Today is the 34^th. Anniversary of Roe v. Wade which, no doubt, will renew all the old arguments and adversarial issues…. Life and death divides us as little else might. Proponents of anti-abortion have no difficulty with their conscience…or definition and hypocrisy of “sanctity of life”…when sending those same babies, 18+ years later, into wars and pre-emptive debacles to assuage their own fears for personal or national “freedom” or to the gallows, gurney or electric chair when pacifists object to war and adherents of the abolishment of the judicial death penalty are pressured to reconcile this “no kill” argument with the pro-choice stance of retaining legalized abortions.

Would that legalized abortion wasn’t necessary…that people would not take those steps which could result in unplanned, unwanted pregnancy and, heaven knows, every piece of knowledge necessary to avoid such is out there, open and available to all. But they ignore it and offer every excuse in the book for what ensues then seek to rectify things by ridding themselves of the evidence…and, for thirty-four years it has been legal to do so. However, abortions haven’t only been undertaken since legalization but has been a practice since time immemorial. The difference is instead of back-alleys, coat-hangers, questionable drug treatments which, too often, took not only lives of the fetus but those of many of the “hosts”, legalization made it possible to choose/decide if and where this procedure should be done and done hygienically and safely, thereby far reducing the risks to more lives. A woman’s life is no more important than the baby’s she is carrying…but nor is it less so. Not so different from those women with some clout who could afford to go overseas to combine their abortion with a vacation or be admitted to a hospital where it would be carried out and covered under a different procedure…albeit fake. Women who, for whatever reason, decide they do not want or cannot raise a child conceived through irresponsibility have always found a way to rid themselves of their mistake and, further, always will…legal or not. Speaking personally I would defy anyone to provide proof that pro-choice proponents are so because of a desire to “kill babies”. The operative word is “choice”; a life choice which belongs to the woman directly involved…not me, not you, not the government. We all have unquestionable rights to whatever medical procedures deemed necessary…whether to preserve/enhance our lives or health and well-being and would adamantly revolt if government stepped in to disallow those rights. How is this different…except in a matter of personal conscience?

We choose conscience then, some years later find our sons and daughters are sent off to risk their lives somewhere across the globe, cheered on by many who may have caused us to question our consciences in having these children. Rage against women ending the life of a fetus changes to admiration for sending those kids out to be physically/emotionally damaged or to come home in a body bag. We can be proud of this, this gives us a sense of comfort and a choice to continue living our lives as we enjoy, as we have been accustomed and with somewhat less fear. And when they do come home they and the women who bore them, are left to deal with the pieces left of the whole…with about as much support as the woman intimidated in her first few weeks of pregnancy, doesn’t have the abortion she initially “chose” but struggles every day by herself while the anti-abortionists have moved on.

We choose conscience and, twenty years later the son or daughter we bore is accused of murder, found guilty and sentenced to die by hanging, electrocution, lethal injection or even firing squad. Raise hell about the death penalty and immediately the question arises “yeah, you want the death penalty abolished but you kill babies in the womb!” Yes?? And yet they rant and proselytize about the sanctity of life?

I’m all for the sanctity of life across the board. I don’t believe in abortion but the right of anyone to choose a medical procedure in a safe environment; I don’t believe in war…but the right to choose whether or not my child has to be your cannon fodder if he/she has no belief in your cause; I don’t believe in murder…but the right to demand my government not be complicit in a like retaliatory response. What I consistently heard is “Stop the killing of babies in the womb!”…but if a woman dies, too bad; “Send our troops so we have less to fear.”…but when our troops are killed…or kill…so sad; “Murder is against the law!”…kill the SOB.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 22nd, 2007 at 5:12 pm and is filed under Iraq, National Politics, Religion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.