Election years... the period of time every four years where women’s issues come bubbling up to the surface to reveal their loathsome presence. I find it ironic that women are viewed as a special topic in this country, even though we outnumber men. We sit and watch as men debate what should be done with our rights and our bodies. We are grossly under represented in our legislative branch and we have never been represented in our executive branch. With election season in full swing, there is one hot button issue that everyone in this country has an opinion on one way or the other: the right for women to choose. The Republican Party has taken the viewpoint of shrinking government to be small enough to fit inside of our uteruses. In their defense though, their cold hearts would enjoy a nice, warm uterus.
Regardless, the ladies of this country are under fire. Our right to choose is under attack.
To begin, I am a firm believer in the quality of life triumphing life itself. If I am ever in the position where I can’t wipe my own ass, I can only hope that somebody would be ballsy enough to put a pillow over my head and end my misery. I also don’t doubt that many people would want the same. So why is it that pro-lifers would rather see a baby born than a baby fed, clothed, wanted, loved. To be quite frank, once a baby is born, pro-lifers could not give a damn about what happens to it. Many of these people are the same ones who want to cut assistance programs for those on limited budgets. They view pregnancy as a consequence for having premarital (or even marital) sex for enjoyment. They say that if you don’t want a baby you shouldn’t have sex. Well, nobody wants to get into a car accident, but we still drive. The pro-life movement isn’t pro-life at all, it’s pro-birth.
"Adoption!", they all cry as they do not understand the ramifications of throwing another child into the system. It is a convenient justification to impede on the rights of others. They do not realize that by replacing abortion with adoption they are still forcing a woman to carry a child she does not consent to carry. Pro-lifers like to claim that an abortion is going to harm you mentally for many years after the procedure. In all honesty, if anything is going to mess someone up it is going to be carrying a child in their stomach for nine months and then putting it up for adoption knowing that your child could be anywhere in the world, essentially hidden in plain sight. In addition, 61% of women who have abortions already have children in this world. It is safe to say that if these women had the means to keep the child they would, but for many reasons they can not. How would you explain that one? Even if someone chose to carry a pregnancy to term then give it up for adoption, did you know that every year more than 20,000 children age out of the foster care system without ever being adopted and more than 100,000 are stuck in foster care waiting to be adopted? There are thousands of children already stuck in this vicious cycle, so why would we want to add more? I would love to see pro-lifers put their money where their mouths are and adopt every single child that's left without parents before they tell women to put more in.
You know what’s worse than the manipulation and deception of vulnerable people? Crisis pregnancy centers. Wait, they’re the same thing. Their advertisements on buses and billboards offer help and information to those with an unplanned pregnancy, but only limit their options to the pro-life agenda. They are also the ones that push the idea of public assistance, and when it comes to hiding behind a voting booth curtain they shut it down. They do not give women their complete legal and medical options. They give misinformation and spout their lies for their own benefit. They paint a pretty picture of what life is like with a child that a woman can not afford. Deception and manipulation of those who are confused, scared, ashamed and looking for help is about the most deplorable thing a human being can do to another human being.Pro-lifers want to see abortion come to an end, but do not want to support things that are designed to end them. Sex education, access to contraception, a safe environment to talk about these things. Teenagers are going to experiment with sex, end of story. So instead of putting their hands over their ears and shutting their eyes, pro-lifers should stop, look, and listen. Sex happens, so instead of ignoring it and teaching young adults that it is somehow inherently bad for you- let us educate those who didn’t have awesome sexual role models like my mother. Lets make access to contraception easy, lets teach young adults how to put a condom on rather than the idea that, “there is no condom for the heart”.
Lets do some math: Sex education + safer sex= less abortions and reduced STI rates. What a win/win concept! It had been proven time and time again that abstinence-only education fails young adults like myself. Education is the key to prevention.
There is a lot that can be said about this subject. Much of this article was handwritten as I pondered my own thoughts in freshman-level sociology that I have decided to take as a senior. Part II will be released when I find some time in the near future. Regardless... nuclear war? Bring it. Zombie apocalypse? Eh, I think I’ll be alright. Repealing of Roe v. Wade? I have just crapped my pants. I am a huge supporter of the right to choose, and I agree with Bill Clinton on his stance that abortion should be, “Safe, legal and rare”. I want to see the system being overhauled with contraception access for everyone and a real life sex education for all. Education is the only proven way to reduce abortions in this country. Nobody is pro-abortion, but I am pro-choice and will no longer be sitting silently as the pro-life movement uses its lies and one-sided thinking to scare people into having a child that they do not want.
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