I know this is a hot topic and there are tons of views on both sides of this highly controversial issue. I just feel like I need to say something on the topic. I have to admit, I considered having an abortion at one time in my life. I was still an undergrad getting my degree, Jose and I had just started our lives together and we were not at all ready to be parents, not emotionally or financially. I didn't have insurance at the time.
Planned Parenthood was my life saver for check ups and birth control. I had made an appointment to get my prescription and as always they had me take a pregnancy test before they gave me the prescription. To my surprise it came out positive. I couldn't believe it, I had just had my period several weeks before. When I got home and told Jose he was in shock too. We talked about our options, we were not ready to bring a child into this world and since it was so early, and truthfully we ignorant to how developed the fetus was, we thought it would be best to have an abortion. I made the appointment to see a Dr. at Planned Parenthood. I remember being scared, I had never thought I would find myself in the position to make such a decision. I had always thought I would never give up a pregnancy. Before given the pill that would cause me to expel the tiny cells growing in my body I had an ultra sound done, it was required. To my surprise, and relief, my uterus was empty, no cells were growing inside me. As it turned out the period I had experienced weeks ago was a miscarriage.
It wasn't until years later I became pregnant again, this time I was out of school. We were still not 100% financially stable but were much better off than before. I did not think, at all, to give up this pregnancy. When I went for the first ultrasound, which happened, at least a week or two after testing positive I was extatic to hear the little heart beat beating away strong. Hearing that heart beat for the first time and seeing my child on the monitor made me reflect on that decision I had made years ago. Even though I had not gone through the process I became disappointed with myself of what I was willing to do and I promised to never, ever consider making that same decision again.
The fact that I was able to prevent getting pregnant for several years by using birth control provided to me,
for free, through Planned Parenthood made me see there is no reason why so many women have abortions or why other women can not prevent unwanted pregnancies. Planned Parenthood helps many women get the care they need. They help women prevent pregnancies they can not afford to have or want and get the care they need.
Even though I feel this way about myself I am very strongly
Pro-CHOICE. I
may not ever consider having an abortion in the future but I have no right to
force my choice on to others. By no means do I agree with the perpetual abortionist. Those women who have an abortion every year, maybe more than once a year. And if the mothers life is in danger or if there is something reasonably wrong with the fetus (i.e. it is a mass that will not survive after birth), then the mother has a right to choose. For the record, I've never been raped. Nor do I wish to experience it but I would like to think that if I resulted in being pregnant after a rape, I would hope to be able to emotionally overcome the trauma and recognize that child as a part of me
BUT I do not know how I would feel in that instance and I
should be allowed to choose for myself on what should be done.
The fact that some politicians feel that girls and women should
‘Make The Best Out Of A Bad Situation’ if they are raped is just mind boggling. How can a man who has never been raped and will probably never be raped understand a woman who has? Wasting tax payer money for arguments on whether or not employers should cover birth control in their health insurance and not
even have a single woman on the panel to discuss it just shows that the men in our government, specifically the GOP, have very little consideration for women's needs and rights. They have have passed bills in states to
de-fund Planned Parenthood making it even harder for women, who otherwise have no other options, to get the care they need. What the bloody hell is going on with this country? Who the hell decided women can not make decisions for themselves about their bodies? What kills me, it's not only men but women in politics who are in favor of all of this. WTF? Did they lose their uterus's when they took office?
What we need is to have a better sexual education program. One that works at informing our young people (both boys and girls) about the
consequences and responsibilities that come with having sex. One that
deters women from using abortion as a birth control method. One that get's birth control to sexually active women of every social/economical class who need it and educates them on the uses and how to be responsible with their own bodies. The thing is, these programs exist and maybe instead of de-funding groups like Planned Parenthood, the
government should work with them and other groups to improve these programs to reach and educate more people. If people were more educated on their sexual health and had access to birth control there would be no abortion debate/controversy. If politicians and the people who back them continue to think the way they do now, it will never end. Ignorance is not the way to resolved our societies issues, neither is restricting the lives of others.
