Feline Warrior

Are Men Unqualified to Criticize the Pro-Abortion Movement? - Media Monitors Network (MMN)

Here’s my response to this article:

Hi, Stan-

I think that your article does indeed address a moral issue. It does so in your aside, “yes, they may call themselves pro-choice, but the choice that is most at issue is almost always the choice of ending the life of the unborn.”

Nonetheless, here is what I think about the issue of men’s opinions regarding abortion: This has nothing to do with whether or not men have an opinion on the issue of abortion- everyone has an opinion about something.

The problem is when men’s opinions steer them to support legislation that will remove a woman’s ability to make a choice regarding abortion. Nobody is FOR abortion; people who are pro-choice are not anti-life, although I have to hand it to the “pro-lifers” for coming up with their name. “Pro-life” implies that anyone on the other side is “anti-life,” which is simply not the case. “Pro-choiceâ€? means just that –supporting a woman’s right to make a choice for herself – her life, her body, and her future.

If comprehensive sex education were the norm, many young people wouldn’t find themselves in the position of dealing with unwanted pregnancy. Likewise, if women were not paid less than men for the same jobs, were not historically the ones most often to find themselves as single parents, and if healthcare was available to all people, perhaps abortion wouldn’t be necessary. Regardless of a woman’s place in society, she might be able to raise a child on her own, if necessary, and provide that child with healthcare, a decent education, and proper nutrition.

But take a look at a potentially single mother and tell me what you see, how you envision her future. If she has not attended college, is she doomed to a life of governmental support? Will her child receive prenatal care? Will she ever get “up and out�? This is not the profile of all single mothers, yet it is the profile of many. Perhaps the single mother-to-be is about to start her post-college life, stepping into the world as a professional. How is she to care for this child? If the child’s father is involved, excellent – she won’t be spending huge portions of her lone income on childcare so that she can go to work each day. But this is not always the case.

Perhaps the father of the unborn is involved, present, and interested; of course he deserves a place at the decision-making table. Maybe he is married or engaged to the mother; perhaps he is simply deeply in love with her and intends to stick with her through thick and thin, including an unexpected pregnancy. But this is exactly why we cannot make a decision on this issue across the board – one size does not fit all. The father is not always involved, does not always want to be involved, and sometimes it is inappropriate for him to be involved (in cases of rape and incest, for example).
These are just a few scenarios, but honestly, let’s toss scenarios aside for a moment – let’s look at the “moral issue.� Because that’s at the heart of this discussion, isn’t it? The “moral issue� cannot be defined in a way that meets the standards or belief systems of all Americans. For you, the moral issue may be that a woman is “ending the life of the unborn.� For others, it may mean the chance to create or grow into a life that allows one to one day become a mother who can provide for her children, should she choose to have them.

There is no easy set of answers to this debate. A woman’s right to choose means that she has the right to cry and rant, get upset, question herself, her god, and weigh her options. She will very likely never forget the decision she made. Is one choice better than the other? That can be determined by the woman herself – you cannot skim the story of my life and say, “This woman definitely should not have an abortion,� because you have no idea how a pregnancy may impact my life, my health, or my future. And it is there that our paths separate, Stan, because you are not in a position to tell me whether or not to remain pregnant. You are making the call from a place of morality – it is wrong because it is ending the life of the unborn.

If I am the pregnant woman, the issue is more than just a moral issue – it is my entire life, perhaps my health, lack of economic security, or the potential end of my college (or high school) education. For me, the issue isn’t larger than life, it IS my life. And that is why I value your opinion, and yet I hope to God that you don’t push for legislation to take away my right to make that choice. It’s not an easy choice by any means, but it is mine to make.