Election day is finally here in the U.S. Thank God. We’ll
finally be done with all the advertising and phone calls from campaign people who
pretend to be doing surveys when they really want you to commit to voting for
their person or cause. Here in Oregon,
it’s all pointless anyway, because we vote by mail. Many of us mailed in our
ballots days or weeks ago.
So what does this have to do with being childless? Directly,
nothing. Indirectly, maybe a lot. The presidential candidates, as well as many
of the candidates for other federal, state, and local offices, have strong
views on things like abortion and contraception. People talk about the
“sanctity of life” or “the woman’s right to choose” or “a woman’s right to
control her own body.” Abortion became legal in the U.S.
with Roe v. Wade in 1973, yet the debate over whether it should be legal has never ended. A new president with strong
anti-abortion views could change things by appointing Supreme Court justices
who agree with him or by getting legislation passed that curtails our rights.
Birth control has been legal for a long time, although it
took a while to trickle through all the states. When I first started taking the
pill in 1972, it had only recently become legal in California.
Now, although nobody is trying to make it illegal to use birth control, there
is a lot of talk about the money part of it, whether insurance would cover it,
whether religious institutions can refuse to provide it. There are also
politicians who want to shut down Planned Parenthood, which provides not only
abortions and contraception but vital health care for women.
The choices we have had since the’60s and ‘70s have made it
possible for couples to consciously decide when or if they want to have
children. Those choices have also made it possible for women to do other things
with their lives besides being mothers. Being able to choose is a huge responsibility, a frightening
one. What if we make the wrong choice? What if we want children and our partner
doesn’t, or vice versa? Things were so black and white before. You got married
and had children, if you could.
Now we have more choices. We can debate all day about
whether abortion and birth control are sinful or immoral, wise or something we
have a right to, but I think individuals should be able to decide these things
for themselves, taking their own life situations, beliefs and religious views
into consideration. I pray that doesn’t change with this election or any other.
By now, you have probably voted, but if you haven’t, go do
it now. It matters.
3 comments:
Not breaking news...in party political conventions and campaigning and to most office holders ...women = wives/MOTHERS ! / GRANDMOTHERS !
Married w/o children is inside'ish the ballpark; however the ever growing demographic of single and *gasp* never married ( and no children !! yikes ! )are ignored as if they don't exist/don't matter.
I absolutely take your point re abortion choices, but I would like to point out that abortion clinics are rarely in the business of turning women away for abortions, even when it might seem that it could be detrimental to their well being or mental health. "Counselling" generally consists of a five minute chat. Personally, I think we've failed women as a society when this happens.
And no. I'm not anti abortion. I just think it is a decision that often has grave consequences, that are not openly discussed.
Anon, you're right. Abortion is a huge decision that does often have grave consequences. I think there's still a certain amount of secrecy to it, even though it's legal, and people don't talk about it as much as they need to.
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