As I paced around the room, all sorts of ideas streamed throughmy head. At first I was just a little concerned, but I hate toadmit that I was getting pretty worked up. I could not calm down,and it was all over a stupid picture.
Eventually I sat back down at my computer and looked at mydesktop. There it was: a photograph from last week of PresidentBush signing the partial-birth abortion ban. As he signed, anassemblage of Congressmen looked over his shoulder and grinned.
When I first saw this photo, I thought, "Are these guys alwaysthis giddy?"
But quickly, the larger, second question became, "Hey, where areall of the women in this photograph?"
The new bill, which many opponents consider the first trulydetrimental blow to Roe v. Wade since its inception in the 1970s,will make it illegal for physicians to perform partial-birthabortions (also known as D&X abortions) no matter theconsequences of the pregnancy.
The procedure is undeniably grotesque, but the thought that old,white men were ultimately making the decision over such a difficultwomens-rights issue left a sour taste in my mouth.
That's also when things got complicated. I instantly startedsearching for opinions on this bill.
Many "pro-choice" lobbyists claim that this will begin a wave oflegislature designed to completely eliminate a woman's right tochoose abortion under any circumstance.
Their opponents are labeling the act "heartless murder," andsince the day this picture was taken, now, more than ever, peopleall over the country are talking about whether or not a fetusshould have rights.
Of course, the consensus has made no secure decision. So far, wehave only established that everyone besides the person you arecurrently talking to is wrong.
If you are a "pro-lifer" who is encouraging the ban of D&Xabortions because they have dangerous effects on women's bodies,then you are uneducated. According to the American Civil LibertyUnion's Web site, "Medical evidence shows that for some women, aD&X abortion may be the most appropriate and safestmethod."
If you are a seemingly supportive male who feels that banningabortion would roll back women's civil rights, then you are acharlatan. A person was quoted on Roevwade.org saying, "If legalabortion has given women more choice, it has also given men morechoice as well. They now have a potent new weapon in the oldbusiness of manipulating and abandoning women."
If you are an opinionated person who feels that the right toabortion is nothing more than feminist cause, then you are feedinga false stereotype. Feminists for Life of America believe that"abortion is a reflection that society has failed women."
With the voices out there, I have trouble understanding howanyone can be 100 percent sure of their positions on this subjectunless they completely block everyone else out. So, I tried that. Iclosed all of the windows on my screen, picked up the phone, calledmy mom and thanked her for making the choice that she did withme.
If you can't stick with an opinion, you should at least bethankful to the people before us who could.
Write to Gregory at mrtwiford@yahoo.com
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