ABORTION RIGHTS, REVISITED

What Does “Choice” Really Mean?

We Like Choice

The biggest impression America made on Russian President, Nikita Khrushchev, was his visit to a grocery store.  He couldn’t believe the choices we had.  Americans demand choice, which the Internet now provides in spades.  But for some reason, the screaming mobs now believe that the only “choice” allowed is abortion.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m a supporter of choice, with limits based on fetal viability.  But as a former Planned Parenthood pregnancy counselor, I offered real choice to my clients.  This meant that unless I was dealing with a young teen, I always presented all options:  keeping a baby, giving it up for adoption and abortion.  To me, that’s what pro-choice meant.

But now, Jane’s Revenge and other groups are destroying pregnancy centers.  These places don’t offer abortion, but their clients know that.  Instead, they offer help if the client wants to keep the child and support for those who choose to give their child up for adoption.  Sadly, many people I knew at Planned Parenthood really pushed abortion.  Years later, some of my friends who chose abortion talked about their regrets.  Many celebrated (sadly) the date their child would have celebrated a birthday.  Others found they never could have another child.  While many probably were relieved to have the choice, others might have ended up with fewer regrets had they not killed their baby.

It is Killing

Once the fetus is viable, abortion is murder.  Understand that as a former geneticist, this was an unfortunate problem as our ability to detect fetal abnormality improved.  In many cases, we didn’t know for sure that a child was going to be born with life-threatening, genetic problems until four months.  I’m guessing we have improved on that now.  We’ve also significantly improved the ability to keep preemies alive.  As such, it makes sense to limit the “right” to abortion to those months prior to viability.  In Europe, this is how it works.  The most generous rules only allow abortion up until the 15th week of gestation.  That seems reasonable to me.

Part of being an adult, capable of sexual behavior, is being responsible for the consequences.  This means that women need to take precautions against unwanted pregnancy, and not rely on men.  They also have to be willing to test if they believe they might have gotten pregnant.  Many birth control methods are practically full-proof, assuming you are careful.  Don’t miss days on your pill.  Make sure any device is inserted prior to activity.  And if you make a mistake, take a morning after pill.  Own your choices.

The Choice to Be Educated

Many groups deplore women being shown pictures of the fetus at various developmental stages, understanding that these pictures show how quickly the cells start looking like a baby.  Again, this is part of being an adult.  You have to make hard choices when you have made the choice to have sex.  Sex Ed shouldn’t just be a playground of how much fun you will have.  It’s a step toward becoming an adult.  You need to know the implications, including that occasionally, an abortion may lead to sterility.

The Right Way to Solve the Problem

Given that there is actually no right to privacy in the Constitution, (a problem which might be resolved in a Convention of the States where the states might insert an amendment offering some privacy rights), SCOTUS correctly determined that abortion wasn’t a constitutional right.  The 10th amendment clarifies the next step.

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

It makes no sense to fight SCOTUS, and even pleas to Congress aren’t the right way to go.  Those protestors in states with very limited abortion rights should go to their legislature and work with them to get a viable solution.  That’s where the solution belongs.  And stop destroying options for women to make choices other than abortion.  Everyone must accept that we need the pregnancy centers which stand ready to offer the support women who continue their pregnancies need and deserve.

15-Week—Fetus

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