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GLIB SLOGANS DO NOT FEED THE HUNGRY
TO BE AGAINST THE LAW WHICH FORBIDS ABORTION DOES NOT MEAN TO APPROVE OF
THE ABORTION !
At the opposite sides of the seesaw debate whether abortion should be illegal or not,
sit the promoters of the law on one side and the fighters for the freedom of choice on another.
In all of the various media presentation of this burning issue, in all the interviews and
the public display of opinions, one fact stands prominently in the foreground: the promoters
of the law against abortion use always the one and the same trap in which the defenders
of the freedom of choice always get caught.
The "life saviors" successfully present those who defend the FREEDOM OF CHOICE
as godless people without morality, without any feelings towards the future generations, without
respect for life and merciless towards the innocent and the defenseless. They are so
good at their attacks that they do raise doubts in many of those who maybe haven`t yet
chosen their side in this matter or never bothered to get informed. Why? Because, everybody
asks him/herself a question: "What kind of a human being am I, if I stand for something so
cruel and inhuman as the murder of the child?" It sounds horrible, doesn't it? I am sure that
nobody wishes to be identified with the heartless creature who "kills innocent blue-eyed
angels". That is exactly the content of the trap which those who fight for the freedom of choice
should carefully avoid. They must expose the promoters of the law and their attacks for what
they really stand for.
People who are trying to defend the right to choose should emphasize over and over again
the basic truth of their fight: to be against the law which will make abortion illegal is NOT
the SAME as to be FOR the abortion. Insisting on this starting point as the foundation
they will neutralize the promoters of the law and the basis for their vicious verbal or
even physical attacks.
The insistence on dignified life, life worthy of a human being, socially protected and financially secure,
well fed and healthy should be put forward by "pro-choice" movement as the tests on which
"pro-life" members will fail to pass. Cause none of these are of any concern of theirs. They fight for
an abstract notion, not for the facts of life.
The promoters of the law will always try to prove that an embryo or a fetus is a child
(although it isn't yet), that fetus is an independent individual (although it isn't yet), that fetus
should have the rights as any other person (although it isn't a person yet), etc. But in order to
avoid the same trap and try to prove that abortion is not the stopping of life process (which it IS),
the best would be to show openly the arguments and facts, pros and cons of the issue. No opinion
is entirely positive or entirely negative. Both sides have arguments that speak for themselves.
But, whether something should be supported or not is based on the consequences which can
be foreseen or solutions which will lead to the diminishing of the negative effects as far as possible.
Let us discuss pros and cons to the abortion problem.
1. The promoters of the law claim:
THE LAW WILL CUT DOWN THE NUMBER OF ABORTIONS AND STOP THEM.
The examples from the countries which had or have such laws showed the following results:
- the number of abortions in hospitals, i.e. in clean conditions under the professional supervision
of trained medical personnel have decreased while the number of "back alley", illegally done
abortions by untrained individuals have increased which led to a HIGHER DEATH RATE of
women and serious DAMAGE to WOMEN`S HEALTH
- the number of abortions which desperate women did to themselves, has increased;
YOUNG GIRLS with nobody to turn to for help have DAMAGED their health or crippled their bodies
for the rest of their life
- the number of unwanted, abandoned, neglected and abused children have considerably increased
- the law showed DISCRIMINATION between those who had money and could afford abortion in
a country where it wasn't illegal, and those who had no money
CONCLUSION: Expectations that the law which forbids abortion will make abortions disappear are
totally unrealistic and consequently dangerous. The law will NOT prevent women from abortions.
It will prevent them from having abortions under professional guidance and care so that they will be
able to get pregnant later as the majority are planning to.
2. ABORTION STOPS THE LIFE PROCESS.
Correct.
The method used in abortions is inhuman, unwanted and cruel. Not one woman enjoys abortion
and it is no fun to have your womb thorn apart. Nobody deserves her private life to be publicly
condemned, and her private habits subject of the conversation by strangers. The defenders of
the law don`t hesitate to be offensive and show women who have abortions as individuals of loose
morality who, sort of, "can't wait to have one". It is a cheap shot and used by those who have never or
can never be in a situation to make such a choice.
CONCLUSION: Those who oppose the law are not FOR the abortion. They defend the right to
have one if ALL OTHER OPTIONS are UNAVAILABLE or IMPOSSIBLE. It is the option of abortion
that shouldn't be taken away as an ULTIMATE MEASURE if all the other methods of prevention fail.
IT IS UPON THE SOCIETY TO ENSURE THAT ALL OTHER OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE TO ALL.
3. ABORTION IS NOT A CONTRACEPTIVE METHOD.
Correct.
CONTRACEPTION IS PREVENTION, abortion is not. Contraception is a part of PLANNED
PARENTHOOD, abortion shouldn't be.
Therefore the SOLUTIONS no pro-lifer ever talks about are:
-EDUCATION, systematically developed plans of educating future generations
(or everybody who needs it) in regards to the adequate PROTECTION during the intercourse,
emphasizing the RESPONSIBILITY of sexual activities which can create a new life instead of
showing it as a sport, teaching that BOTH, MEN AND WOMEN are responsible for the possible
consequences and that although abortion is an option, since it involves stopping a life process,
it can NOT BE USED as a METHOD OF CONTRACEPTION. Education DOES NOT include shocking
movies and disproportional pictures which only cause fear, anxiety and guilt.
- EASILY ACCESSIBLE CONTRACEPTIVES, adequate and cheap protection for both partners. How
to use contraceptives must become a part of the basic education. Fighting sex taboos is a must.
Taboos lead to ignorance and unnecessary destruction of life they pretend to be protecting.
CONCLUSION: The majority of the abortion law promoters publicly admit that they are against ANY
contraceptive method. What they stand for, therefore, is not the protection of the unborn but denial of
women`s RIGHTS, either to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy or to abort. What they promote
is women`s life with no options, but to get and stay pregnant. One doesn't need to be a genius
to understand what it the true intent of these "lifesavers". The overall atmosphere the "pro-life" groups
are creating insists on glorified images of the WOMAN-HOUSEWIFE, the WOMAN-MOTHER, the WOMAN
who is FINANCIALLY DEPENDENT, the old ideal of "the barefoot and pregnant". Their GOAL is
a comeback of total, patriarchal control over women.
4. ABORTION SHOULD BE ALLOWED ONLY IN CASES OF INCEST,
RAPE AND IF PREGNANCY IS DANGEROUS FOR WOMAN`S HEALTH.
Nice try! But....Except when woman's life is in danger, which can be proved by medical tests,
the question to be asked and not ignored is how a woman can prove incest or rape? The whole
procedure is planned in such a way that the woman who has been violated once, physically
and psychologically abused and destroyed, will have to undergo the torture of examination
and cross-examination about HER private and intimate life and habits. The last grain of self-respect
and dignity, if she will have any left, will be taken away when she will be forced to justify herself in front
of TOTAL STRANGERS and try to prove the rape or incestual rape.
How many will be FORCED by the law to bear the pregnancy that is result of a life shattering experience?
No, the conceived child is not guilty, but is it the woman-victim? How come that the victim is to be
punished twice, three times for something a true criminal has done but got away with it?
CONCLUSION: Dignified life of a human being includes RIGHT to privacy and intimate part of life
that is not to be either justified or analyzed by strangers. Besides, how will a married woman or a
woman living with someone ever be able to prove rape resulting in pregnancy, although many
experience this kind of violence from their spouses or partners? Some of them will have to be
pregnant whenever their partners, who incline towards violence, will want them to be or will force
them to sex and the law will approve. Wouldn`t that be a sexual discrimination legalized by the law?!
5. EMBRYO OR FETUS IS A HUMAN BEING WHO HAS RIGHTS AS ANY OTHER LIVING BEING.
Embryo or fetus although alive is an evolving stage of a future human being who gains his/her
rights the moment s/he is born INTO the world on which the notion of rights applies. A part of a woman's
body is NOT and CAN NOT be the PROPERTY of the STATE, CHURCH, PARTY or HER PARTNER
It is woman's body and she is the only authority to decide what she will do with it.
CONCLUSION: There is not one single law which applies to the parts of man's body or what he
should or shouldn`t do with it. Therefore, any and every law that controls woman's body is a
SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION.
The IRONY lies in a fact that the most vehement defenders of the law and even its ORIGINAL
PROMOTERS are MEN, those members of human race who do not have any clue or possibility
to understand what it means to get pregnant, to be pregnant, to give birth or to make a terrible
decision to abort and live with it forever after. If those men or any other sincerely wish to stop
abortion, maybe it wouldn`t be a bad idea they think about it before they commit themselves to
unprotected or irresponsible sex.
6. ANTI-ABORTION LAW WILL STIMULATE MORE CHILDBEARING.
Completely wrong. Childbearing will not be stimulated by making abortions illegal, but by
providing the conditions where giving birth will not be a burden. The most advanced countries
like the Benelux countries where abortion is legal showed that it ceased to be a method of
planned parenthood because the economical conditions alone stimulate childbearing.
CONCLUSION: A WOMAN who is ECONOMICALLY PROTECTED, who can not lose her job
because of pregnancy, who is during her pregnancy and after birth as a mother protected with
her child through various social institutions regardless of her marital status, who has an easy
access to cheap care for the child, who has an easy and unstigmatized access to the contraceptives
she has been taught how to use; such a woman will use abortion in ultimate cases when all other
options will be impossible, or will not even allow herself to come to the point to make such a choice
if it will be within her power. Society must provide that power, not take it away !
FINALLY, those who are truly concerned about abortion causes and consequences, no matter what
are they starting points, whether religious, political, moral or human beliefs, should work on finding solutions
to each and every of the following stages. Instead of war cries, abortion clinic violence, attacks on
those who do not share the same views, heated atmosphere which creates more enemies instead
of finding the best solutions, here are a few points that both sides should think about and offer their
contributions:
- high quality system of sexual education about contraceptive protection throughout the life
Solving the above problems or having concrete plans, means having a good state
policy that will eventually decrease the number of abortions without making an unfair and discriminative
law. Fair birthrate policy must take into the account all of the above. Yes, that requires more KNOWLEDGE,
more CREATIVE INITIATIVE and REDIRECTION OF FUNDS which will be a bit more complicated
than shouting out the slogans and seducing masses with empty but earsplitting phrases.
Be careful of the slogans you hear, no matter how truthfully they might sound at first hearing. If you don't
hear that somebody shouting them has a concrete suggestion and a plan for all of the above problems,
do NOT believe in his/her sweet talk.
Before you choose the side, ASK THEM what is going to be with the RIGHTS of the unborn they defend
so wholeheartedly, tomorrow when they come to this world and when they will demand food, clothes,
education, care, upbringing, finances that will be needed for the next 18 years, at least. ASK THEM if
they have a well-thought system of help to the mothers about whose bodies they decide so
self-righteously. They will be able to give concrete suggestions only if they are
not using or abusing this very sensitive subject as an issue for gathering political points or compensating
for some personal frustrations.
Fight for the RIGHT to choose of everybody over anything because, no matter what is your personal belief
or choice, each of us has RIGHT to live according to his/her own beliefs and nobody has right to make
laws out of his/her own and force them upon the whole society. After all, we all bear alone the
consequences of our choices.
(c) NS
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