Am I Pro-Choice After All?
Posted by Jimi on February 12, 2012
So, as I stated in a prior blog, That Old Abortion Issue, my view on abortion is evolving as I take in more information and read some fairly persuasive arguments. This is a very heated and constantly debated issue and I am going to do my best here to explain my thoughts on the whole thing. Yes I am a male and as far as the conceivable future is considered I will never have to directly go through an abortion myself, although the chance is there, in theory, to experience it indirectly. As this is an ongoing issue that I am exploring, I am asking for my reader’s input on this topic, but please behave in the comments, I really do not want to have to censor. Over the last few months I have been using my skills in critical thinking to evaluate exactly what it is I think and believe in. I am not a religions person in the traditional sense, I do not identify as a Christian, so that aspect of this debate is not something I ever focus on. So, without further ado, the following are my thoughts on some of the issues around abortion.
- Pro-Life - I used to firmly believe that I was pro-life, however after reading some interesting essays and reader comments I have come to the conclusion that I am not. I much prefer the availability of abortions instead of children winding up in negligent or abusive homes or being put into the already swamped foster care system. While I do believe in human rights I also believe in capital punishment for those deserving of it. (Yes, I know, who am I to judge, etc. etc. I will address that in a later blog.) If a woman makes the conscious choice that she is not ready to be a parent, then we as a society should respect that decision.
- Lack of a Uterus - I hate, absolutely hate, this argument. While males do not give birth, this should not exclude them from the discussion. If the idea of an abortion is being considered why is the male left out of the decision? Maybe it is because I am male that I do not understand this, I admit that may very well be, however, if the child is carried to term males are expected to stand up and do their duty without an “out” option.
- Rape & Risk of Death - This one is obvious, of course an abortion should be allowed. Risking the life of the mother is never acceptable, no matter your thoughts or opinions. As far as rape is concerned, the choice should be there for the women. Being a victim of rape myself I understand the emotions involved and I can only imagine what it would be like to carry & raise a child conceived in rape.
- Abortion as Birth Control - No, absolutely not. The thought of this makes me feel very ill. Abortion should be used as a last option, not as a means of convenience. There are many forms of birth control out there up to and including surgery to prevent pregnancy; the reason I mention surgery is that if a woman is having multiple abortions obviously she has no intention of ever having a child.
Related articles
- Abortion rate higher where it’s illegal (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Anatomy of an unsafe abortion (Dr. Jen Gunter)
- Unsafe abortions rise as contraceptive funding is cut (followmehere.com)
- Why Abortion Should Be Legal: It’s More Common (And Dangerous) When Banned (blisstree.com)
- Unsafe Abortion on the increase in Africa, a new WHO Report reveals. (africahealth.wordpress.com)
Natalie Christine said
Keep in mind, just because you are pro-choice does not make you pro-abortion. You just believe that women have the choice to do what they want with their own bodies. Yes, the fact that you are a male might change things a bit, but men should still have a say in what happens to an extent. Men have feelings, too, of course.
Abortion as birth control is so wrong. Now, abortion because birth control failed is not. You knew the risks of sex so you made the choice to use protection, and something went wrong along the way. You have the right to not have the baby you obviously didn’t want. But to know the risks of sex and not use birth control is irresponsible, and it’s women like that who ruin abortion for women that were being responsible, as well as ones that were raped or need one because their life is on the line (or the fetus has a genetic disorder and will either be handicapped to the point of really having no life at all, or will die before or shortly after birth).
Now, my cynical side is all for sterilizing women who are clearly using abortions instead of an actual form of birth control. Yes, I’m aware it’s illegal but clearly these women are not responsible enough to be parents if they can’t even keep from getting pregnant.
Jimi said
Thank you for such a level-headed and fair response. I was worried posting this one about retaliation because of my gender and it is nice to get a response such as yours.
Being honest here, the failed birth control option used to be my big hang up on this whole issue until I came to the realization of the truth about neglect, abuse and an already flooded foster care system. I am much more comfortable with the idea of legal abortions being an option than the possibility of a child growing up abused.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my post, realizing I was not trying to be sexist or controlling and for leaving such a great comment. Cheers!
Michael Gandy said
Who are you to decide that aborting a healthy child in the womb is preferable to having a life of abuse? Sounds to me like either you or the deciding mother are playing God? A very dear friend of mine was abused horribly, both physically and sexually, for most of her childhood, but when I asked her “Would you like to have never been born so that you wouldn’t have to have gone through all of that abuse?” She said “That’s just crazy. If you abort, you take away the most important right a person will ever have: The Right to Live.”
I
Jimi said
And who are you to decide what another person should do with their body?
amandatheatheist said
I just wanted to take a quick second to say a few things about number 2. I agree that you shouldn’t be pushed out of the conversation just because you will never face the decision (in terms of your own body) to terminate or carry to term. I think the whole you-don’t-have-a-uterus thing has been twisted a bit. My understanding is that this argument was originally used because men were making the decisions. Men dominate (and even more so 30+ years ago) both political and religious leadership, and women got fed up with men (mostly old, white men) deciding what women’s reproductive rights are. It is especially irritating because these men seemed to lack most understanding of what a woman goes through in terms of reproduction.
In addition to this, there are people in the United States who believe men should have a say over whether or not a fetus conceived from their sperm can be terminated or not. The Republican Party of Minnesota’s platform states, “Action should be taken leading to legislative guarantees and protection of the father’s inalienable right to decide against any unilateral or preemptive decision to terminate his child’s developing life.”
You, I imagine, understand that the idea that a man could nix a woman’s choice to terminate a pregnancy is terrifying? I wrote a post about that quote (http://amandatheatheist.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/why-should-you-participate-in-caucuses/) that includes two different links to that particular platform in case you want to check it out for yourself. (I’m not trying to shamelessly promote my blog, the post is relevant to what I’m saying)
Admirable effort to work out your thoughts, by the way.
Jimi said
Thank you for sharing your post Amanda and I do not mind others sharing their own posts that work with the post they are commenting on. This has been a troubling issue for me for many years and I think I am finally at a position that I can feel comfortable with.
diogenes Smith said
“I’m sorry sir, but there is nothing I can do. It’s just what it costs,” Dr. Smith explained to the distressed man.
The man was 45 and desperately needed a knee replacement. He was without insurance and his $24k income from construction made him too rich for poverty care.
“Perhaps if you were a single mother…We have lots of funds for them,” the doctor explained. It was true.
Merely being a woman would give him access to a state funded advocate in the hospital. And if he was a women with a child he wouldn’t have the work related injury in the first place. Instead he would have been able to get a large rent stipend and a monthly welfare check which would have exceeded his current annual salary. Alas, he was the wrong sex for such charity to apply.
“Please doctor…,” his voice was cracking. “I can’t afford not to have this surgery…”
His income from masonry had declined nearly every year for the past decade. What was once enough to support a middle class family had been whittled down by regulation and competition. Although his competitors were not legally supposed to work in the US, did not follow any regulations, and tended to dump garbage in the lake, most people just didn’t care.
The last man who did care, a local who ran the cafe, organized a protest against illegal dumping, but backed down after being accused of racism. Apparently hatefacts had been revealed by a hatestudy showing the dumping was done by disproportionately by people of color.
The local hospital had also been accused of racism and sexism after attempting to shut down its emergency room which was losing over $1.5m a year. But since it served mostly people of color the board decided to shut down the radiology department instead to avoid suspicion of being secret racists. The local NAACP spent $50 on a plaque to commemorate the grand reopening of the newly renamed MLK Emergency Wing.
Dr. Smith began to explain the proper preventive care, but a loud Klaxon cut him off indicating he was needed in the emergency room stat. The mason wouldn’t get any care that day.
The resources of the hospital had be be diverted to help an illegal immigrant who made a series of bad decisions. The consequences of her illegal entry, unprotected sex, and back alley abortion would be borne by the tax payers of a country not her own. The consequences of the mason’s years of hard work would be poverty and chronic pain borne by him alone.
Jimi said
took some time to think this one over and here is my response:
to bad this hypothetical man was such an advocate against Obama’s Health Care Reform and screwed himself over.