It's not about what is wrong with today, that would be an entirely different subject. It's what is wrong with this era. Now this could take a few blogs. It's like where do I begin? More importantly, where does it end? (or for somethings the better question might be where does it end?). So, I am going to tackle just one topic today.
Too often, we as a society lose sight on what the real issues are. I am not talking about whether or not Jennifer Aniston got engaged just to show up Angelina Jolie or whether or not, Kim Kardashin and Kanye West's relationship is a media gold mine. I could care less! I wish more people did too. Somehow the real issues in society got lost. Let's start with Roe vs. Wade.
Yes, I am going back almost 40 years. It seems like we should have moved on from the topic, but it keeps coming back. Pro-life or Pro-Choice. If you know me, you know exactly where I stand. If you don't know where I stand you will by the end of the blog. First of all, this is a very strong topic and I welcome all stances and opinions. We all know that for the most part the politicians are divided by party lines like Republicans are pro-Life and Democrats are pro-Choice. This is not always the case, but is primarily true.
What does pro-Life entail? This is probably the easiest side for me to understand. It means that life begins a conception. So from the time that an egg is fertilized by one of those strong swimmers (think Michael Phelps in Beijing) then the fetus is alive. Many pro-Choice politicians, including Mitt Romney, agree that abortion is ok in the case of rape. (Let's not talk about Rep. Akin and his stance on "Legitimate Rape" that is another of my blogs.) It would be hard to argue with this exception, so I won't. It is also the same party that would like to get rid of welfare that helps lower economic class to support their children. (Welfare reform is another topic all together.) So let's take away an option for you to not have a child you can't support...hmmm.
Pro-Choice is the other side of the fence. The woman is the one who gets pregnant, it is her body, it is her choice. The concept also seems pretty simple to me. Who give the government the right to tell a woman what she can and can not do with her own body? Does this mean that a life is being terminated? In reality, this is a matter of religion and/or personal belief.
So how would I consider myself...a moderate maybe. I believe that fundamentally the government does not have the right to tell me what to do with my own body. Maybe I also have a unique perspective with the fact that having another child could literally kill me. The odds would not be so great considering that I was on a ventilator when my last child came into the world. My little miracle baby as I call her.
So yes, I am pro-Choice! I maybe getting a little bit of flack from my pastor father-in-law for openly saying this, but it's my personal belief. Why Roe v Wade should not be vacated? It's for people like me, people who have been raped, people who should not be having children, people who can't afford more children, people who should just have the right to choose,etc. I know there a probably a lot of people who would argue with me about people who can't afford it or shouldn't have children so please post a comment if you would like.
Moderate? Yes! While I do believe in a woman's right to choose, I also believe that there other factors that need to be considered. Personally, I believe a life begins when the fetus can survive outside of the womb. Many people don't know when this can actually occur, but I believe it is toward the end of the second trimester. I viewed in great depth the progress of someone who went to high school with me who had a 23-week child. A child who was given a 5% chance and in a couple of months will celebrate another birthday. (I can't tell you how many prayers I said for that little girl and her family and I'm not religious.)
So for me, she was alive and a life. This is where I draw the line. In some countries, they allow late-term abortions. I believe that this is beyond comprehension. I don't agree with abortions after the first trimester. I once worked with a European who said that if her amino at 16 weeks showed a baby who was handicapped then she would not carry the baby to full term. I'm not sure how I feel about that and luckily I have never been put into that situation. I also don't agree with using abortion as birth control. Again, that is a personal belief and not one that the government should have a say in.
After almost 40 years, it seems like we would have more to talk about than the right (or wrong) of choice. Not everyone who supports, pro-Choice agrees with abortion, not everyone who is pro-Life doesn't kill (too many bombed abortion clinics to count)! Hopefully, we can find more substantial political points to argue about in the future like the economy, international trade relations, and government spending. As for Roe v Wade, maybe Tupac said it best, "Since a man can't make one [a baby], he has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one."
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