Abortion: It's become one of the most recent topics of conversation in the news and media. And how could it not be with Georgia preparing its six-week abortion policy, Ohio forcing an 11-year-old girl to carry her rapist's child to full term, and Alabama passing a total abortion ban?
It's barbaric that we are about to live in a world where other people get to decide how a pregnant person's body is to be controlled. And it's difficult to say that this is simply a matter of the pro-life movement when Georgia is threatening to make a woman face a life sentence and possibly the death penalty for having an abortion, and countless women potentially losing their lives by forcing them to carry out a dangerous pregnancy.
This isn't about pro-life anymore. If it was, politicians and ordinary civilians would be appalled at the amount of youth in the foster care system (which is where these children may end up if women are forced to carry through with the pregnancy). Similarly, they would be concerned about the statistics of youth who become homeless when they grow up and inevitably leave the system once they become adults. And most importantly, they would be concerned about the life of the person who is pregnant.
What I'm not saying though is that you're not allowed to have an opinion. Everyone is entitled to feeling what they feel, however, once your opinion starts putting others in danger it becomes a problem.
Many people have looked at me and said "Well don't you view abortion as immoral?" and the answer is simply no. How can I view it as immoral if there may come a day where I may need it, whether for medical or personal reasons?
Most importantly though, I am never going to tell someone that just because I may not ever do it that they can't. I am never going to tell someone that they should carry to full-term and risk their life. I am never going to tell someone that my opinions get to dictate their life.
Abortion is not immoral. Abortion laws are.
Some people need abortions for medical and life or death scenarios, and it may be a last resort for many couples. I think many people think women see abortion as this easy-breezy procedure when in reality, it can and will pose as an emotional and traumatic experience for many individuals, especially if pregnancy is always something that was desired. But sometimes you need to pick and choose your battles, and that option should never be taken away.
And we must remember that abortions are not always for medical reasons, but can occur for couples who simply do not want a child. Many people who get pregnant accidentally (which, yes, can still happen!) should have the option as well.
I think a lot of people look at the people who are having abortions as "young and dumb", who should have known what they were getting into, and were just being careless. But how many couples are out there who thought they were done having children soon find out that they are pregnant again? I can name at least a few families I know who all had children in their twenties, only to accidentally become pregnant because they thought they were old enough for pregnancy to not be a possibility, and currently have a child in kindergarten. And maybe they saw that as a blessing, but many people simply won't. Accidental pregnancies are possible for any age group and we cannot forget how many people may need access to such a procedure.
It is also possible to recognize that abortions should not be available to just a select few. You cannot say that abortion should be available for only victims of rape and incest because then you are implying that a woman can only have control and autonomy over her body in the case of severe trauma. When in reality, abortion should be available to any person who wants or needs it.
Abortions need to become available to any demographic--no matter the reason.
It is entirely possible to be anti-abortion for yourself but pro-choice for everybody else because, at the end of the day, it is not your life and your opinions should not be infiltrating the lives of others.
View it as you want, but please recognize it as a right for other people to have.
