Pro-Abortion

I am pro-choice. But I am not very good at it.

The ultimate pro-choice position, contrary to what antis may believe, is simply that the outcome of a pregnancy is up to the woman. Whether or not her oven will bake the proverbial bun is her choice. I think that’s great. Though I will admit that my personal biases regarding what constitutes a healthy, happy, and safe environment for a child to grow up in sometimes puts me in a non-choicey mood. It puts me in a straight abortiony mood.

Example: Young Woman gets pregnant. She’s not terribly young (19? 20?), is physically able to safely carry a pregnancy to term, and is emotionally secure enough to decide whether or not to become a mother. Let’s say Young Woman is in her second or third year of college. She is doing well, has high hopes of becoming the first in her family to achieve a post-secondary degree, but damn-it-all, she ends up pregnant. And she’s keeping it.

My response: ???

Now, I do believe that Young Woman is perfectly capable of raising children, and even of doing so on her own. Hell, my mom’s a single mom too. And I do believe that with financial and emotional support from Young Woman’s family, which she very well may have, her baby can certainly grow up in a loving environment. Why then, does it drive me nuts for a woman to end her education, or at least postpone it, because of a pregnancy? I’ve personally seen enough Young Women leave school never to return. I’ve spoken to hundreds of Young Women who want nothing more than to finish school, but can’t because they have no way to pay for abortions. They break down in tears. I have such a hard time correlating young motherhood with success and independence. Can Young Women have both? If they can, why are so many unable to achieve them? Whenever I see this happen, I can’t help but lose my pro-choice bearings and think to myself “why couldn’t you have had an abortion?” This is terrible! Who am I to question a woman’s personal choice? An anti?!

Maybe my picture of a “successful” family is waaaaay off. Or maybe it’s just my personal standard that I need to keep to myself. More likely the latter. Maybe it’s also because my stake in other people’s pregnancies is so little that I can look at them in this disconnected and even judgmental way. If my sister had dropped everything to have a baby, would I feel the same way? Or would I start knitting some booties because I’m Auntie Anti-Anti (say that five times fast!)?

As a human being, like the antis, I have much to learn. I have many experiences to experience, and many parts of my mind to open up. So I appreciate the input and wisdom of my fellow Abortioneers who help me daily in this pursuit. Ready for action!