Musings 100--A Matter of Choice.

Having a history as the only living breathing liberal republican on the planet, I have decided to look at the abortion issue one last time. From this point on I will not venture any opinions on said issue--unless I change my mind.

Abortion is the act of taking a fetus from its host. In the case that we are all familiar with, the host is called a mother. There are good abortions and bad abortions. The Christian right would never agree with such a statement, but it is none the less true.

In nature, when something goes wrong, the host naturally aborts the fetus. We use to raise cattle and horses. We saw it all the time. From our view point, a cow losing a calf cost us money, but the death of both the cow and calf cost us much more. The death of the cow was a lot worse. You could always make another calf, but the loss of a cow reverberated far into the future.

Now I am not saying that women and cows are the same. But I am saying that natural abortion happens and that it is a good thing. If the human female had no way to abort a fetus that was dead, then the female would die. Hence, even the pro-lifers would probably agree with natural abortion. They probably call it "Gods will," but it is the same thing.

I have also seen the time that we had to have a vet take the life of a calf to save the life of the mother. Likewise, there are times when a baby has to be aborted to save the life of the mother. Now here is where some on the religious right lose their bearings.

There are religious organizations that believe that the baby should be saved above the life of the mother. Such folks believe that the birth of a baby is the most important thing in the world. This is not a belief of which I ascribe. I personally think that the mother is more important than any baby. It comes down to one's personal belief, or...I dare say...choice.

No baby should ever be aborted as the last gasp of bad birth control. However, there are circumstances that come into play that make choice a necessary option. Here are six reasons to ponder if you are against choice:

(1) Choice does not mean pro-abortion. It means there is a choice. You can choose not to have an abortion or you can choose to have an abortion.

(2) A babies' life is no more precious than that of the woman having the child. Medical doctors should be able to present facts to loved ones who can make the choice based on the best information available.

(3) Each and every woman should have the right to choose what happens to her body. A bunch of men who cannot become pregnant should not be in a position to tell a woman what she can do with her body.

(4) Pro-choice is the opposite of anti-choice. Folks that are not pro-choice are against you choosing and they want to choose for you.

(5) Maybe not all children should be born. Ask yourself this question, "If your daughter was raped, would you want her to have the baby?" If you answer "yes" then you have not thought out the consequences. A child created by a violent act cannot be a gift from God; plus, the mental health of the mother forced to carry such a child to term would be highly suspect. I wouldn't want my daughter or wife to go through that--would you?

(6) Quality of life is another factor of whether an abortion might be the right thing. If a child is severely handicapped, it might be in the best interest of the child and the parents to chose to terminate the pregnancy. Again, it should be a choice. Not all parents can raise a retarded child. Those that think they can, should do so. Those that know they can't, should not.

Basically, it is just the common sense that we all have in our hearts if we are good people. I cannot chose what is best for you, and you cannot chose what is best for me. Thirty-three years ago last Sunday, the Supreme Court ruled on Roe versus Wade. It has been the law of the land, and it has withstood the test of time.

Like I said at the outset, this is my last time to write on this subject. Of course, I could choose to change my mind. I have a choice.