These are just thoughts that I'm pondering as I trundle off to the gym today, it's bloody freezing cold in NYC today and I'm not looking forward to the gym or the post office, both things that I must do today.
In the past couple of days a friend of mine published a blog post about her belief in being pro-life and wanting to volunteer towards that purpose. If you have read any of my political posts on this blog, then you know that I hang very far to the left, if you will, and am obviously rabidly pro-choice.
It gives me pause to think about how to communicate my feelings on this subject. Not to my friends and close family- they all know how I feel and pretty much all of them are also very much pro-choice. Even my minister father is pro-choice. I grew up in the church and I know how that can affect people's personal and political beliefs. The fact that I no longer associate myself with the church is only part of a multi-faceted part of how I see the world as an adult.
(If you are or know the person whose blog started my thinking on this, I am not addressing it specifically. It just got me thinking. I am not talking about you!)
How to explain that I'm not only pro-choice but I don't really see the point in trying to deny women's rights to have a legal, safe abortions?
I mean, there are so many problems in this world - a lot of them pertaining to children who most definitely are alive and have tons of problems: poverty, abuse, poor education, poor guidance at home... feeling protective of them I can understand. But a child that doesn't even exist yet?
Nevermind that once that unwanted child DOES exist what the hell are we going to do with it? I have to research the stats again, but an overwhelming amount of people in jail have been in foster care at some point. I don't think that's a coincidence. If we save souls by not aborting them, who is going to save them once they are stuck in a home that is resentful of his/her presence or using them for their own gain?
There are people who are foster parents who rape their children, use them for drug trafficking etc. What, exactly, are we saving them for? If, in fact, you can call not aborting them, saving them.
If you want to see what I mean check out these links that show some of the current stats for Foster Care (in New York):
"
Fewer Children in Foster Care, but They Stay Longer" NY Times City Blog
Child Welfare Watch"
City Slow to Act As Hope For Foster Children Fails" NY Times
And I'm not saying I buy into all of this guy's rationales, but if you're interested in potential crime/abortion ratios and
"Freakenomics" check this out.
There are literally thousands of children all over the world starving to death right now. Right NOW. Dying of malnutrition and unable to receive proper medical care - in this country and in others. And we want to save more that someone doesn't even want? These tragic facts are real people, real kids who need homes and guidance to learn how to build a life so they don't end up jobless and pregnant by 18.
Our planet is overpopulated. In my nefarious fantasies I dream of the government making a law that forbids people to have over a certain number of children. I would never actually support this because it goes against my other, much stronger conviction that we should be able to do pretty much whatever we want. The whole making-laws-to-protect-people-if-they-can't-protect-themselves thing is a luge straight into Hitler territory.
And then there's the fact that women will continue to have abortions (which we've been doing for thousands of years, I might add) regardless of whether or not it's legal which means more women will die due to unsafe abortions. Yuck. Unnecessary and yuck.
And then there's this part. The pro-life movement denies me the right to make a decision about my own life and own body. Why anyone would choose my unborn baby (and let's not talk about partial-birth abortions, people...they are illegal and should remain so) over my rights is beyond my comprehension. I am fully formed, functioning (at least most of the time) adult. Sorry, "baby", but in the who-gets-the-right-of- -way contest... I win.
It's like the pedestrian has the right of way laws in California. People just stroll out into the crosswalk during a green light and assume that I will stop because it's illegal not to yield to pedestrians. Well, I hate to break it to you, foolish pedestrian, but if I don't see you for any reason it doesn't matter what the law is: you're gonna die. My car is much, much heavier than you and no matter how entitled you feel to be able to walk across the street, it will crush you like a bug. So you might wanna move your ass.
Reality trumps, as my brother says. And the reality is: if I'm an adult and don't want to have a child, then I shouldn't have to. Call it what you will, but it's my life. I don't walk around telling people with six children to get an abortion when they get pregnant for the seventh time (although part of me would like to). Because that would be denying that person's right to make a decision on their own, for themselves. Do I think it's foolish and irresponsible...nay verging on criminal? Yes. I begrudge that person their decision. The woman who just has octuplets after having six children? Ridiculous. Completely selfish and irresponsible. Buy ya know what? Her choice. We all suffer because of these decisions, but still it remains her choice.
If someone else gets to tell me when I can't have an abortion, what else can they take away from me? Why do I not get a choice? Because I disagree with you? Imagine that kind of world... oh, wait. We don't have to. It's happened a few times. And they are regarded as some of the darkest times in History.
Okay, I'm done. Off to the gym.
