Today, on the 34th anniversary of Roe v Wade, I have signed up to take part in blog for choice. This year's task is to discuss why you are pro-choice. I think many people have stories, or anecdotes about why they are pro-choice or when and how they became pro-choice, but I have kind of always been pro-choice. I know that sounds weird, since most people come to it in adolescence or as young adults, or maybe even later. But as soon as I found out what pro-choice was, I knew that it was something I had to be. I must have been about 11 or 12 when i found out about it. I had always had a deep belief in women as equals in society, and somehow from a very young age I had understood that unfortunately that was not always the case. In middle school that transitioned into my adopting feminist ideas and ideals. Obviously that didn't always play out very well since I was very young, but it was there always in the background. Once I found out about abortion, I knew that women could never be societal equals unless they had the power to control themselves, their lives and their bodies. I knew that legal abortion was a key factor in making that true, along will accessible birth control and many other things.
In retrospect it seems to weird to think about the fact that I knew all this at 12, but I did. And at 13 when it came time for me to get confirmed (I was raised Catholic), I didn't want to. I knew the Catholic Church didn't believe in abortion or homosexuality and that wasn't soemthing I was going to stand for. That was something I told the priest at my confirmation meeting. He told me I was going to be a better Catholic than my classmates, because I was thinking so hard about these things. He cleared me for confirmation, without ever listening to what I said. And I got confirmed against my will, because it was something I "had to do". But I never could square with the fact that Catholicism held such different things sacred than I did, and I wans't willing to let go of my beliefs.
It wasn't until much later that I found out some of the things that keep me so firmly pro-choice today. When I found out that women died before abortion was legal, that they killed themselves or were killed by back-alley doctors trying to end unwanted pregnancies, I knew even more strongly that legal abortion is essential to the lives and well being of women. I believe so strongly that is is incredibly important for abortion to be both legal and accessible, and that is a belief I will never let go of.
Sadly abortion is not a right that is completely secure. Howevere, I am always filled with joy when I come across people who work hard to protect Roe and to keep abortion accesible to all women. Today on the bus there was a poster that said "Myth: Abortion is only legal in the first three months of pregnancy. Fact: Abortion is legal throughout all nine months of pregnancy, for virtually any reason." Maybe it's not a coincidence that it was up on the 34th anniversary of Roe, but that I saw it for the first time today reminded me that that the fight for Choice is not over. We must all do our part to protect Choice now and in the future, so that all women will have the right to abortion that we have had.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I love that you are reminding us that we all have a part to do to ensure choice. Many people, even if they are pro choice, become quiet when the topic comes up. Even if we all just allowing our voice to be heard, we are doing our part :)
i'm the same way, i have no idea who/what put the idea in my head but as soon as i knew what abortion was, i knew i was pro-choice.
perhaps ironically, 4 years at a catholic university made me feel more strongly about being pro-choice than ever before. but it also made me realize how indifferent our peers are, which worries me much like it worries you. we can't take roe v wade for granted, because you're right--it's not secure.
i can really relate to this -- i was also raised aatholic & have always struggled with many of the traditional beliefs. i can't remember a time when i was ever pro-choice, like you, and i think many people of our generation who were raised catholic are the same way. i'm sure it helped that both of my parents are pro-choice and generally very open-minded when it comes to religion; they taught me to always question religious practices and to tailor faith to my personal beliefs. (i'm sure this has contributed to my problem with blind faith & the fact that i really don't practice any religion at all, but that's another story entirely!) anyway, i'm glad there is such a strong movement dedicated to the conservation of roe v. wade, especially in these trying times under george the second. thank you so much for posting this :)
uhh, i mean, i can't remember a time when i was NOT pro-choice. i can't function today! haha
Post a Comment