Abortion

Abortion.

There I put it out there.  As soon as you read that word you had a thought either for or against.  Right now all over the USA people are picking sides, mud is being slung, and people are getting hurt.

This is probably one of the hottest hot button issues in The USA.  EVERYONE has an opinion.  Pro-life or Pro-choice.  Now I will start by saying that these two camps have very unfortunate names.  Pro-life was chosen to make you believe that the other group is a bunch of baby hating murderers.  Pro-choice was chosen to make you feel that the other group was a bunch of woman hating dictators.  Their very names are meant to elicit a certain emotional response and while genius on a political level they leave me rather confused as I could never say I was anti-life or anti-choice. 

What is a girl to do?  Who is a girl to believe?  Where can I possibly get more information?  I know!!!!   YOUTUBE!  Admitadly not thr most reliable source but it was easy to do and I thought I could likely get at least some reliable info. on what is going on here in the good ole USA.
I present to you the very first video that came up when I typed in "pro-life video" into the YouTube search:

That truly was a beautiful video.  As they say a picture really is worth 1,000 words.  Developing fetuses are amazing.  They look like you and me and they look like the baby that they will one day be.  Emotion overwhelms me when I view this video and I want to have 10 more kids because babies are just about my most favorite thing in the whole wide world.  They are so sweet and they smell so good.  They are tiny and rely on you 100% of the time for every little thing they need.  They have consumed so much of my being that they are what I want to do when I grow up, you see I plan on becoming a nurse and devoting the rest of my life to these beautiful little beings.

Now the first video that comes up when I type in "pro-choice video":

Wow.  Now I am thinking not just about the fetus/baby but about the woman who has to carry it.  I am a woman and I would hate for ANYONE to tell me I have to be pregnant.  I certainly feel that I couldn't look a teenage girl in the eyes and tell her that even though she was raped by her own father she has to carry the fetus/baby to term.  I don't feel as though our government should tell me what my rights are with my own body.  I certainly would not want any of my friends, relatives, or my daughters to feel that the only choice they have is a back alley quack with a lighter and a hanger.  Fear can be a powerful motivator.  Fear of being called a slut, of not being able to care for the child, of being disowned by family and shunned by society, or of bring a child into an abusive lefestyle.  I am now thoroughly confused.


And now a video to find out who is having these abortions.  First video when you type into YouTube "abortions in the United States."

Wait.  So the average woman who has an abortion is a white woman in their 20's who already has a few kids and lives below the poverty line?  But, that's ME.  Could I afford to have another baby? No.  Do I want another baby? No.  Would I choose an abortion if I found out I was pregnant tomorrow? No.  But that's just me.  I could see why someone in  my exact situation would choose to have one.  Could I tell her that she has to carry that fetus to term and to just give it up for adoption if she can't afford it/ doesn't want it? No way.  I just do not feel I have the right to tell another what they should and should not do with their uterus.  I can see perfectly all the strain, pain, and anguish that the woman would go through if she carried that child or if she chose to do an abortion.  Both choices carry a heavy burden and it is not my place to decide for her.

Where I stand.

I am starting to form my own thoughts, ideas, and feelings on this very sensitive issue.  Do I believe that abortion is an easy choice? No.  Do I believe caring for an unwanted child is an easy choice? No.  So where do I land? Where is my line in the sand drawn?  I have no idea.

A few of my thoughts and where I think it might be a good place to start:

Survivability should be THE number one issue. 
       1.  If the mother will not survive the pregnancy she should have the legal option to terminate.  There is no way for me or anyone else to ethically tell a woman that her FETUS is more important then her own life. 
       2.  If the fetus CANNOT survive on it's own outside the womb the woman should have the option to terminate.  This means that either the fetus has an abnormality that makes survivability impossible or extremely unlikely or has some other genetic issue that will make the child dependent on it's parents for the rest of it's life.  This also means to me that a woman should have the option to abort before the child reaches around 30 weeks of gestational age regardless of genetic abnormality or other health issues.  After 30 weeks or so when the fetus could survive and grow into a healthy adult I just can not help but put value on the baby and think that the mother should not have an abortion but that some form of delivery could take place and an adoption set up.

Some other thoughts:

Abortion is such a tricky subject.  I don't think there is a right or a wrong answer.  Sure in a perfect world we would all get pregnant exactlly when we want to, all of our babies would be healthy and we would be healthy enough to carry to full term, there would be no abuse or rape, and we would all have the means both financially and emotionally to raise a child.  But the world is not black and white, there is a whole spectrum of color.  Each life is different and I feel it unfair and unjust to paint everyone with a broad brush.  I believe ultimatly decisions regarding my body are my own to make and I support the right of another to make their decisions too.  The emotional consequenses of getting an abortion, giving a baby up for adoption, or keeping a baby are all heavy.  Each person should be able to make the decision that they feel they need to make.  So I guess I wind up politically pro-choice even though emotionally I am pro-life.