did they direct her to the right people for the abortion. I was disappointed she chose to abort, but I supported her decision anyway.
Over the following two years, I became a go to guy for coeds who found themselves in the "family way". I had no other qualification other than having been through the process myself. Of the maybe five women I chaperoned through the process, only one chose to keep her baby. But not one of them made their decisions without being intensely counseled by Planned Parenthood first. The counselors' first option was never abortion, it was what was in the best interests of the woman with Reality as the driving force. They made sure all options were laid out.
Here we are 40 years later and the controversy of Abortion is now not an issue of choice, but an issue of political identity many would have us believe defines one's moral compass.................Bullshit. I resent that it has become nothing but another political bat many use to beat up the other side. Both sides use it and abuse it. But none more than the Anti-abortion crowd. Their holier than thou righteous indignation has created so many successful lies and false accusations that violence has resulted. Doctors have been killed, Women stalked and harassed. Clinics bombed. If anyone should be ashamed of themselves, it is the people who sanction this type of activity while hiding behind the notion of "being a Christian" and justifying the means by seeking some debatable ends. They have no remorse. It sickens me.
I do not like abortion. I also feel it is not my place to force this view on anyone. A decision such as this is uniquely personal and should be respected over and above any other view. Forcing unwanted pregnancies through to full term by legislation is in my mind the worst kind of assault on a person's individual rights.
What about the rights of the fetus? Yeah, what about them? I struggle with this question quite often. That I cannot come up with a satisfactory answer only tells me I have to allow each individual the right to determine what those rights are for themselves. No law will ever resolve that question other than to impose sanctions and penalties for crossing some arbitrary line created out of nothing but the opinion of some wishing to impose their will on the rest of us.
Later................................................................
11 comments:
The same groups that are so concerned about the life of a fetus, glorify war, support political assassination, are aggressively for the death penalty and carry concealed weapons in the hope that some day they can shoot someone.
There is no moral right or wrong, there is no justice - everything is relative to a specific situation and varies by degrees.
the Ol'Buzzard
This is something that should be left up to the individuals involved, the woman, the doctor and the father if he is still around. Those that claim to be "pro-life" are basically "pro-fetus" and more that willing to take life in the manners that Ol'Buzzard mentioned.
Anywhere other than this country those that bomb abortion clinics and kill doctors would be called TERRORISTS, and rightly so!!
I'd be a little more tolerant of the anti-choice foamers if they showed some evidence of caring about kids after they're born, but most appear to be part of the same crowd that doesn't want to fund any sort of social safety net, whether it's nutrition programs (WIC, food stamps), health care, or decent schools. As far as I can tell, most of the anti-abortion types are motivated more by a desire to punish the woman for having the nerve to get pregnant than they are by the sanctity of life.
no one is FOR abortion..but most people are for choice..I've had an abortion..it wasn't an easy decision..I still agonize over it..and it's been over 20 years.
Word.
Here's an illuminating article about the personal politics of abortion: http://mypage.direct.ca/w/writer/anti-tales.html
All those pro-fetus rights debates can be resolved easily. Pure logic: if the fetus cannot exist without the woman's body, it is a part of her body, and, therefore:
1. it has no its own rights;
2. the woman has every right to decide what to do about a part of her body.
cmstewart - It is so easy to be holier than thou until one gets into trouble. That article was very illuminating and supports my notion that Pro/Choice - No Chocie is nothing but a political football to be passed back and forth between parties to garner support.
Thanks for the link.
Anonymous - I can't argue with your logic. Makes perfect sense to me.
Try this logic: If a newborn breathing baby (out of the womb) cannot exist without its mom and her body (which it cannot), then does the mom have a right to abandon it and let it die?
YELLOWDOG GRANNY rightly says that no one is for abortion. She still agonizes over it 20 years later. Does anyone agonize over keeping their child? I don't think so.
So does all this mean you would be for slavery if you owned a slave yourself? Abortion is akin to the slavery issue in the 1800's. Both are immoral actions that are tearing apart our country because some people don't know how to treat another human with decency.
Anonymous - The first casualty of this debate is logic. Your slavery analogy falls well short of a good one.
Whether or not we should be legislating what a person does with their own body is the first consideration. Everything else in my opinion should be based on that.
Never mind the fact that legislating Abortion away will in no way get rid of it. People will either head out of the country for one, or into the dark alleys like they used to.
Making anything illegal only has a marginal effect if the justice of the law is not agreed with by enough people.
Just came across this blog and I have to say I don't agree with you Ol Buzzard. Of course there is a moral right or wrong. The whole abortion debate has now emerged to outside the womb under the banner of freedom of choice and this now includes choice between job or baby. Check out the latest on the issue at : http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/baby-abortion-argument-is-crossing-the-line/story-e6frfifx-1226288763607
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