State Says...

I've been following the ongoing issue of abortion rights in the United States lately and I am disheartened. It seems there are some who oppose the law that resulted in the internationally known case of Roe vs. Wade (1973). This law states that the choice to have an abortion belongs solely to the woman, it is her constitutional right to exercise. Now it seems South Dakota has declared abortions illegal, in effect overturning the previous law, and no exceptions will be made unless the mother's life, not health is in danger. Beware, other states will follow.

Children born of rape and incest will be raised into adulthood because that is their right. They and those around them will also know how they were conceived and they will carry the stigma of being outcasts in the society. Women must now carry and give birth to these children sown by hate. The purists have spoken: you are no longer in control and life choices will be made for you by the state.

I am a pro-choice woman. I don't believe that some politician sitting in the senate knows or cares about what is best for me. I don't believe in this nanny society where we are increasingly relying on an oligarchy to protect and impose their will on us. If I have to wear a helmut while rollerblading, will they decide next that we should wear it while walking across the street or down the stairs? If I am in my childbearing years will they tell me when and where I will have a baby?

Pro-choice does not mean pro-abortion. I personally don't think it's a solution for unwanted pregnancy but it's good to know that ultimately the choice lies with me. If you're going to "do it", then you better know the risks and responsibilities involved. If a woman has sex without protection and uses abortion as her contraceptive, I might want to slap her for being so selfish and stupid but it's within her rights. If a woman who uses protection but carries some kind of genetic condition which would impair quality of life for her child, gets pregnant anyway and decides to abort it's a logical choice, it's also her choice. If a woman is the victim of rape and becomes pregnant because of it, I'd completely understand her decision to abort. Some stranger sitting on the Hill has no business interfering with my life or my decisions. My body, my choice.

When do we stop making decisions? When do we hand over our lives to the group with the loudest voices and the biggest signs so that we don't have to think anymore? If you were to live your life as the Pro-Life extremists dictate, you'd be wearing a seatbelt but not a condom. Does that make sense to you?