Because I refuse to use Facebook as a means of promoting my personal opinions and forcing people who could care less or those who disagree with my opinions to have their news feed bogged down with my political and personal viewpoints, I will use this blog as a means to do so instead. That way, if you care about my opinion, you can read it. If not, no one forced you to click on the link!
I'd like to start by saying that this is one of those days where I'm having trouble controlling my emotions because I feel so passionately about the topic on which I'm blogging. That's not to say that I refuse to look at all viewpoints and opinions on this particular topic, but, just as everyone does, I've based my opinions on personal experiences and ultimately, on the way that I was raised.
Ok. Now that I have you wondering what on earth I am talking about, I'll dive right in. My Facebook newsfeed was filled with "#standwithwendy" hashtags and stories yesterday and this morning. If I'm being perfectly honest, at first I had to do a little research on the topic, because I've paid too little attention to what is going on politically these days. I was curious. I googled the event and saw that Democratic Texas Senator Wendy Davis was filibustering a (GOP) proposed bill that would (basically, and I'm shortening it here) make getting an abortion more difficult than just finding a clinic to do so. It would place restrictions on where and at what point (none after 20 weeks) an abortion would be legal.
Now, the fact that this woman was able to stand (she could not sit, go to the bathroom, or go off topic) and talk about her personal experiences and her opinions on this particular topic for more than 10 hours is astounding in itself. She used her inherent right to filibuster something that she was opposed to, and for that I commend her.
That being said, I have a very difficult time with the fact that she's being called a "hero" and that she's being heralded for pushing the idea of "equality for women." National critics are suggesting the idea that "Texas hates women" because of the proposed legislation. If Texas hates women because we are opposed to aborting 20 week old fetuses, then I guess I hate women, too. To me, the subject of abortion is not about a woman having the "right to choose," but rather, it's about when a fetus is considered a living being. If we really want to talk about "equality for all," you can make the argument that aborting an innocent fetus is not equal treatment for that growing baby, who, by 20 weeks is certainly a living being with a heartbeat and the beginning stages of growth and development.
I get the arguments about when a woman "should be able" to have an abortion. "She's too young," or "she was raped" being the main topics that come to mind. Of course, I feel for these women who have already been through hell and cannot imagine the devastation it would cause for them to carry a baby that was created by someone who hurt them so badly. Mentally, physically and most of all emotionally, that would be beyond excruciating. Now, to me, the "she's too young, it'll ruin her life" argument is a lot less simple, and plainly speaking, it's for the birds. A female knows the possible "consequences" of having sex and made the choice to do it at a time in her life when she wouldn't be able to handle the possible outcome. Now, I'm no saint. We have all done things we are not proud of, and looking back, there are several decisions I made when I was younger that could have come with devastating consequences, and for whatever reason, they did not. But, if we stop holding people responsible for their actions, where will we end up? As a (semi-retired) teacher and coach, I see all too often the "it's not fair" situations that ultimately end up costing teachers their jobs, and creating an education system that is controlled by the parents who would rather be friends with their kids than role models to growing, easily influenced future members of society.
Okay, slightly off-topic tangent there, but let's get back to what this is really about.
As for the idea that a woman should have the right to choose, and what a woman does with her body is her own business and no one else's, to that I have to ask, where does it become okay to step in? When a woman is on drugs and shooting herself up with illegal substances, is this her right to choose? When a woman is caught contemplating suicide and we try to put her in a rehab center, is this her choice? When a woman gets pregnant and decides a week before her third trimester that she is not ready to have a child, thus killing an innocent, very much living being, how is this okay?? We cannot live in a world where we seek pure equality for all because that is not feasible and would create more harm than good. In theory, it sounds like a great thing. But history shows us that all too often things that seem too good to be true probably are.
I'm also confused about the liberal stance on abortion and the polar opposite stance on the death penalty. How is it fair to murder a pure, unprotected, unbiased fetus when they have done nothing except become a creation from God, but it's not okay to kill a grown man or woman who has inflicted harm, pain, and death on other living beings? I see how one could make the same argument on the opposite side of the spectrum and say why do you think it's okay to say you shouldn't abort a fetus that is not a member of society, but that it's okay to kill a grown individual who has made poor choices? I get it. To me, it's again about being held responsible for our actions. Why does a baby have to suffer from the poor choices of his/her mother? Once again we all have our opinions. We live in a democratic society that gives us the right to have these opinions and to put people in office to make our laws on the way our country should be run. For that I am so thankful.
To the thousands of women who suffer from infertility, those who have the overwhelming desire to have a child but for whatever reason they cannot, this issue is especially heart-wrenching. And to the thousands of children who were adopted by parents that so desperately wanted a child, but couldn't or wouldn't have one on their own, they got that second chance that so many fetuses will not have.
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