After reading the title, if you think that this post might piss you off CLICK ON THE HATEMAIL BUTTON! Think twice before making rude or hateful comments. I always welcome a different point of view. I, myself, have many. So if you would like to present an argument, or voice your opinion, great. If you cannot do so without being hateful or rude, remember, you were warned!
  So, onto the subject. In reading my daily blogs, there is someone who has a political one also. On that site there is a reference to endroe.org. I did not visit the site, as I do not support the cause. Explanation to come. The gist I got, from the post, was that the endroe movement only wishes to force our congressmen/women to judge the merits of a supreme court justice nominee not ONLY on their view of abortion and shoot them down on that alone. Instead they want the nominee to be judged on their overall view of many issues. I can agree with that. However, there was no mention of their ability to set their views aside and judge a case based ONLY on evidence and arguments presented to them at the time of the 'trial'. I know that can't really be called trials, they are in essence appeals of different decisions of lower courts. This in and of itself bothers me.
  Maybe it's naive of me, but I always thought that was the essence of our entire justice system. AND I thought that the Supreme Court, being the last word on appeals, should be held to this standard without exception. From what I understand of things, and I was good in school and read all the textbooks, When a case goes to trial: the judge is expected to judge on the evidence and testimony presented. the jury is expected to also. They are not supposed to judge based on their own beliefs, and/or prejudices, and/or politics. We are all human and make mistakes, I get that. One would believe that would be most likely to happen in the jury. As judges do this kind of thing for a living and are, for the most part, elected one would think they should be held to a higher standard. I know they are not. How, you ask? One only has to read the yearly article in Reader's Digest on the worst judges in America. They pick only 5. Of all the ones I read this year, only one lost his license to practice law at all, and simply went to a different state. I believe that a supreme court justice, and therefore the nominee, should be held to a higher standard. Fuck up with that and you're out. That doesn't and, probably, will never happen. Once one is approved, they are there until they die or resign. Our chief justice has cancer and is sick, yet he is still on the court. WHY! That's just fucked up. They should be required to be at every single one of them. Barring their death or a conflict of interest. They are of the highest court, one would think anything else could be scheduled around their cases. They chose to be considered for our highest court, where they, in essence, decide many of our laws. No, they don't write them. They interpret them. Enough about that. That's only the thing that got me started...on to abortion....
  Where to start...hmmm. The pro-lifers. I know you can't really lump them all in together. Still I will qualify with a BUT.... The image they project, on tv, in pamphlets, etc is one of extreme intolerance. So when I say pro-lifers are intolerant, think they are superior, and are religious zealots, I have good reason. No, I do not believe that all are that way. However, if you are lumped in there, it's your own fault for allowing those people to give the rest of us this very bad impression of you. And no, the person's who's site I was talking about, I do not think she is any of those things, quite the opposite in fact. I am making a generalization, just as a lot of pro-lifers do about women who do get abortions and the doctors who perform them. If you are pro-life and wish to express your views, feel free. Just read the entire post before you pass judgement. My thoughts are never linear, so you will have to make do. The way I see it, if you define yourself as pro-life you believe that under absolutely no circumstances is abortion is acceptable. Soon, I promise, I will give you a few scenarios and it will be either something you refuse to 'hear', or have never thought of before.
  My beliefs: Obviously I am not a pro-lifer, so that makes me pro-choice. In essence, yes, but I do have qualifiers. I do believe there are some women who make this decision simply because they didn't CHOOSE, yes I said choose, to use birth control. Just as having sex is a choice (this will be qualified later) so is using a condom and another type of birth control. It's all about choice. Then there are women who did not have a choice, yes it will be covered. Back to the ones who did choose to have sex. Ok, maybe she did use a condom, maybe it broke. Maybe she did use birth control, maybe it didn't work. She still chose to have sex. You choose you pay the consequences. Now before you get your back up, I will explain. Regardless of whether the pregnant woman chooses to: a) have the baby and raise it herself, b) have the baby and give others who can't concieve a chance to have a baby, c) abort the baby, they are all still consequences. That single choice, whichever she chooses, will have consequences for the rest of her life. Yes, I will concede that some women do not have a mother's instinct and do not care about the choice they make, this is rare. Choice A) raising this child will be hard, even with the other parent there. Raising a child is not easy. Choice B) giving someone who can't concieve the chance at raising a child. Now, before you say anything, you do not know that the baby will get adopted, it could end up in the system. It's hell to try to get, in essence, permission to adopt. So the system and not a loving family is a likely scenario in here. Also another possiblity, while I think/sincerely hope this is also rare, that the child will get adopted but not be in a loving home. This can range from emotional to physical to sexual abuse. These are possibilities a woman will consider when thinking about this option. Choice C) abortion...the hot button word. Getting rid of the baby. No one...ever can presume to know what any one woman was thinking, or what led to her decision to exercise this option. This is something you cannot know, cannot 'own', unless it is something you have done. It's still something you will live with for the rest of your life. All the what ifs, what might have beens...do not even presume to know what this is like. Only in having the expirience can you truly know. I am going to equate this to miscarriage. No, I did not say it is the same thing. I said the word equate. It is still the complete loss of your baby. Did you know that they call miscarriages, in the medical profession, spontaneous abortions? Yes, they do. Now, before this pisses you off, know that I had a miscarriage when I was young and this is what they said to me. Actually they asked me if I had had an abortion. I did not know I was pregnant. Shock...horror...disgust...fear...sorrow...depression...guilt...all my fault. Things you cannot imagine. All in just a few minutes time. So...point being...do not, ever, presume to know what any of those decisions, a b or c, would do to a woman unless one of those choices was yours. Trust me when I say, you do not want to know my wrath if you get arrogant with me on this one.
  I believe strongly in the woman's right to choose. It is her body, not yours. ABSOLUTELY no one has the right to tell her what she has to do with it. In all those studies, ones I've seen reported, never did I once see the question even asked. The all important one. Yes they asked if it affected the woman for the rest of her life, if it was a painful decision, etc. Never did I see asked: If you had the decision to make again, same scenario, would it be the same? Would you still choose abortion?
  Scenario #1: You're pregnant. Yes!, you want your baby. Go to the obgyn. Have tests, ultrasounds, etc. The baby is dead or dying. Your obgyn tells you, look we have to take the baby out, or you will die. Yes, this can and does happen. Out of the many women who get pregnant each year, it's rare, but it does happen. When the baby starts to deteriorate(sp?) it gives off the same nasty stuff that a dead, has been born person does. It's going to make you sick, most likely die. Choice: take the baby out, or keep it there. This is still technically an abortion. Even if the baby is dead. I believe they call it a partial birth abortion. The baby is already dead, should the woman die too? Should it not be her choice? The same doctors who do this, are the same ones who work in the abortion clinics. Not all of them work only in the clinic, many do volunteer their time. Of course, on the other hand, not all who do perform abortions work in clinics. They work in hospitals and dr.'s offices. Those who value life cannot honestly say they do not support abortion in this scenario. If you say you do, I name you a hypocrite.
  Scenario #2: Your daughter is brutally raped by someone she either knows or doesn't know. That part does not really matter. Key word here: raped. They now have the morning after pill, you know the one the pro-lifers didn't want to be on the market. Would you expect your daughter to carry the child of this violent act? I suppose, if you would do that, you would also expect her to raise this painful reminder. Not only do you condemn your baby girl to have this constant reminder, but you have also just condemned your grandchild to an exsistence in which they will, most likely, be hated for the rest of their life by their own mother. There is a connection, in most women, to a baby they carry. Even if your daughter chose to carry this child of a violent act and give it up for adoption, what did you just sentence your baby girl to? A pregnancy is actually 40 weeks. That's not nine months...it's ten. That's almost a year. We all know it takes years of therapy, family support, etc. for a raped woman to get past it. It'll still be there for the rest of her life, but with a little luck, she'll get back to leading, hopefully, a fairly normal life. I cannot imagine what it would do for her to carry this reminder, then to give it up. I have only honor and respect for women who are able to do so. Carry and give up, or carry and raise...that must take awesome courage. I'm not and refuse to belittle that. You're going to make your baby girl do something like this? You want her to keep that pain for as long as you can possibly keep it there? If you say, you could do that...to your own flesh and blood? I have no choice but to call you a hypocrite. I know, being a mother, it's impossible to do that to your child.
  Scenario #3: Your baby girl, is not only raped...but she is repeatedly raped...by a member of your family. We call this molestation. You would make her keep this child? This reminder of a betrayal, so deep? This pain she has kept inside for days...weeks...months...years? This loss of trust? I'm sorry to anyone, who was raped, that this offends, but I believe this is far worse than being raped by a stranger. This is someone they trusted. Was a member of their family. You expect me to believe you would force her to keep the child? Don't lie to me, better yet do not lie to yourself. If you love your child, you would never do this to her.
  For me, those are my 3 most acceptable reasons for abortion. I do not believe it should be used as birth control. Simply because you made the choice to have sex. It shouldn't be that easy. And it's not, not really. They still have to deal with the emotions, the consequences, of this choice.
  We have come full circle...back where we started. If they succeed in overturning Roe v. Wade, well that scares me. When I commented at the above site, which I will not give you the URL for, I said that. Only that it scared me. She didn't want to get into an abortion debate...I respect that. But I can voice my opinion here. And if she ever chose to make a post about abortion itself, I will certainly do it there. Like I said before...it's the extreme face we see of the pro-lifers. Their message is that abortion should be banned, forever, no matter the reason, no matter the scenario. They have claimed that if they ever succeed in overturning Roe v. Wade, they will ban abortion. This is what bothers me. There are legitimate reasons for this choice. You cannot condemn those who make it. You do not have the right. I do not have the right. I am sure that they condemn themselves enough for all of us. They do not need your help to do this.
  Breathe now, it's ok. Comments are now open for your opinion. Any hateful comments will be dealt with by me, or our local 'knights in shining armor' over at the hatemail site. If you haven't done so, now might be the time to visit over there, before you comment here. |