Pro-choice, pro-woman...pro-life

Today is the 34th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Being rather less than 34, I have grown up in a world that is, at least in part, a consequence of this decision. This blog is why I--a young Christian girl raised in a fairly conservative Baptist church--am firmly pro-choice.

I believe that being pro-choice does not mean being anti-life. Being pro-choice does not even mean being particularly pro-abortion; I think that having an abortion is a huge decision, one that shouldn't be taken lightly, and in a lot of cases it's probably morally wrong according to the creed of my faith. All life is sacred, life is a gift. We don't have the right to say whose life is worth more--the life of a baby, of a sweet old grandma, of a rapist or a killer or a terrorist.

Or the life of a woman who doesn't want to be pregnant anymore.

You see, a woman who is desperate, who knows she just can't have a child right now--if she can't get a safe, legal abortion performed by a trained doctor--if abortion isn't legal--what is she going to do? Is she going to shrug her shoulders and say "oh well, guess I'll have the damn baby anyway"?

If this woman does what I think she would (and, I must admit, what I damn well might do in her situation) and goes somewhere else, finds another method--she could get hurt, she could get sick, she could die. And what makes her life worth less than that of the child inside her?

I once brought up this imagined scenario in a Bible study I was in. The discussion as I remember went something as follows (excuse the Xian jargon):

Seraph: So what if this woman, this desperate woman who truly believes she has no other choice, goes and gets an illegal abortion--some coat-hanger deal in a back alley somewhere? And suppose she gets some terrible infection and dies? And suppose this woman isn't a Believer, and when she dies she does indeed go to hell? And what if, if she'd been able to have a safe, legal abortion, she could have lived long enough for someone to share Christ with her? Are you going to send a woman who doesn't know Christ to hell for one mistake?

Other Girl*: Well that would be her problem, not mine--she deserves to go to hell!

I nearly threw up, or got up and left. At any rate, my jaw hit the floor. Way to be loving and Christlike, Other Girl. Aren't we all deserving of hell? Isn't that kind of a big point in our faith--we don't deserve God's love, but he gives it to us anyway? Isn't every time you look at someone (like our hypothetical woman) with hatred in your heart--isn't that murder in the eyes of our Savior? Do you really think you'd never, ever consider having an abortion, you fucking hypocrite?

To sum up (oh no, I'm going into school-essay mode) I'm pro-choice. I'm pro-anything that helps women get by in a world that often seems to hate us. I'm pro-life--even the life of an evil evil floozy who wants to kill her innocent unborn child. Ha.

I've never had to live in a world where the option to abort a pregnancy, safely and humanely, hasn't been there, if I need it. And I hope I never have to.

*name changed to protect the aggravating.

Scandalous!

It's taken me a few days to get this post written--but hurrah, the financial gauntlet has been passed and I am once again in the college town I affectionately refer to as Hippieville. Or HippieVegas--some churchpeople in my small hometown refer to it as if it's Sin Central, so I suppose it fits.

Along that vein, I went out to a gay club Friday night, and had about the best time I've ever had without feeling like shit in the morning for it.

Note: I'm not gay. I get mistaken for a lesbian a lot and it's a bit of a touchy subject so I feel as if I should make that clear.

But the club was entirely awesomely fun--danced with all my group of friends, including Thyme and a boy I'm currently pursuing, Beowulf. Beowulf is a Preacher's Kid, and kind of inhibited, so he was a little uncomfortable with the entire thing, as was my similarly inhibited suitemate, Rapunzel. Rapunzel had once even said that she would never, ever go to this particular club--oh, it's so scandalous. But she got dumped not long ago and really needed the lift, so for once she was up for a little more life than usual. And both of them ended up having a wonderful time and being glad they went. Well, Rapunzel is, Beowulf is still unsure--as he says, "well, I didn't mind the dancing, but I'd rather not have to go to that place again." Funny sheltered boy.

My relationship with Beowulf is one of the more ambiguous and angst-ridden aspects of my life right now. He doesn't know quite what to think of me--I'm quite honest, sometimes brutally, and certainly more so than a lot of girls my age will be with guys. I'm also very open about my sexuality, which is a personality trait rather foreign to the church people I seem to end up hanging around. I'm still as pure, if not more so, than any of them...but I'm honest about the fact that yes, I have a sex drive, and hey, Beowulf, if I were a different sort of person I'd probably be fucking you.

Note: I do enjoy thinking up handles for my friends here--it adds a little more anonymity and sometimes humor. Like Rapunzel...you should see this girl's hair. Good gad. And Beowulf, who is actually a shy, timid sort due to an anxiety disorder (what is with me and neurotic people?)

Anyway...the blogging for choice thing. I don't have many (if any!) readers here, so no one was able to attempt to throttle me for not believing abortion is a heinous act of cold-blooded murder, but I posted it (edited for swear words) on a site most of my friends are on. And boy, have I caught hell from two of my girlfriends--especially the one I used as an example, who denies that I gave the argument that way, and that she answered in that fashion. Possibly my memory of that night have been twisted over time, but I could swear she said what she said. And what's funny is that she is a really sweet and loving person...It's just she can't seem to see past what she's been taught. Namely, she's been taught that, when a woman chooses to have sex, she gives up her right to choose if she has a child.

It's too early in the morning for me to start writing about that again...especially as I just answered OtherGirl's rather offended email attacking my position.