Prolife argument

They say that words are mightier than swords.

Well, these words will cut like swords for some folks out there.

Tonight I got into a rather strong debate regarding abortion. Yes,
debatable subject anyways, but in my eyes there is one thing that to
me is not debatable: The right to choose.

This especially holds true for any woman who becomes pregnant because
of rape. Having been once mortally terrified of childbirth myself,
or even carrying a child, I cannot even fathom the concept of being
raped, learning you're pregnant, and being told you must carry the
rapist's child to term and give birth to it.

Arguments I've heard tonight state such things as "The woman can
report it and take the morning after pill so she doesn't get
pregnant, thus it's her own fault if she's pregnant." I've heard
"The baby shouldn't be killed, it's not its fault." There's "She can
give it up for adoption if she doesn't want it."

Bullshit. The first is just assinine. Even if that pill can be
successfully used, the "law" would not hold up if, hm, the woman was
kidnapped and raped a few times before she COULD report it. There
are many women who are so ashamed of what happened, so confused, so
embarrassed that they do NOT report it for a while, if ever. There
are women worried about not being believed, and ridiculed instead
(what, it does happen).

The second is based on faith and faith alone. There is no logic.
The reasoning is that the baby is life and can feel. This is not
known because the baby cannot speak. I don't advocate abortion as
birth control for the exact same reason - we don't KNOW the baby can
NOT feel, either. But in the case of rape, I see a woman under
stress, not wanting a child, without any fault of her own being
forced into being pregnant. What of HER feelings? What of HER pain,
which will go on for nine months (or however long she knows of the
pregnancy), then childbirth? And even if she gives it up for
adoption, do you think she won't think about that child? Wouldn't
she potentially regret having given it up later on?

Maybe I'm too simplistic (ha) but to me, a killed foetus means end of
suffering. There is no chance of it being mistreated by its adopted
parents, no chance of it, too, being raped down the road and
suffering, no chance of it ever hurting again. The woman is scarred
for life already without having to worry about a bunch of hard-assed
prolifers (many of which kill OTHER forms of life, mind you) telling
her what she can or cannot do based on their beliefs. SHE knows what
she's going through. She's feeling NOW.

I've been turning this over and over in my mind ever since the
discussion ended and even looking at it logically, without my innate
feelings about the matter, it still makes no sense to me, these
thoughts these people have. People controlling other people has
always pissed me off anyway, and this is one of those examples in my
mind.

One of these folks made the feeble argument that if abortion was
allowed for rape victims, then who's to stop he and his girlfriend
from saying she was raped just so she could have an abortion.
Hello? Who said it would? Are you going to penalize a true rape
victim just because two youngsters are stupid? Should those two
youngsters be having children anyway? I think they might be good
examples to their peers. If they do this thing, they'll have gained
valuable experience. The girl might feel the pangs of loss over the
chemical nature of the abortion for one. She'll never be the same
and might be able to better advise other girls to be more careful
than she was about allowing herself to get pregnant in the first
place. The guy might witness this change in her and feel bad himself
somehow and be of help to fellow guys so they don't allow their
girlfriends to get pregnant.

In all honesty, I think each case is different and unique, and no one
possesses a right to tell anyone that they can or cannot decide for
themselves. Just because I feel a rape victim should have this right
doesn't mean I'd tell them they had to have an abortion. Some might
be healed by the experience, those who love children. Me, I don't
know how I would feel, but I suspect that I'd be torn in a million
different directions. If I got the abortion I might feel relieved
but guilty. If I had the child I'd feel like shit for nine months,
go through childbirth and get ripped apart against my will... then if
I kept the child, I'd have a constant reminder of that day/night. If
I gave it up, I'd constantly feel horrible and wonder if the poor
thing was getting raped somewhere itself.

And then, I'd wonder if that child was going to turn out like its
father and inflict a similar pain upon someone else. Like its mother.

I would be interested to know if pro-life women who think that rape
victims have no right to abort their rape-babies would feel
differently if a rape-baby grew up and raped them. Poetic justice,
maybe, but what a horrible eye-opener that might be. Not to mention
whatever that child might have had to fight its whole life if we're
all wrong about complete free will and it really had no choice but to
follow its genes, even though it may have been raised better than to
give into ill will.

Aight. I've got most of THAT out of my system. Now that I've
completed my view of the bigger picture, I find food. Wait. Food
has found me. Thanks, Dale!

~nv