By Disclaimer: the views expressed in this article are strictly those of the writer.
It is with great disappointment that women are yet again having to defend and speak up for their rights. While I can understand both sides to the abortion ban, it is extremely disturbing to know that the government is making the call on abortion and what a women does with her body.
I’m sorry? Wait, what?!
It should not be anyone’s choice to tell me what I can and can’t do with my body. The process of becoming pregnant is not just by the women alone. It takes two to tango and the partner is also responsible for the outcome. Last time I checked, God gave women the capability of carrying a child. I don’t believe God gave the same responsibility to a man. If we are going to be petty about it, then yes, men carry sperm, but what our body does with it is more miraculous. Without sperm, women cannot get pregnant. So for all the men and women who want to throw shade at abortions, think again about who and what is involved that caused this situation to come up.
Men do not understand the physical hardship a women goes through when dealing with hormone changes during a pregnancy, and to add onto it, carrying a baby for 9 months. Yes, the baby is not huge to start off with, but a women’s body does not recognize it to be a “baby” inside of her. The body will react as if there is a “foreign” object within it. Hence why women get all these crazy side effects when pregnant.
Gents, you think it’s fair to put your two cents into what a women does with her body?
Who’s the one that is throwing up throughout the pregnancy?
Whose body gets destroyed from the skin stretching during a pregnancy?
Whose breasts become enlarged and filled with pain due to breast milk development?
Whose breast feeds the child?
Women, to be exact, is the answer to all those questions. Society, government, and men should really take into consideration all the responsibilities that come with having a child. Yes, religion does play a role, but we are not talking about religion right now. We are talking about HUMAN RIGHTS, and to be more specific, WOMEN’S RIGHTS!
For all the religious people who want to crawl out from under a rock and start preaching about how its forbidden, so is majority of the non-permissible acts people are doing these days! For example, drinking, stealing, murder, adultery, lying, envy, and OH! Respecting your parents, of course. Let’s not forget the 5 pillars of Islam that are “required of us” to fulfill: Declaration of Faith (Shahadah), Obligatory Prayer (Salat), Almsgiving (Zakat), Fasting during Ramadan (Sawm), Pilgrimage (Hajj). God is the one who judges above all. Your choices are what gets you into heaven or hell. It should be the individuals decision to make…not a society’s.
We need to take into consideration certain circumstances that put us in a place where abortion is necessary.
It is appalling to know that a bunch of strangers, meaning the government, are choosing what is right and wrong for a women to do with her body. I understand that some people are against abortion because it seems to be inhumane, but we need to look at it from every angle. We need to take into consideration certain circumstances that put us in a place where abortion is necessary. It is no hidden secret that rape occurs…often. Perhaps we have a young girl who was raped. Should it be the governments choice to ensure that this young girl keep a pregnancy that was not consensual? Do not tell me it is “GOD’S WILL” for a women to be raped. That is the “DEVIL’S WILL,” not God’s.
People are not born evil; they are taught to be evil. They are influenced to do bad and engage in evil behavior. No one is born to become a rapist. No one is born to molest and sexually harass and assault people. You learn that. You become curious and experimental. Devious acts become a high for people. Do not tell me that God planned for people to be raped, sexually assaulted, molested, etc. God has mercy, the devil does not.
Don’t Like Abortion? Get a Vasectomy!
While we’re on the concept of God, who made “MAN,” God? Who gave “MAN” the authority to create rules and regulations that put hardship on women? If “MAN” does not think abortion should be allowed, then maybe he should get a vasectomy! When a man and women are ready to have children, his vasectomy can be reversed. Because it is bad enough that birth control is not always available to every individual and has side effects of its own that can affect a women and her body. Perhaps an obligatory rule of vasectomies should be put into place. Since the USA is so well known for their pharmaceutical abilities, they should formulate a male birth control. That way both the man and women can be protected and have a higher chance of preventing pregnancy, which would provide a lower chance of needing an abortion.
Perhaps an obligatory rule of vasectomies should be put into place.
Then, perhaps, the amount of teen pregnancies will decrease. The amount of children in foster care will decrease. The amount of unplanned pregnancies will decrease. Men want to make the lives of women harder by placing a ban on one of the choices a women has to make when seeking out her future plans. I do not see “fathers” getting stuck with the burden of a child. And if so, it is a rare case. But majority of the primary caretakers for children end up being the mothers.
Instead of putting a ban on abortion, we should concentrate on providing better sex-ed in schools. You should provide easy accessibility to birth control for those who wish to engage in sexual activity so they are able to prevent pregnancy as best as they can. Birth control should cost the same amount as cigarettes, or even less! It is so easy to access harmful substances like cigarettes and alcohol. If people are willing to pay for cigarettes and alcohol, no matter the cost, then they should also be willing to pay for birth control, since it is arguably more important.
It is truly upsetting that in other countries, birth control is available over the counter at pharmacies, and is fairly inexpensive. The UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is the only country that has a maze of pharmaceutical rules and regulations, high prices for certain medications, and mind-boggling policies for health insurance coverages.
According to Emirates Woman, birth control in Dubai is available over the counter, without prescription. Having a prescription is a plus, but if you do not have one, you can simply purchase your birth control and be on your merry way. They recommend women seek medical counseling before use, just so that the individual is aware of what can occur while being on birth control. Aside from that, women are able to obtain birth control at their own free will! Just as it should be!
Tell Us How You Really Feel
I would like to make it very clear that MY opinion on this matter is the following:
- I do not agree with abortion late in the pregnancy. Abortion in the 3rd trimester is legalized murder. To me, it’s like allowing them to be labeled as legally killing and getting away with it. Spiritually speaking, it is an act that is not permissible in any religion.
- I remained a virgin until marriage. That was my choice. I had the will and determination to remain that way, considering all of the peer pressure I encountered.
- What I never experienced, I did not miss. Having intercourse was never on my mind as a young girl. I was raised to wait until marriage, an ideal my mother enforced constantly. Giving my virtue to someone who did not respect their own virtue would have no intimate meaning to me. Marrying someone who thought the same way I did made the “FIRST TIME” experience psychologically comfortable and reassuring.
- Not to mention, I work in a gynecologist’s office. I see what comes in and goes out. STDs exist, people! HPV is prevalent in the United States. Young girls are testing positive, having to undergo uncomfortable procedures to monitor the virus. This occurs in order to detect cervical cancer early on.
- In my opinion, abstinence will prevent abortions, STDs, and the need for birth control.
I do feel, personally, that aborting late in a pregnancy is not right, and rules on “time frame” of pregnancy and abortion should be put into effect. I also feel that it is necessary for people to be responsible. If you feel you’re “grown enough” to have sex, then you better be prepared for what comes with that territory.
Having sex may seem fun, until the consequences of unprotected sex occur. You cannot take it lightly and think that abortions are going to be handed out every single time you make a mistake. NO! People need to be responsible and take into consideration what sex, babies, and abortion really are! One must take accountability for their decisions and life choices.
What would happen to these girls, who have no escape from a rapist’s offspring?
But what about those faced with the horror of rape? A few months ago, I shared my story about being molested. I was lucky. Not everyone’s ending turns out the way mine did. Not every abuser handles their victim the way mine did. Some girls never escape. Others are forced to continue. What would happen to these girls, who have no escape from a rapist’s offspring?
Should she face this trauma for the rest of her life because “society” deems abortions to be a horrible choice? No, she should have the ultimate and final decision. Certain cases, circumstances, and sequence of events should be taken into consideration when pointing the finger at a women who wants to abort a pregnancy she did not plan for, or ask for. Women do not ask to be raped. Luck is not on everyone’s side, and it’s unfortunate that women are frequently chosen to be attacked sexually.