I was just telling Mike that I write these because that's who I am, a writer, and as such I use words to help organize my thoughts and express my emotions. It's how I decompress. I could keep it to myself, but writers write in order to be read and understood. I share my thoughts not out of vanity or because I seek approval, but because I hope it helps someone...somewhere. I'm an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction. Learning new things is one of my greatest passions. Because of that, I like to hope that my writing adds something to the conversation and opens up more minds to new things.
A Little Background
Before I was in high school, I firmly did not give a rat's tushy about politics. I enjoyed my civics class, but that was the extent of my political activism. Sometime around junior or senior year in high school started talking- REALLY talking- to my mom about deeper topics. I learned that she was had a bachelor's in Political Science before she decided to pursue her masters in Communication. I also listened to her opinions on certain events happening in our world at the time. But, I didn't really think too much about politics beyond those short talks.
It wasn't until college that I realized my lack of knowledge was actually hurting rather than helping me. I would have small and scattered conversations with people who were politically aware and always found myself left in the dark and feeling ignorant about the world around me. I had no idea what my stance on anything was. I knew my religion, my core beliefs, but I had no idea how I felt about bigger topics- those essential political platforms everyone talked about when electing a government official or president. I had lived for so long thinking politics didn't matter. I thought- how can one person make any difference? None of that stuff directly impacted me or my life, why should I bother learning about it? I was a privileged and naive kid.
And being the person I am, someone who HATES feeling stupid or unknowledgeable about a subject, made a decision. I would systematically go through each platform, read each side, try hard to find unbiased reports, and speak with people on both sides in order to form my own political opinions. I had to understand both sides before making my choice. That was a rule.
--SIDEBAR--
I don't have many talents in life, but one of my talents (I like to believe) is that of discernment. I can dig and dig through information and feel when something is wrong or right. I know that's a little vague, but I'm not sure how else to describe it. I'm not just talking about morally right and wrong, but logically. It's how I honed my animal behavior philosophy and came to discover the truth of positive reinforcement. It's how I look at every big issue in my life. I didn't always have this talent, I think it came with age, but I can look back and see time when it's driven me to dig deeper instead of taking things at face value.
On that note, back to politics...
One of the first platforms I chose to undergo this exhausting process was a biggie. I chose it because it came up in conversation often, because I had friends who had to make this hard decision, and because it directly intercepted with my deeply held religious beliefs. I needed to know my own stance. I thought I knew, I assumed which side I would align with, but I surprised myself.
The topic: Abortion
Pro-Life or Pro-ChoiceBoth of those sound like good options, right? If you had no idea what it meant and someone asked you which one you were, I bet you'd say both.
I know what they mean and guess what? I am both.
Personally, in my own heart and soul, I am pro-life. I believe a baby is a human being from conception. I value the life growing and maturing from the moment the little spermy enters the eggy and I believe that each one is precious. Each one has amazing potential. I believe in the divinity of those little embryos. I mourn for the loss of each potential life.
But more than that, I am pro-choice. One of the teachings of my church is that we all chose this life we are currently living because we value the ability to learn and grow above all else. Our church teaches that our spirits all lived in heaven with our Heavenly Parents before the earth was created. The plan was for us to come to earth, learn as much as we could, make the best choices possible, and come back to Him. However, there was an alternate plan presented. One that would take away our agency while on earth and would make sure we ONLY made the right choices. It was a plan to guarantee a safe return home. This was not the plan God wanted for us. A battle unused (because even then, God did not want to force agency on us, that would be wrong) - think of it as a pro-choice and anti-choice battle- and guess which side won? Pro-choice (a different kind of pro-choice, but actually not that different at all)! Because of that, we all have our agency and it cannot be taken from us. That's what Mormon's believe.
So why in the world would I try and take that agency from anyone else? We know the value of making our own choices. Our Heavenly Father trusted us enough with agency- even though he knew we would make mistakes or go down the wrong path at times or get lost completely- to give it to us without conditions. Having agency is so important He didn't see it as a risk, but as a necessity.
Even if you're not Mormon, if you're another denomination of Christianity or if you don't believe in organized religion, I ask you this: how can you justify taking away the choices of others? If this still doesn't convince you, keep reading. The logic train is about to hit you. (Was that too smug?)
The answer I always receive back from this argument is:
It's not their choice anymore. Their choice was made when they had sex and they knew the consequences. *shrug* now they must face the music. They cannot destroy the life of another (the baby) because of their bad choices. Actions have consequences. Now they must deal with it like an adult.
Here is my rebuttal. It's lengthy.
1) Having a baby should not be seen as a punishment for sex. Let's just get that out of the way.
2) Most pro-lifers do say that abortion may be permitted in the cases of rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is in danger. To that, I simply say: How can you prove the first one? Rape. Most rape charges are dismissed before they even get to court. Even if they get to court, conviction is nearly impossible. Only the tiniest portion of men who have been accused of rape have actually gone to prison or been found guilty. So tell me, if a woman claims her pregnancy is the product of rape, why WHY why do you assume she will be believed if that's not the case today? Right now? And would she be able to prove it in time to get an abortion? Trials take months- years- to complete. Do you already see our legal system being clogged indefinitely due to rape/baby/abortion cases? "I'm sorry, the soonest court date is in 6 months - 1 year. I'll put you on the waitlist." Or imagine a women, who has been raped, discovering a couple weeks later that she's pregnant. Then she has to go through the horrific experience of PROVING it to a judge before being allowed to end the pregnancy. It defies logic.
Now let's go on to incest. Again, the burden is in proving it. Here is what I found about DNA testing:
"The tests can be done using a small sample of your blood sometime between 15 and 20 weeks of pregnancy, counting from your last menstrual period. Results are usually available in 1 to 2 weeks."
Usually way too late for abortion in most states if there is no medical reason to do so.
Most incest cases are also rape cases. So riddle me this: If a girl is raped by her father or brother and gets pregnant, how is she going to prove to her doctor that's the case WITHOUT telling the father or brother? Do you think the father or brother will come clean and allow an abortion? Highly doubtful. It would also only increase her abuse at home. So go ahead, make the law that only allows abortion for rape, incest, or to save the mother's life. The legal red-tape would be inhumane.
So we cannot limit the law based on these things.
3) I'm all for "facing the consequence of your actions" because being an adult. However, the fact that religious people believe that life begins at conception is, if fact, a religious belief and we CANNOT make laws based solely on religious beliefs of a certain denomination. There are a large amount of people who do not hold that belief. We cannot restrict their views and choices because of our own beliefs. That is unethical. Many people view a baby within the first stages of growth as a collection of cells. They are the scientifically minded and usually do not subscribe to organized religion and we cannot impose our own religious beliefs on them through law. I mean, think of all the other religions in the world. What if we imposed a law that forced people to be kosher and ALL food to be prepared kosher? What if we made a law that stated all modern devices were forbidden? Like the beliefs of the Amish. What if we made a law that said everyone must pray to Mecca five times a day? No, we cannot make laws based on a sect of religion, no matter how widely practiced.
Because of the teachings of our religion, we have grown up to consider life to be divine and precious from the moment of conception. But many people do not hold those beliefs and feel intensely oppressed when pro-lifers (who are pretty much ALL religious) try to push their beliefs into law for the whole land.
This is where our agency comes into play. See? Full circle. We cannot ethically make a law restricting access to safe abortions because it is 1) oppressing those who hold different beliefs and 2) cannot be done effectively or precisely and 3) would only increase the number of unsafe abortions and suicides. The numbers don't lie. In countries and places where abortions are tightly restricted, the number of abortions does not decrease. They increase, along with the death and suicide rate
Also, this:
Having unrestricted access to abortions and unrestricted access to birth control actually makes the number of abortions go down.
So to that end, voting republican because you're pro-life will not save babies. There is nothing any law or legislation can do to stop women from having sex and getting pregnant and, if they choose, getting an abortion.
We are here in order to express our agency.
We. Cannot. Restrict. People's. Choices.
But we can help them make those choices as safely as possible and then support them once they've made their choice. There's this amazing thing my mother-in-law and my parents do. When we (their kids) are trying to make a choice, they will weigh in their their opinions when asked. But once we make a choice, they will support it, even if it's different from what they would personally choose.
P.S. There is a myth about women who choose to have abortions always feeling regret. That's statistically not true. People want to believe that because it solidifies they belief that, intrinsically, we all know that life starts at conceptions, but it's not true. Most women who choose abortion feel relief or they feel nothing significant. Those who feel regret are those who didn't feel they had a choice, like they were forced into it by pressure from the boyfriend. So once again, lack of choice either way causes problems. Trust people to make the right choice for themselves. It's their burden to bare, and most feel quite sure about what they choose either way.
Here are a few articles on the subject:
The Myth of Abortion Regret
Hardly Any Women Regret Abortions, New Study Finds
Most Women Who Have Abortions Don't Regret Them
Also about rape convictions:
Why it's so hard to get a conviction
Criminal Justice System Statistics: Vast Majority of Rape Perpetrators will not go to jail or prison
Prosecuting Sexual Assault
Also:
Unsafe Abortions: The Preventable Pandemic
What Happens When Abortions are Outlawed
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