Saturday, October 23, 2010

The Pro-life Side of Things

I always think it's important to talk about both sides of an argument, and to try to see them in an equally fair light. So even though I am a very pro-choice person, I also do my best to understand the other side of the coin, and to respect other opinions that differ from my own.

A friend of mine who is currently expecting her first child with her husband graciously agreed to answer a few questions for me about her pro-life opinions! I think she does a really good job explaining this other side of the argument, and since she's currently pregnant, she gave me a very insightful look into how early one is aware of a fetus. Also, I think it's interesting that in this pro-life opinion, the right to abortion isn't related to women's rights. It raises some interesting questions, and she brings up some very interesting and insightful points. What do you all think?

1. How did you arrive at being pro life?
Well, to me it's simply a matter of common sense. If an elderly person became an inconvenience to their adult child, would we find it acceptable for that elderly person to be put to death? Or if a woman suddenly felt she could not handle her teenage child, would we be okay with her having the teen "put down" as one would put down a sick dog? No. So why is it considered acceptable to end an unborn baby's life? That connection just can't be made for me, which is why I am pro-life.

2. Do you think that enough help is offered for women who don't want to get an abortion (such as financial aid for struggling women, or adoption services) or is there more that could be done to help these women out?
From what I've seen recently (being pregnant myself), no one wants a woman to have an abortion simply because she feels incapable of dealing with the pregnancy. Everywhere I go, I feel like I see signs, billboards, flyers, etc. advertising help for pregnant women who don't know where to turn; so yes, there are plenty of resources out there. And as far as adoption goes, there are so many couples out there who cannot conceive and who are eager to adopt a child that otherwise would not be cared for. I know this because my sister and her husband are one of those couples - they couldn't have their own children, so they adopted twins from a woman who did not have a job or a stable family unit to help her out. Help can always be found - it just takes the willingness to ask for it.

3. Is there any circumstance under which you'd find abortion an acceptable course of action (such as rape)? If yes, which, and if not, why not?
I can't think of any situation in which I would find abortion an acceptable course of action. Again, this stems from an inability to see this as a logical solution. If a woman is raped, shouldn't we kill the rapist? Why would we kill the baby, who is to blame for exactly 0% of the crime? To me, this makes as much sense as putting the rapist's roommate to death for the rapist's crime - in other words, it makes NO sense. And with all the resources available for pregnant women and all the couples looking to adopt, a women only has to deal with the baby until he or she is born - then her life can go back to normal. I just don't see the rationale behind ending a baby's life because of outside circumstances.

4. Do you think that legislation concerning abortion is something that belongs in federal politics, or is it something that should be decided on a state by state basis?
I don't think it really matters, honestly. A woman who is determined to abort her baby will cross a state line to do so. Having said that, I would prefer that it be decided on a state-by-state basis as opposed to federally - it gives the people more freedom to decide what they want for themselves, which is more democratic.

5. Do you think that having the option of abortion is an important part of women's rights, or do you think that women can have equal rights without this option?
I think women DO have equal rights without the need for "abortion rights." Again, it doesn't make sense to me that ending an unborn life is seen as a legitimate course of action for a woman to take. To be completely candid, if we're going to allow women the right to choose abortion, we should allow everyone the right to murder as they see fit. If your neighbor makes your life difficult, you should be allowed to kill him. If your son makes you miserable, you should be allowed to kill him. I see no difference between these situations and abortion. As far as the claim that a baby is not "alive" until it is born, well... I saw my daughter's heartbeat on an ultrasound when I was 7 weeks pregnant, which is only 5 weeks after conception. I could feel her moving 13 weeks after conception. How that could be seen as a cluster of cells that are not yet "life" is beyond me.


-Alexandra

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