Scribblings of a Madwoman

The "A" Word

The 'A' Word...

The Democratic Party has been soul-searching about abortion issue. It is a difficult issue and one that makes me think all of the time. I don't like abortion. I don't think anyone does. But I don't think it should be illegal and I believe this for many reasons. I know my reasoning is influenced by the fact that I have worked with troubled youth for some time. I have a unique view into their world.

The first reason that I am pro-choice is that I worry about the health of so many mothers and soon-to-be mothers in this country. Although people argue that abortion has always been allowed where the mother's life was threatened (and sometimes even her long-term health but not always), there are many instances where women were left to die and not given a choice. Especially if they went to certain Catholic Hospitals where the doctors were placed under gag orders and were not allowed to transfer patients (So much for Hippocrates and the idea that religion and medicine have no business with one another). Not only do these mothers end up dead without being able to have more children who could be healthy and great benefits to society, any family she already has will lose their mother too.

Another reason I am pro-choice is the fact that for all the talk about, "How hard it is to adopt..." babies are un-adopted all of the time. I know of several people who have recently said things to me like, "If you have the means, adopt..." or "We would adopt but it's so hard because my spouse is getting older and we'd need to go overseas and we can't afford it..." Some of these people are friends that I've worked with and some are close friends and family members that I've known for much of my life. I don't know how to tell them how wrong they are! I've worked with troubled youth. I've seen teenage girls who were raped by their mother's (or guardian's) boyfriends. They didn't want to have an abortion be faced with that decision. Many of these girls suffer from their own mothers' drug and alcohol abuse from while they were in the womb. They also know that non-white and non-Asian babies often get bounced from foster home to foster home (many have experienced it themselves). I've seen prospective adoptive parents walk out without saying a word when they see that the girl is black, especially if the girl shows telltale signs of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome herself. Now, no biological parent has any guarantee that their child won't have physical or mental disabilities when they are born (or develop them later on). Why are they so prying into the medical histories of prospective adoptive parents? These girls don't care how much money the parents will have or what religion the parents are, they just want the child to have a good home. But they're black so their wish cannot be granted. Many of these girls end up feeling that abortion is the most humane option for their children. That is a frightening prospect because THAT IS NOT A CHOICE. (The folks at Planned Parenthood and NOW would agree with me).

There is a more selfish reason that I am pro-choice. I am absolutely certain that if men got pregnant abortion rights would be guaranteed in the constitution. It would be a right "ordained by our creator." It would have been mentioned in the Declaration of Independence itself. I just don't like the fact that women are still dumped on in this society.
The final reason I think that abortion should remain legal in this country is that we were founded on the principle that no religious or moral dogma would decide our laws (even though many of our early leaders had deep religious beliefs). Our Founding Fathers like Jefferson and Franklin wanted our laws to be based on society's need. The only things that should be illegal are things that "harm society." I don't believe that there is any evidence that abortion "harms society." Murder harms society because when someone is murdered and there is no justice people look for revenge. This often results in vigilantism and leads to long-standing feuds and in extreme cases civil war. Has abortion ever done this? Not that I am aware. Theft has similar consequences to murder though they are rarely as extreme.

I have a few ideas and examples about how non-medical abortions could be reduced to extremely rare status. First Christian Right needs to stop running TV programs begging Americans to adopt children from China and other East Asian countries without also pointing out that there are children right here in the US that need homes. Next, I would like to see a Families' Bill of Rights like the Patient's Bill of Rights. I would like to live in a country where children born would have a right to food, shelter, healthcare and education. More affordable childcare for working mothers would be a huge help too. I would like to point out that countries such as Sweden have these things (along with very lax regulations on abortion). Non-medical abortion is very rare there. They've solved the social problems leading to abortion rather than making it illegal. I like that. It keeps abortion legal and safe for those who absolutely need it, but makes it a "final resort" option. To me that is a goal that I think the US, "The Best Country on Earth" (IMHO), can meet. I'd much rather pay taxes for helping children get a good start in life than killing them (war).

Posted by alycia at February 23, 2005 01:51 PM