Abortion. It is a word that triggers many to take sides and get into heated arguments. It is not a topic that seems to fall to the wayside without a battle first being fought. The word itself demands a reaction and a response. One must choose a side. Those who support the action profess that abortion protects women’s reproductive rights and allows women to choose how to plan their lives at the timing that they determine best. Legalizing the procedure protects women’s safety. Other advocacies for abortion include lack of finances to support a family and in the case of rape. However, as much as the intention is meant to serve the woman in a greater span on family planning, abortion fails to serve as a probable solution for the needs for which it is claimed to serve. When it comes to serving a community’s needs, there is often a problem for discussion and a solution for which to meet that problem. The goal is that the problem can be decreased and eventually ceased. However, as abortion has legalized, the problems for which it serves still persist. Furthermore, abortions have served to be an immediate response, but do not allocate for the long-term effects for which it means to minimize. It has already been discussed in many ways the negative effects of abortion concerning physically, emotionally and mentally. Detailed accounts can be found in the book Prolife Feminism (Derr, M. K., MacNair, R., & Naranjo-Huebl, L. (2005). Prolife feminism: Yesterday and Today. Feminism and Nonviolence Studies Association.). I want to assure you that I do not mean to condemn anyone. I understand that women who make this decision, do so, not necessarily because they want it, but they believe they need to in their specific situations. Nevertheless, I must be honest in my belief that abortion is a sin, but it also does not help the people that clinics argue they mean to help. In the process, I hope to suggest alternative solutions and advocate how they are indeed better options.
Arguments for abortions, rebuttals, and alternative solutions
Rape/incest: I have compassion on the woman who finds herself having been violated in the most vulnerable way. No way, in shape or form, should she have been forced to perform against her will. To know that this form of intrusion can and does happen in families describes the deepest sense of betrayal. If a child, she is not ready to become a mother. A woman may fear that the child may remind her of the trauma. However, even if an abortion occurs, that girl or woman will be left with the memory. Despite a fetus no longer present, dreams may turn into nightmares. And an abortion can never remove those. As an alternate choice, use the funding that would be forwarded to abortion clinics to provide for free mental health and trauma counseling. This will help with the actual trauma, rather than adding to it.
Out of financial risk: Some women have families. Others may be starting out. However, an unplanned pregnancy coming at a time when the finances are limited only exacerbate what anxieties may already be present. I cannot deny that it would seem as an easy fix to just remove an extra stressor. Humans predominantly deal with stress by removing the indicator. And I know that a decision toward abortion would not be taken lightly; especially for a woman who is already a mother. However, an alternative solution is modifying the welfare system. Instead of income informing an all or none recipient decision, I would suggest that we do some form of a graduated system. If a household increases their income $100, decrease the assistance by a certain percentage. I am not an economist, but I believe this decision would reward and support individuals who are trying to improve their lives.
“It’s just not time”: If you take the time to read Prolife Feminism, you will find an interesting note about what the early feminists argued as a means against abortion. Many said that women should be in charge of their own family planning, instead of succumbing to the demands of men’s sex drives and thus providing to be pregnant over and over, beyond what their physical capabilities can sustain. As I read this book, I found it ironic that the argument against abortion was subsequently the means for which to argue for it. Of the three arguments, the third makes the majority of the abortions in America. Whether it is a teen or a woman who wants to continue in her career choices, “It’s just not the right time” is the advocacy. I understand that plans are made and life happens. Often, I think that many people try their darndest to keep with those plans, no matter what. However, this is the option that receives the most criticism from the pro-life community. This being: if you choose to have sex, you carry the risk of getting pregnant. Children sometimes result. If it is not time or if someone feels ill-prepared, there are organizations that can help teach how to mother. If that is not an option, adoption is also available. I wish adoption was more affordable, but there are many couples who physically can’t have children, and are willing to care for a child. (P.S. I FULLY advocate that men should also take responsibility for when they are fathering a child. No way should women be the taking the brunt when it takes two for a child to be produced.)
When I took a feminism course in college, I asked about adoption as an alternative for abortion. The class became so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Then someone spoke, “You would subject a woman to care for a child for nine months and then expect her to give up that kid?! Do you know what kind of emotional trauma that would result?” I could have replied, “Well, I bet it would beat the emotional trauma of killing their child.” I didn’t say anything. I don’t think I would have won the argument, and I think all I would have done is just shut down doors and make things really heated. Right or wrong, I chose to offer the choice and let others take their stance and thoughts.
Why couldn’t therapy be free for rape victims? Why couldn’t the welfare system be modified to support families who are trying to work? Why does adoption have to be such a dirty word? Modern day adoption includes closed and open; so a mother can choose to be a part of their child’s life later on. Other solutions can be made available - ones that address the actual need, and not add other trauma to the person. But the fight is not over these other options. The legal fight is over abortion, specifically. As if, if abortion were to be made illegal, no other options could help women. Nevertheless, this is not the case in reality.
Abortion is a highly debated topic, because there is the question of the personage of the fetus. One side advocates that the womb is holding a living being; another side charges that it is just cells, and therefore is just unwanted added tissue. However, science has found that it is distinctly two separate beings present in a pregnant woman. Moreover, they have found heartbeats and physical features forming at the earliest stages of development.
As for my personal stance, it is a child. There is a being, which means there is a right to life, and therefore a right to live. I hope you read that last sentence slowly. I not only advocate for a baby to be born. I also support the family who is also having the child. From the girl being raped, to the woman who can’t pay bills or even a woman who found herself pregnant after a one-night stand…I am willing to participate in helping where needed. And many Christians and other pro-lifers would say the same, if one were to ask them.
I know that many have heard the condemnation. They hear “murderer” and feel they can’t come forward. Even if they regret a previous abortion. But may I let you in on a little secret? Jesus warned that if any of us have hatred in our hearts, then we have committed murder. So…can I judge a woman who has had an abortion? No. For in my heart, I have murdered. But just like Jesus has worked in me to forgive, I believe that the approach to abortion can change. Abortion needs not be the prominant solution to trauma or unplanned pregnancies. I believe that as a nation and as communities, we can gather around women who are in unforeseen circumstances and help them. Women can dream again, they can raise their families, finish school and have careers.
But as the old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. So, let us no longer leave girls and women in positions where they have to take care of the problem they encounter, alone. After all, they are part of our community. And coming from the pro-life community, I want to apologize for any times we have condemned women who have found themselves in accepting abortion, and disregarding the humanity of these women. I can only imagine being in a place where death is seen as a hope. And I wish that we could have surrounded you more warmly.
I do not mean to bring condemnation, but I hope I may stir conviction. Children are worth having, no matter the circumstance. I wish our nation (and as I write this, I am reminded that globally, women probably struggle with lack of rights and support more than American women) could have better social, emotional and economical supports for women. But as with any problem, it is crucial to start looking for solutions. Solutions that actually work.
