I absolutely LOVED this article. It really summed up a lot of what I believe on this subject. The short of it is I’m pro choice but anti abortion. I really think abortion is icky, and now that I’ve personally had babies of my own and felt them move within me, I just don’t think I could have one. What I love tho, is that is my CHOICE. I think a lot of people forget that choice does include the right to choose life. I firmly believe that we can fight abortion with education. It’s an outright fact that teaching abstinence is useless. Too many teenagers are stuck in that “It will never happen to me” phase of invincibility, and if the only information they have is “don’t do it” it’s not going to work. There are too many myth surrounding conception out there and one more teen told simply, don’t have sex, may do it anyway thinking it won’t happen the first time, it won’t happen if I jump up and down afterwards, it won’t happen if he pulls out, etc. How can they be expected to make informed choices without information?
I also think, that pro choice encompasses a lot more than just abortion. I think there is a point where the pro lifers and the pro choicers will one day meet in the middle because there will be rights infringed upon that we all hold as important. It starts with abortion. What about the other end with all the early early and getting earlier elective inductions and elective cesareans, aren’t those just very late term abortions just without the intent to kill? We’re losing more and more the right to birth at home, to birth freely, and somewhere in the middle it’s going to come out where the only way to birth is controlled conception and controlled delivery.
Let’s leave all of our choices available. Let’s trust that women can and do make intelligent choices about their bodies. Let’s educate the ones who don’t have enough information to make informed choices about their bodies.
Until you walk a mile in the shoes of another what gives anyone the RIGHT to CHOOSE for them?
hello brambledoula! i found your blog from your pingback to my blessingway post, and i’ve enjoyed reading around. thank you so much for this thoughtful post. i was pro-choice until i took a college course on reproductive ethics & technology, but i am still uncertain about how to address abortion as a voter. i totally agree with you that education is key and absolutely necessary, and i’m fascinated by your deduction that “somewhere in the middle it’s going to come out where the only way to birth is controlled conception and controlled delivery.” talk about 1984!! i also believe that abortion is often an issue of community — someone(s) usually knows that a woman is in a desperate position and trying to figure out whether or not to abort, but for whatever reason, that person cannot find it in themselves to offer the radical hospitality and friendship that the woman needs — hospitality and friendship that will remain faithful *no matter what* the woman decides.
thanks again for giving me some good food for thought.
warmly,
laura
http://www.oakies.wordpress.com
By: oakies on November 6, 2007
at 11:22 am
I imagine a lack of community and/or support is probably why many women do choose abortion, you’re right. We’re a long way from the tribal village type community that would just raise a child that would otherwise be unwanted. In this day and age dads to be sometimes run scarce, and even when they don’t often both mom and dad need to work to support a child, it’s hard times.
Thanks for giving some food back
By: brambledoula on November 6, 2007
at 1:09 pm