Choice

I know that what I am writing may upset some people. Let me start off by saying that my intent is not to offend, it is not to insult. These are my feelings, and mine alone. They were not made overnight, nor were they made in a vacuum. I have a niece who by definition could have been legally aborted in some states at the time of her birth. I can’t imagine my sister having made that decision, and I am glad that she didn’t have to.

I spent 13 years in Catholic school, and I heard the official teaching – Abortion is Murder. Some may be surprised to hear that I don’t disagree with that, particularly in the case of late term abortion. That said, I still consider myself Pro-Choice. It’s the grey area that bothers me – rape, incest, saving the life of the mother. Understand, I am not Pro-Abortion, I am Pro-Choice, that is a distinction I hasten to make. I identify myself in that way because I feel that what decisions I make about my medical care is between me, my doctor and God. Not the Supreme Court, not Congress, not the Pope – they don’t get a say. I may listen to their counsel, I may consider their opinions, but at the end of my life, which hopefully will not come for some time, I will need to answer to God, and God alone, for my actions.

I am blessed to never have been faced with an unplanned pregnancy. I woud hope that if I was, I would carry the pregnancy to term, and give the child up for adoption if I was not in a place to care for a child. I have also been lucky enough to access to health care, to have a mother who understood the times that we live in, and who listened, at times I am sure horrified, about the decisions that I have had to make.

Tomorrow, January 22, marks the 36th anniversary of the passing of Roe vs. Wade by the Supreme Court. Unlike my sister, I have grown up with the knowledge that being the result of an unplanned pregnancy, my parents could have made the decision to terminate. Yes, they were married, yes, they had a roof over their heads, but in all reality, they had a two year old child, were just making ends meet and my father had just embarked on a new, lower-paying, career path. My timing was not ideal to say the least. Yet my parents never considered terminating my mother’s pregnancy. Like many other families they adjusted, they sacrificed and made room for another child. For that I am thankful. I grew up in a home knowing that while I may have been a surprise, I was nevertheless wanted, I was loved, and I always knew I was safe. Many children do not have this security.

So, why am I Pro-Choice? For the simple reason that I want to live in a world where every pregnancy is wanted. Where every child has a home, will be safe and will be loved. I also want to live in world where I (and my health care providers) can be the sole decision maker for my health care. I don’t want to have to get a Court Order to get a medical procedure that may save my life, regardless of what that procedure may be.

I read an interesting quote today: Abortion is a Personal Decision, Not a Legal Debate. That is what it boils down to for me – not right and wrong, not life versus murder. I can’t put myself into the shoes of a woman who feels that terminating her pregnancy is her only option, and I don’t have the audacity to think that I know what is right for her. I hope and pray that I never have to make that decision, but at the end of the day, I know that I don’t want anyone making that decision for me.