Abortion

I thought of several cute and catchy titles for this entry and then decided this isn't a cute and catchy type of issue. One of the reasons we cannot settle this is because of people using catchy little phrases instead of facing up to reality. "Pro-Life", "Pro-Choice", "Reproductive Freedom", "Baby Killers"- NONE OF THESE TRULY DESCRIBE ANYTHING ABOUT ABORTION!

We are all- unless we are a serial killer- PRO-LIFE. In fact, since Liberals are usually against the death penalty and wars-of-choice, while many Conservatives vie to see who can execute the broadest range of people (the cutting edge now being "how young can you go", the "how slow [mentally challenged] can you go" race having been won by Texas) and who can come up with the most creative reason for starting a war, Liberals should claim the label Pro-Life. Well, there is that sticky assisted suicide issue. Perhaps only Buddhist monks should earn the title Pro-Life.

Likewise all of us are Pro-Choice. The disagreement is simply as to "Whose choice?". For example, if some woman in Bangor Township, Michigan, finds she is pregnant Liberals would say that after consulting her family, partner, clergy, Doctor or whomever may be appropiate, the choice is hers. Conservatives say that after consulting themselves, the choice belongs to some politician in Lansing or Washington. Liberals support their position saying that no one knows the facts surrounding the pregnancy and the woman's life better than she does; Conservatives say that no one knows the will of God better than they do.

It should be clear from above that I firmly believe that the right to decide resides with the pregnant woman. And I do believe that. Of course I do not have to LIKE it. Just as I am against unnecessary wars and capital punishment (more on this some other day)- I am firmly against abortion. However, like wars, abortion is sometimes necessary. Our goal should NOT be controlling a woman's choices- our goal MUST be to give her BETTER choices.

It is SO VERY WRONG that so many Conservatives seem to quit caring about a child as soon as it starts breathing on its own. Health care, education, even food and shelter are given less value that tax breaks for the wealthy and giant corporations. (And you KNOW you will read more on THIS topic!) Very few women "use abortion as birth control", usually the planned birth control has failed and the woman now faces either a child conceived from rape or incest, one with some terrible heredity disease, or one SHE KNOWS will suffer from lack of food, shelter and medical care. The infant mortality rate- and life expectancy- in the United States clearly shows the negative effect that a lack of universal health care and public support of food and shelter continues to have. Since the United States ranks 36th- behind every other major modern country we MUST be failing in this area.

On the other hand many Liberals want to ensure a woman has a right to choose abortion, but they fight offering her other choices. We need a "no fault" system of adoption, where the parent making the already difficult decision to have a child and then let it be adopted does not face an adversarial process. In Michigan, for instance, if a woman has had her parental rights to one child terminated by a court then that becomes a specific prima facie reason to terminate her rights to any children she might have in the future! There should be a clear, safe and repercussion-free system in place to allow women to make this choice without fear of future problems. Likewise NO AMERICAN should ever have to choose abortion because they cannot feed, clothe or shelter a child. No American should choose abortion because they cannot afford pre- peri- or post-natal care. No American should choose abortion because they know the child will never have a chance at a good future- a decent job, college or a trade. This is where our effort should go.

No, we SHOULD NOT make a woman's choice for her- We SHOULD offer her better choices!

jessie