Can Women of Good Will Have a Discussion About Abortion?
There is a weight here,
almost too great to bear, but I seek a Chautauqua island in the midst of an
emotional maelstrom. Here in Texas
I can accept Roe v Wade, but I think it stinks. I think an abortion represents layers of
failure. Every woman who needs an
abortion has been forced, coerced or felt compelled to have unprotected
sex. That is a failure. Sex seems to be
society’s coin of the realm so we spend it.
We go in debt to it. Girls still
want to be popular and boys still want to count coup. Was this the message of equality the feminist
movement wanted?
There is a need for the legalization of abortion. Children should not have to have
children. Rape victims should not have
to have children. The mantra of those in
favor of abortions about them being, “safe, legal and rare” does come to
mind. But there are so many other issues
here that go beyond that original ruling.
By definition, an under age girl can not consent to sex, so when a child
presents herself for an abortion why is there no legal proceeding to detect her
assailant? She has been victimized and
all the focus is on getting rid of a fetus, giving her assailant a get out of
jail free card. Where is the empowerment
of women in this?
Abortion is an invasive surgical procedure, one which
induces hemorrhage and possibility of infection. Shouldn’t we assure that the facilities where
this is done are clean, licensed and prepared for emergencies? Do we protect women if we do less?
But there exists an even more disturbing problem.
Every family knows what it is like to lose a
pregnancy. Several years ago a member of
my family lost a late term baby. The
doctors had given ample warning of the inevitability loss. The child lived only minutes. When I got to my daughter-in-law, we fell
into each other’s arms, I cradled her head against my shoulder and we both just
sobbed. No words were needed or
spoken.
Here is the part with which I have difficulty. A woman wanting an abortion of the same term
fetus can get it, no questions asked.
The only difference between a tragedy and a, “choice” seems to be the
whim of the mother. Why is one a cause
for sorrow and the other a sigh of relief?
There is an arbitrariness here that lacks logic. A child, which can exist outside the womb,
may be aborted with legal impunity; but the same child, once delivered,
achieves legal status. How can the few
inches of the birth canal bestow such power on a child and remove such power
from a mother? Can anyone give me a
logical reason why this should be? The
vilest murderer in this country does not live or die by the choice of a single
person.
I have not couched my concerns in religious terms. I know too many people of faith and honor on
all sides of this issue. This deals with
human rights. It is not a question of
when does a woman have a right to an abortion, it is a question of when does a fetus earn the right to be born? I believe this is when it is viable on its
own, needing nothing beyond normal nurturing.
If you see a logic here that has escaped me, please share
it, but know in advance that I don’t deal in invective or profanity.
Ask the questions and keep the faith.
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