Today is the 35th anniversary of the monumental Roe vs. Wade decision, which, for those that live under a rock, is the court case that gives women the right to choose. I find it quite fitting that this day comes the day after MLK day this year, which serves in making for two days of remembering the importance of having, upholding, and continuing to fight for civil rights.
Regardless if you are against abortion or not, you must take note, that this court decision, and its implications are paramount to protecting the rights of the women in this country. No woman should be told that she cannot do what she desires with her own body. As I have stated many, many times in the past, this is not an issue of being pro-abortion, it is an issue of choice; and that choice is the choice that every woman deserves, in order to decide what will happen within, and to, her own body.
I, for one, am elated, and honestly a little relieved, that such rights are still present in this ever politically intensifying nation. I know that there are many in power that are opposed to abortion, and I strongly urge anyone that supports them to see that this issue is, again, about choice, and not about abortion (I also suggest that you investigate what other issues they are in favor of/against). What cannot be ignored, is the further implication that this issue represents. Losing any civil right leaves an opening, into which other civil liberties can be attacked, and that cannot be allowed to happen.
Freedom to have abortion does not mean that you will; it simply means that you have the choice, should you need to have one yourself. Perhaps the most compelling argument for choice, is the fact that outlawing abortion does not mean that it would go away; it would only mean that it would be more dangerous, and more life threatening to those that were forced to seek out alternative means of aborting their pregnancies. Additionally, it would potentially take away the legally binding regulations that currently exist on abortion, meaning that there would be less control on late term abortions; which I am personally against.
What is interesting to me, is that I have read many times, that as many as 77% of anti-abortion leaders are men, yet, it still remains that 100% of men can never get pregnant. It begs for me to wonder, why are men so overly vocal on this issue? Why are we so afraid to give a woman control over her own body? Well, it should be known by now, that I am not one of those men; I am glad that this court case decision still stands, and continues to provide women a choice, and a safe option should she choose to have an abortion.
Remember, that just because you CAN have one, it doesn’t mean that you necessarily will. An old roommate of mine was against abortion because he was adopted, and I continually reminded him, that his mother made her choice; she chose not to have an abortion, which is just as much an option, so long as you have the RIGHT to choose. If you don’t agree with abortion, then it’s simple: don’t have one. However, don’t take away the rights of those that may choose to have one themselves, because that form of oppression has no place in our society.
As I reflect on this decision, I can’t help but wonder would I would do if I were a woman facing a pregnancy that was unplanned, or one that was a threat to my life. I honestly can’t tell you what I would do, and I don’t think that anyone can make that decision until they are personally faced with the situation. However, there is one thing that I can tell you; and that is that I would want the choice to make for myself, and really, that is all that matters. The freedom to choose is a powerful, powerful thing, and today, we can celebrate 35 years of women being able to make that choice.
I am pro-choice. I am pro-rights. I am pro-freedom. Because without choice, can we truly call ourselves free?