Just Me

In light of my recent post about a woman’s excessive abortions, I feel the need to expand on a few things.   A blogging buddy of mine, Nancy, posted her thoughts over on her blog and it led to quite the discussion on not only the woman in the article but abortion in general.  Many strong points were brought and other things that I feel the need to explain my own personal views on the matter.

It is no secret that I am not a supporter of abortion.  I do feel there is a medical necessity that requires the use of abortion in the case of incest, rape of children, or when the lives of mother and/or child are at stake.  But I feel these procedures should be done in a hospital setting, not a clinic or doctor’s office.

I have no doubts that abortion will forever remain legal.  Because of that I have to live with the knowledge that this practice happens.  Whether the government has a right to tell us what to do with our bodies or not has nothing to do with my belief that abortion is wrong.  I feel that from the time of conception, that fetus is alive.  Killing it and giving the procedure a medical term does not make any difference to me.

That said, I do not know if my life will ever be touched by abortion.  Whether my own sons getting a girl pregnant and she makes that decision.  Or friends of mine having one.  I do not know what my future holds.   In the past I have had friends who had one and just as recent as last year, one of Daniel’s cousin had one and seemed to feel the need to discuss it with me every time I saw her.  If a close friend or a child/grandchild of mine chose that in their life, I would support them.   My dislike of the procedure does not cloud my support of a friend.

In the case of the woman from the article, I feel she has many more issues aside from her choice to have 15 abortions.  She has some emotional issues that certainly need to addressed.  Maybe she has.  It’s obvious she has resolved her issues with her then-husband.  Am I judging her?  In a way, yes.  I don’t understand how someone did not help her.  Someone had to notice.  I feel sad for her that she felt this was the only way to assert her control. And I think she may be just a bit crazy.

Let’s look at an example, but in a different context.

Take a teenage boy who has very controlling parents.  They do not allow him to have friends over, no extra-curricular activities, and control his wardrobe.  As a way to exert some type of control he finds a stray cat, brings it home, and hides it in his room.  His parents find out and make him get rid of it.  Angry, he gives it away yet brings another home a few months later.  He feels victory but then is scared of what his parents will do, so he kills it.

A few months later, he is angry with his parents and to get back, gets another cat and repeats the process over and over. Eventually he is old enough to move out and gets away for good from his controlling parents.

Now, if his parents were to find out about his killing of the cats, it is highly likely they would freak and take him to a psychiatrist where he would be labeled as crazy.  Irregardless of the behavior being a reaction to his controlling parents and his need to assert himself.  Repeatedly he took a defenseless animal home and then killed it out of fear of his parents.

Sounds ridiculous in that context, right?  But it is the basis of the abortion woman’s behavior.

Obviously her abortions were legal.  But that doesn’t make them right.  If abortions are to be legal they need to be more strictly regulated.

If you want plastic surgery, you must see a counselor and have a waiting period.  From Daniel’s cousin experience, she talked an RN and after waiting 72 hours  was granted the abortion.  That is it.  For something so controversial and life altering-because I have no doubts that having an abortion under ANY circumstances changes you.

There are flaws in the system, I acknowledge this.  Girls as young as 14 being raped by their fathers should be able to be taken care of.  Obviously someone knows of these girls as there are statistics.  Doctors who provide abortions need to be more vigilant when young girls and women enter their clinics and offices.  There should be protection and options for them.  At the same time, they should have ways to help determine if a woman is a serial aborter.

Again, I completely understand that this woman is an extreme case.  Yet, it still brings to light the issues in the system.  If abortion must be legal, we must have safeguards to protect everyone.  If an adult woman who in most ways seems to be intelligent can obtain 15 abortions in a manner she did, imagine a young teenage girl who could go in and do the same, whatever her reasons may be?

This topic is highly polarizing and controversial and I don’t think there are any right answers that would appease everyone in society.  In my opinion, we need to protect ourselves.