Reply #58: CHOICE is not an extremist position. [View All]

[davsand]

I fail to understand how any rational person can state absolutely that abortion needs to go away, or even that women shouldn't be allowed to determine for themselves if bearing a child is right for them.

I understand the desire to make this a non-issue. I really do. It would be so very nice if we all could progress to a time when every child is a chosen one and all homes are stable economically sound ones. That is not, however, the reality we all live in.

Contraceptives fail--and the SAME people who want to limit abortion refuse to allow funding for contraceptive research so that MAYBE we could get to the point where we have freely available contraceptives that don't fail and don't kill women.

The REALITY is that those people who yell so loudly about stopping abortion could give a shit about the women they will kill and the misery they will bring to this world. These strident souls have the opinion that sex is bad and women are bad for having it. They don't seem to worry about MEN doing it--just the idea that women need to be punished for being sexually active (even if it IS rape.)

I realize you are gonna peg me as a strident bitch from NOW or some equally "offensive" group, but the bottom line is I have a seven year old daughter and I never want her to bleed to death from a coat hanger abortion or die from infection caused by a back alley abortion on a kitchen table. I don't think ANY woman should face the choice between a forced pregnancy or unsafe termination of a pregnancy.

I realize it is uncomfortable to discuss this subject--just like gay marriage or any other issue where sex is involved. No matter how inconvenient it is, no matter how uncomfortable it is, abortion will not go away and giving it a pass because it is divisive is not an option. We owe it to our daughters to defend the right to choice.

I defy you to stand in front of a room full of young girls and tell them that they deserve to die or suffer because it was a politically expedient decision. I sure as hell can't do it, nor will I. Further, I defy you to stand and tell anyone that any group of humans is less capable of making personal decision and thus less deserving of basic self determination.

IF the time comes that the Dem party abandons women, or other human rights issues, then so be it. I'll form my own damn party and I'll fight my fights with like minded people who actually feel that we owe something to the future rather than worrying about confronting an uncomfortable issue.


Laura