The Right to Life Dilemma

 I see some jump on the Trump bandwagon singly focused on the issue of abortion.

Those I know that do that are typically people who never had to face the abortion issue without substantial support or fortitude--people who can easily march against abortion mostly because they haven't had to face this issue in the multiple ways it presents itself in individuals' lives.

Face it, it's easy to be an old white woman or man and be Right to Life as that issue does not affect your daily living in any way. It's also easy to be Right to Life if you live in a community where it's unlikely that you'll ever have to face that decision. 

I grew up Catholic. I have never been a proponent of abortion, and I never had to face that issue in my life, so it's easy for me to say, sure, I'm anti-abortion. Of course, I want to save lives in everyway possible beginning in utero. Luckily I was able to do that, and the only abortions I had to ponder or experience were what they call spontaneous abortions or miscarriages--development that naturally ends during pregnancy.

Yet, I am not a proponent for anti-abortion laws, I do not believe that it is the governments job to decide for women regarding what to do with their bodies or pregnancies. I do believe that health protocols, policies, and education should lead in this regard including good decision making trees that medical personnel and individuals can consult in order to make the best possible decisions about their health is the way to go in this regard.

I was first schooled about this issue by my grandmother who was born in 1897. When we discussed abortion, she told me why she didn't believe the government should choose for women. I was surprised to see such a devote Catholic share those views with me. Clearly, during her life, a life of hard work and some hard knocks too, she had learned about the grave circumstances related to illegal abortions and lack of good medical care/support for women. She knew that strict laws against abortion put women in difficult and possibly life-ending situations. My grandmother was a well-read, thoughtful, and compassionate women, a women who schooled me early on about the dangers of racism and classism too. She was ahead of her time. 

As I came of age and read and heard of many women's personal stories related to abortion, I came to consider myelf pro-education with regard to the issue knowing that the better people are educated in all spheres of life, the more lives are saved and promoted to be healthy and positive. We don't need strict laws about areas of health and development that are complex and nuanced, but instead we need the best possible education and medical care. I was fortunate to have many good educators when it came to reproductive health, and in part, that prevented me from ever having to think about an abortion. That good education helped me out a lot. The more people are educated about reproductive choices, the more that lives will be saved.

So, in my opinion, the extremist right-to-lifers that support Trump are actually creating a lot more death and destruction by supporting very strict laws about women's health care rather than promoting substantial, up-to-date education about reproductive issues and health. Rather than vote with a single, narrow issue in mind, an issue that they most likely do not have to face in their own lives, they need to think broader about the health and safety of people by voting for a candidate that works for quality, affordable, and accessible health care for all. They need to support a candidate that will work against the many conditions that do lead to life-ending situaitons such as poverty, prejudice, lack of good nutrition, unsafe environments, senseless violence, and pollution. If they truly look at the stats about good living and life, they'll clearly see that Joe Biden is the better choice. He and his diverse team of best and brightest Americans will not narrowly work against a few laws, but instead work for better health and happiness for all Americans--that is truly a pro-life stance, a mindset and action that we can all rally around for betterment and good living.