Abortion

I pondered the title to this entry for some time. The post itself is a result of a discussion with my wife earlier today. It reminded me that abortion is one of those hot button issues that we have for so long allowed to cloud our judgement and perpetuate the rape of our society and economy. Ironically, rape being one of the rare occasions that many stalwart opponents of abortion rights will acquiesce.

First, I should get out of the way my stand on abortion. I'm not, after all, nominated for the supreme court so a litmus test is, in my view, perfectly acceptable. Let me say clearly, I will never have an abortion. Ever.  This is my personal choice, made admittedly easy for me because I lack a uterus and ovaries. The next thing I will never do is prevent you from having an abortion. I can only imagine that this is one of the most personal, difficult and painful decisions a person has to make. That many would inflict on a person making it the additional burden of social stigma, guilt and inadequate access to proper medical care, is a clear signal to me that America has, in general, lost or possibly never had the level of compassion for other humans I'd like to see us display. I find it hard to imagine that anyone actually looks forward to killing an unborn child, certainly it'd be a rare person that did. Furthermore, I doubt seriously that the doctors and nurses who perform this service do it out of greed or callousness. I suspect they do it because they care deeply about the women and families who feel like this is the choice they have to make.

What I find incredibly shameful is how quickly we judge those who have to make this choice, but how slowly we move when given an opportunity to help someone avoid it. Suppose a middle class woman has slipped up on birth control and has an abortion because her family simply can't afford another child and the loss of income and benefits if she or her partner has to stay home.  It's so much easier to judge her than it is to fight the corruption and consumerism that has systematically dismantled the middle class in America and pushed the vast majority of us closer to poverty. A poor kid from the "wrong" neighborhood decides that she just can't bring a life into the world she knows and is struggling through. It's far easier to shout at her as she crosses your picket line than to consider taking action to lift her neighborhood out of poverty and fulfil the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. A rich kid comes home from college with an unwanted fetus from a recent frat party she went to and as she crosses the line into the clinic she's called names and derided ... no, wait... Rich kid. She goes to a quiet family practice you and I can't afford and has the "problem" taken care of discreetly and with the best medical care available so her parents can hold their heads up high as they self-righteously look down their noses at the poor girl above. And if it's discreet enough they can continue to be vocally pro-life and plan for a big wedding with a white dress someday.

I wonder, sometimes, just what money can buy. How much of our humanity are we willing to sell. If you've read my posts so far, you know I'm not a religious person, however, I like quite a few of the things Jesus is rumored to have said. "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" I wonder how many people who sit in an office at an insurance company trying to figure out how to use a technicality to drop coverage for someone who is sick or dying would shake your hand on Sunday and denounce those who would walk the painful walk of making the decision to have an abortion? It's probably a non-issue, actuarially it's likely that an abortion is more cost-effective for an insurer than a birth so I suspect insurers staffs may be packed with people who do favor abortion. I suppose in many cases the question of what someone would exchange for a soul can be answered in terms of annual salary, benefits and bonus.

So there you have it, my opinion on abortion. I think we should place value in honesty, work and the value of each others lives. We should lift up communities out of poverty and bring prosperity back to the middle class.  We should invest our time and resources into creating an inclusive society in which abortion is a non-issue because no one wants or needs one. This is possible through education, personal responsibility and open access to health care and effective birth control and, believer or not, actually listening to people like that Jesus guy and treating each other well.

Hopefully we've gathered enough evidence that self-righteousness, religiously motivated intolerance and violence will not solve this problem. If you want people to believe as you probably do, and as I do for that matter, that it is unfortunate and wrong to be faced with the choice of taking the life of an unborn child then lead by example and live in a way that would make them want to share your belief; live in a way that builds a society and economy in which they have the opportunity to share in your beliefs.

I guess this was too long an answer for a litmus test after all.