I'm pro-life.
I have several beliefs that make me pro-life. I believe thatonce an embryo has entered the fetus stage, it is a living being. Ioppose people using abortion as a means of birth control. I opposepartial birth abortion unless it comes to a choice of life or deathfor the mother. I oppose people having abortions because that babywill never have a chance at life. What if my mother had anabortion? I wouldn't be here.
However, there are at least two sides to every story.
While I believe that a fetus is a living being, it's importantto note that the fetus could not live outside of the mother.Ultimately the fetus is actually a part of the mother. It's notuntil later in development, when the baby can be separated from themother, that the baby could technically be considered anindependent living being (viable). Now, either way, it would be aliving being in time so long as the mother doesn't abort.
As far as babies never having a chance at life, there are twosides to that as well. What should a mother do if she knows shewill not be able to provide for the child? Should she have thechild anyway and put her child's and her self in undesirable livingconditions? Should she drop out of school just to have the time tocare for the child?
There's a difference between my mother having me and themajority of women having abortions (had they not aborted thechild). You see, my mother had me in her thirties. She had alreadyhad 4 children and was very prepared to have more -- physically,emotionally, and financially. I might add that she even got morethan she bargained for. My twin brother and I arrived 1 month laterthan most twins. This is very uncommon because most twins are borna month early. My mother sat in a rocking chair for the last fewmonths in pain. But that's besides the point.
A majority of women having an abortion are doing it for areason. Although I'm sure there exists women who do it, I doubtmost would have an abortion as a means of birth control. Whetherthey were raped, had contraceptives fail, are in danger of losingtheir life, are not in the physical condition to endure childbirth, had received some other news that may interfere with herability to have a child, or even for reasons that I would notpersonally approve of, I believe that all women should be able tohave access to abortion by a trained professional. Leaving thecountry or using a hanger are not good options.
My personal and religious beliefs should never intrude on thepersonal and religious beliefs of another person, especially whenit deals with their own baby and body. They're not forcing me tohave an abortion, so I'm not going to force them not to.
Yes, I'm pro-life. However, I'm also pro-choice. Contrary toextremist views, it is possible to be both.
And no, that doesn't make me a flip-flopper.
Write to Jack at
jackola@gmail.com
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