Tuesday, January 22, 2008

35 years and counting

Today is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. I imagine that it is the single most protested supreme court decision ever.

This morning, on the radio I heard that a new tactic of the "pro-life" set is to lobby for legislation granting legal "personhood" to fertilized eggs from the moment of fertilization . . . granting them legal status and rights. This goes along with their other tactics of trying to cast abortion as a huge factor in the long term mental health of women . . . etc.

I worry about any legislation granting "personhood" to a fertilized egg.

On one hand, I think that a murdering a woman who is in the advanced stages of pregnancy ought to carry slightly different charges than a non-pregnant woman. (I'm thinking of quite a few stories in the media of women who were 7,8, or even 9 months pregnant and murdered. I can imagine that there would be discussion if the woman were in early stages and could the criminal be reasonably expected to know she was pregnant? Was it a partner? or was it a stranger or near stranger who claimed to not know about the pregnancy . . .but I digress.)

On the other hand, granting legal rights and status to a fertilized egg is just one step away from telling women they don't control their own bodies.

I argued once with a man who advocated that women face criminal charges if it is found that they consumed any alcohol at anytime during the pregnancy . . . even before she was aware she was pregnant. Basically . . . he advocated banning women of child bearing age from consuming alcohol.

I am aware of another woman who was put on bed rest by her doctor in her 6th month . . . and she disregarded the medical advice, and after a weekend of mowing the lawn, shopping, going to church, going out to eat, she delivered early and the child died. If we grant legal status and rights to the unborn, are we telling women that if they don't follow medical advice 100% and the unthinkable happens . . . they will face criminal charges?

When are we going to have pregnancy centers where all pregnant women are sent so that they might be monitored during their pregnancies because our society doesn't trust them to care for themselves or make decisions for themselves?

That's the danger of these proposals . . . they sound harmless enough . . . until you start looking at the larger implications and how and when they will be enforced.

Abortion exists in a society where "abstinence" education has replaced good, sound sex ed. I've seen my state's approved 9th grade health text . . . they never mention that controlling fertility is an option . . . even within marriage. They explicitly state that parenthood in an inevitable step in life. There are no other options. Abortion exists in a society in which there is inadequate access to birth control . . . and men and women are bombarded with sexualized messages about every aspect of life. Abortion exists in a society where violence and rape are tolerated within certain limits . . . and especially if the victims are marginalized in the first place.

In this society, abortion is a necessary fact.

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