pro-choice rant. borrowed from elsewhere with permission.
I didn't write the following, although I agree with it completely. It is an intelligent and eloquent statement.
Furthermore, it is an issue I feel strongly about, so I will not place this behind a cut. You may scroll by without reading, but you cannot ignore it completely. No apologies, no compromises.
Everyone is so concerned about this woman sitting in the waiting room of the abortion clinic. Why is she there? Has she thought the matter through? Has she thought enough about the moral and philosophical ramifications of what she is doing? And for some reason, everyone's projection of what they think about why this woman is there and how she feels and why she is doing what she is doing should somehow be translated into a fucking law regulating how, when, why, or if she should be allowed to have an abortion.
Let me tell you about this woman. She is 13 - 18 - 32 - 50. Maybe she wasn't using birth control because she was poorly educated about sex; or because she didn't expect to be going out and having sex that night and got swept up in the heat of the moment; or because she was raped; or because she had a bit too much to drink; or because she had condoms with her but let the guy talk her out of using them because she was afraid he'd leave her if she insisted, or was afraid he'd hit her if she insisted, or just was so desperate for touch and affection that she didn't want to risk him refusing to touch her if she insisted; or she was using the 'rhythm method'; or she was in denial and just believed for whatever reason she couldn’t get pregnant; or maybe she thought she was postmenopausal and could no longer get pregnant. Or maybe she was using birth control but it failed because she took a pill or two too late that month, or forgot to take one altogether, or took antibiotics and didn’t realize that they can interfere with the effectiveness of the pill, or maybe she is just one of the women on whom it occasionally fails; or she made the man use a condom and it slipped off, or had a tiny hole in it, or it broke; or she was using a diaphragm and it slipped out of place or was not quite the right size or it just failed; or maybe she had a lack of complete understanding about how her birth control worked and therefore it failed; or maybe for whatever chance reason it just failed.
So now she’s pregnant. And she wants to have an abortion because she is single and mentally ill and would like a child but realizes she isn’t fit to take care of one; or she is just out of school and doesn’t have a job and has no savings and doesn't want to end up living with her parents again; or she has just started college with a full scholarship and doesn't want to throw away this opportunity; or she has no friends or family or support group to speak of; or her parents will throw her out of the house if they find out she got pregnant; or she never wanted kids in the first place because she hates kids or just can't see herself as a parent or was severely abused as a child and is afraid she would perpetuate the cycle on any children she has or because she has a genetic disorder hat she doesn't want to pass on to another person. Or maybe she is married or has a steady boyfriend but they have both agreed they don’t want children at this time; or she wants kids and even wants this kid, but her boyfriend or husband is adamant about not wanting kids, or at least not this one at this time; or she is being abused by her partner and is trying to work up the courage or save the money to leave him and this will just interfere. Maybe she is in poor health and would be at risk for complications if she went through with the pregnancy; or maybe she has cancer and has been denied cancer treatment while pregnant and wishes not to die; or maybe she has a condition which makes it so likely she will miscarry anyway that she can't stand the heartbreak of waiting and trying only to lose it at a stage much further along; or maybe medication she is taking for her illness is likely to cause severe birth defects and she was far along enough in her pregnancy when she discovered it that there is a chance the baby would be born with serious problems; or maybe she’s developed so many complications that she is unable to cope with going any further in the pregnancy. Or she has kids already and can barely manage to take care of them and can’t afford mentally, financially or physically to take care of one more, or to go through pregnancy and give up the baby and try to explain to her older children why she gave away their brother or sister; or she has kids already but had been told by her doctor that having any more would be dangerous to her health; or she is shocked that she got pregnant at her age and doesn't want to be a senior citizen with kids in high school; or she is in junior high and doesn’t want to endanger her health by going through pregnancy so young and then miss out on being a child herself.
She feels angry at the man who got her pregnant for refusing to use a condom, or for refusing to be a father and thus forcing her to this decision; or angry with herself for having forgot to use birth control or for having fucked it up or for having thought she was at a non-fertile time in her cycle; or is sad because she really feels she is ending a life but can’t see any way around it given her present circumstances; or sad because she would have liked to have a child but knows this is a bad time or partner for her and wonders if the right time or person will ever come; or she is nervous and wondering if it is going to hurt, or will people find out and call her a slut or a killer at school, or will her parents find out and beat her or throw her out on the streets. Or she has not many feelings about it and just wants to get it done and move on with her life. It is her first abortion and she is determined she will never make the same mistake again. It is her second abortion and she feels completely stupid for having made the same mistake again. It is her third or fourth abortion and she can't believe she keeps making the same mistake, or she doesn't care much because it is not a moral problem in her mind; or she is numb and in denial about what is going on in her life; or she is devastated and decides to never have sex again rather than go through this one more time.
She is at 6 weeks gestation and no one but she and her partner know; or she is 11 weeks along and just barely was able to scrape the money together in time to get one in the first trimester; or she is 4-5 months along and developed health problems which necessitated having an abortion; or was ignorant about the signs of pregnancy and didn't find out until later along; or had physical problems which masked the pregnancy symptoms until it became quite obvious; or she found out she is having triplets and is in no way prepared to deal with three babies instead of one. She is 6-7 months along and has developed a serious life threatening disease; or is going through major mental problems; or has found out the fetus has a condition which will practically ensure it lives a brief life of awful pain before expiring and is emotionally devastated but knows it is useless to go any further.
Or maybe it is none of these, or several of these. But whatever...
IT ISN’T YOUR BUSINESS WHY SHE'S THERE.
It isn't your business to judge her and decide whether or not she has a good reason to do this. You aren't her - you don't know what she is going through. It isn't the government's business to pick and choose reasons why they think a pregnancy should be bearable or unbearable to the unique woman who is pregnant and wishes not to be. It is cruel and unusual punishment to make this woman come into court and - to complete strangers - defend her reasons for not wanting to be pregnant and then have to wait to see if she is allowed relief.
It doesn't matter if she was a virgin raped by her father or a slut who spread her legs for every guy in town while neglecting to use birth control. It doesn't matter if this is her 1st or her 15th abortion, if she agonized over the decision or made it lightly. It simply isn't anyone else's place to decide for her that she should be pregnant against her will.
There is no other case in law where a human being is forced to give themself up to something so invasive and life changing without consent.
Edit: I have disabled comments. I can deal with people disagreeing with me, I can deal with rudeness, I can deal with idiotic anti-choice propaganda. What I can deal with is someone who doesn't know me saying I have no idea what I am talking about when I say being forced to carry a fetus to term is akin to rape. This oh-so-compassionate would be enslaver of women who has been raped herself would return the favor of raping other women - yes even rape victims - by forcing them to carry an unwanted fetus to term. It is a level of hate that makes me sick to my stomach. I can't deal
Furthermore, it is an issue I feel strongly about, so I will not place this behind a cut. You may scroll by without reading, but you cannot ignore it completely. No apologies, no compromises.
Everyone is so concerned about this woman sitting in the waiting room of the abortion clinic. Why is she there? Has she thought the matter through? Has she thought enough about the moral and philosophical ramifications of what she is doing? And for some reason, everyone's projection of what they think about why this woman is there and how she feels and why she is doing what she is doing should somehow be translated into a fucking law regulating how, when, why, or if she should be allowed to have an abortion.
Let me tell you about this woman. She is 13 - 18 - 32 - 50. Maybe she wasn't using birth control because she was poorly educated about sex; or because she didn't expect to be going out and having sex that night and got swept up in the heat of the moment; or because she was raped; or because she had a bit too much to drink; or because she had condoms with her but let the guy talk her out of using them because she was afraid he'd leave her if she insisted, or was afraid he'd hit her if she insisted, or just was so desperate for touch and affection that she didn't want to risk him refusing to touch her if she insisted; or she was using the 'rhythm method'; or she was in denial and just believed for whatever reason she couldn’t get pregnant; or maybe she thought she was postmenopausal and could no longer get pregnant. Or maybe she was using birth control but it failed because she took a pill or two too late that month, or forgot to take one altogether, or took antibiotics and didn’t realize that they can interfere with the effectiveness of the pill, or maybe she is just one of the women on whom it occasionally fails; or she made the man use a condom and it slipped off, or had a tiny hole in it, or it broke; or she was using a diaphragm and it slipped out of place or was not quite the right size or it just failed; or maybe she had a lack of complete understanding about how her birth control worked and therefore it failed; or maybe for whatever chance reason it just failed.
So now she’s pregnant. And she wants to have an abortion because she is single and mentally ill and would like a child but realizes she isn’t fit to take care of one; or she is just out of school and doesn’t have a job and has no savings and doesn't want to end up living with her parents again; or she has just started college with a full scholarship and doesn't want to throw away this opportunity; or she has no friends or family or support group to speak of; or her parents will throw her out of the house if they find out she got pregnant; or she never wanted kids in the first place because she hates kids or just can't see herself as a parent or was severely abused as a child and is afraid she would perpetuate the cycle on any children she has or because she has a genetic disorder hat she doesn't want to pass on to another person. Or maybe she is married or has a steady boyfriend but they have both agreed they don’t want children at this time; or she wants kids and even wants this kid, but her boyfriend or husband is adamant about not wanting kids, or at least not this one at this time; or she is being abused by her partner and is trying to work up the courage or save the money to leave him and this will just interfere. Maybe she is in poor health and would be at risk for complications if she went through with the pregnancy; or maybe she has cancer and has been denied cancer treatment while pregnant and wishes not to die; or maybe she has a condition which makes it so likely she will miscarry anyway that she can't stand the heartbreak of waiting and trying only to lose it at a stage much further along; or maybe medication she is taking for her illness is likely to cause severe birth defects and she was far along enough in her pregnancy when she discovered it that there is a chance the baby would be born with serious problems; or maybe she’s developed so many complications that she is unable to cope with going any further in the pregnancy. Or she has kids already and can barely manage to take care of them and can’t afford mentally, financially or physically to take care of one more, or to go through pregnancy and give up the baby and try to explain to her older children why she gave away their brother or sister; or she has kids already but had been told by her doctor that having any more would be dangerous to her health; or she is shocked that she got pregnant at her age and doesn't want to be a senior citizen with kids in high school; or she is in junior high and doesn’t want to endanger her health by going through pregnancy so young and then miss out on being a child herself.
She feels angry at the man who got her pregnant for refusing to use a condom, or for refusing to be a father and thus forcing her to this decision; or angry with herself for having forgot to use birth control or for having fucked it up or for having thought she was at a non-fertile time in her cycle; or is sad because she really feels she is ending a life but can’t see any way around it given her present circumstances; or sad because she would have liked to have a child but knows this is a bad time or partner for her and wonders if the right time or person will ever come; or she is nervous and wondering if it is going to hurt, or will people find out and call her a slut or a killer at school, or will her parents find out and beat her or throw her out on the streets. Or she has not many feelings about it and just wants to get it done and move on with her life. It is her first abortion and she is determined she will never make the same mistake again. It is her second abortion and she feels completely stupid for having made the same mistake again. It is her third or fourth abortion and she can't believe she keeps making the same mistake, or she doesn't care much because it is not a moral problem in her mind; or she is numb and in denial about what is going on in her life; or she is devastated and decides to never have sex again rather than go through this one more time.
She is at 6 weeks gestation and no one but she and her partner know; or she is 11 weeks along and just barely was able to scrape the money together in time to get one in the first trimester; or she is 4-5 months along and developed health problems which necessitated having an abortion; or was ignorant about the signs of pregnancy and didn't find out until later along; or had physical problems which masked the pregnancy symptoms until it became quite obvious; or she found out she is having triplets and is in no way prepared to deal with three babies instead of one. She is 6-7 months along and has developed a serious life threatening disease; or is going through major mental problems; or has found out the fetus has a condition which will practically ensure it lives a brief life of awful pain before expiring and is emotionally devastated but knows it is useless to go any further.
Or maybe it is none of these, or several of these. But whatever...
IT ISN’T YOUR BUSINESS WHY SHE'S THERE.
It isn't your business to judge her and decide whether or not she has a good reason to do this. You aren't her - you don't know what she is going through. It isn't the government's business to pick and choose reasons why they think a pregnancy should be bearable or unbearable to the unique woman who is pregnant and wishes not to be. It is cruel and unusual punishment to make this woman come into court and - to complete strangers - defend her reasons for not wanting to be pregnant and then have to wait to see if she is allowed relief.
It doesn't matter if she was a virgin raped by her father or a slut who spread her legs for every guy in town while neglecting to use birth control. It doesn't matter if this is her 1st or her 15th abortion, if she agonized over the decision or made it lightly. It simply isn't anyone else's place to decide for her that she should be pregnant against her will.
There is no other case in law where a human being is forced to give themself up to something so invasive and life changing without consent.
Edit: I have disabled comments. I can deal with people disagreeing with me, I can deal with rudeness, I can deal with idiotic anti-choice propaganda. What I can deal with is someone who doesn't know me saying I have no idea what I am talking about when I say being forced to carry a fetus to term is akin to rape. This oh-so-compassionate would be enslaver of women who has been raped herself would return the favor of raping other women - yes even rape victims - by forcing them to carry an unwanted fetus to term. It is a level of hate that makes me sick to my stomach. I can't deal