I am pro choice. Extremely pro choice. When my eldest daughter, Katie, came to me to tell me that, at 16, she was pregnant, my pro choiceness was put to the absolute test. Because allowing my daughter to examine all of her choices that were available to her and step back and let her make the choice that was best for her was the absolute litmus test of that belief of mine.
Now my being pro choice does not mean I encourage abortion. I abhor abortion. It's the absolutely worst choice of the three choices Katie wrangled with. (abortion, adoption, teen parenthood) Of the women I know who have had an abortion, there isn't one of them who doesn't regret that decision with every ounce of her being.
I also think that there should be limits on abortion, such as not being legal after 20 weeks gestation. And I think that every woman who is raped should take the morning after pill so the abortion issue doesn't even have to come up for her.
I spend a lot of energy telling people of the miracle of adoption that I was privileged to participate in back in 2002. No, that choice wasn't easy for Katie to make. Continuing to attend high school while pregnant wasn't easy, either. And for the pregnant teens in her support group who kept their babies managing to keep going to school and care for a baby and deal with the baby daddy or lack of baby daddy and all that isn't ever easy.
And abortion seems like such an easy way out. Until you have one and have to live with that knowledge for the rest of your life.
But I never want my country to make abortion illegal. Because that choice needs to be as safe and supported as possible. So those who do make that choice survive their choice.
I agree with you on this. All rape victims should be given the morning after pill if they choose to take it. My whole thing is, I abhor abortion, too, but there are too many circumstances when it is necessary, to risk taking the right away. I am conservative and I am Christian so for me abortion is akin to murder but there is no way in HELL I would tell a woman faced with death over keeping a baby to term, or a rape victim, that she must suffer through pregnancy or risk her life. I can't do it. I wrote a blog on this topic a few weeks ago and there was a lot of passion in it for me. I think once I become a mother and hold my child in my arms for the first time I will become even more staunch in my views. Time will tell. I always wonder what happens to the hearts of women who abort a baby and then go on to have another, planned child, if they are not haunted, etc.
Posted by: Casey | September 26, 2008 at 11:25 AM
At least there's one issue we can disagree on. ;-)
Posted by: heidi | September 27, 2008 at 08:32 AM