Thursday, October 20, 2011

Abortions

Yes, I'm going there. Just stay with me.

A few days ago, I read this article about how in Mississippi they are trying to put a constitutional ban on abortions. Even just reading the title made me so angry - instantly angry. Then I read it. Apparently they have some of the most strict laws on abortion in the US, and there is only one clinic in the whole state that will perform abortions.

So, I posted on Facebook this status:

Isn't the US taking a step backwards in seeking to put abortion bans into state constitutions? All that work of women's rights activists, making it a woman's choice, going down the drain. Makes me sad.

Honestly, I didn't think anyone would disagree with me. Might have been naive of me, but I figured, that after all of the work of women's rights activists in the 60s and 70s, that this would be a general consensus. Apparently not. Half a dozen of my friends "liked" the comment, and posted that they agree. But then there was another friend.

She is a young mother of one boy, and has a girl on the way. I'm not 100% sure, but I think she had her son when she was either in high school, or just out of it. She is totally against abortion with these arguments:
  • If women used their rights in a mature manner, this wouldn't be an issue
  • Women (and girls) are walking into these clinics every time they mess up and aborting left and right
  • People are dying to adopt and if these women (and girls) are heartless enough to murder their babies, then giving them to good, loving, caring families shouldn't hurt them
And basically stated that if you're stupid enough to get yourself into that mess, you should have to deal with it, unless it's justified. She had more to say, but it was all along this line of thought.

And honestly, though I completely disagree, I respect her opinion. I think it's an immature opinion from someone who is basing her opinion solely on her experience and stories she has heard instead of fact. Maybe not just fact, but maybe on hearing different opinions.

Then, I got an email from another friend about the flip side of this issue, the side I take opinion with. She speaks from the experience of having to get an abortion, and it being the best decision for her and the baby at the time. I think that we can all agree that there should be a better system for abortions, and that you shouldn't be able to just get one, that you should have to go through a course of some kind before you do it, so that you are prepared to deal with it afterwards. She said that it took her a couple of years to deal with it, and that she wasn't super young when it happened. She also told me something that totally surprised me. Apparently, at our local junior high school, counsellors are taking girls as young as grade 9 to get abortions without telling their parents. Can you believe that? You can get an abortion if you are under age without parental consent! OMG.

Don't you think that if the make abortions illegal, there will be more back-alley abortionists, and that women who want to get an abortion will end up very sick or dead? Shouldn't it be a personal choice, not a governmental one? Isn't that what everyone fought for?

I completely agree that there are women out there that are making a bad name for abortions. The women who have 3 or 4 or more abortions as a form of birth control, or because they are just too dumb to close their legs make a very bad name for the women who actually make the decision responsibly and don't abuse the system.

I can say, for myself, that even now, as a happily married woman, who is financially sound, I would consider an abortion if I found myself pregnant at this moment. I know that might sound harsh, but it's the truth. I don't know if I want to be a mother, and I think I'd rather be sure than end up a bitter woman who hates her kids.

I just am so glad that I live in Canada, where we believe (for the most part) in freedom of choice. It's obviously still a work in progress, but damn, at least we're not taking steps backwards like the US.

I know this is strange, me voicing my opinions like this, but I just can't get it out of my mind. I needed to type it out. If you have opinions, please comment below!

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