Not sure why abortion popped into my mind this morning but it conjures up interesting conversations that occurred when I was first at my husband's United Church way back in the late 1970s. Personally I am absolutely opposed to abortion for myself; would never have considered one at any time. However, I do add that I was never in the position of having acquired a pregnancy by rape or misadventure so do not really know my thoughts on abortion following rape for myself but would not have aborted for misadventure. At this age of 75 and a half years that is not going to affect me anyway. I was somewhat in a minority I must admit and actually no one else shared my opinion. It was in those early days at my husband's Church that I realized I simply did not fit in. My mother was raised United Church but became an Anglican in her mid teens (her father's family were Anglican but her mother tended more towards the United Church). I did do the job of volunteer secretary extremely well. I did not miss even one Sunday initially standing behind the welcoming table; I am a great believer in the value of Church in our lives and really it does not matter the Church on the level of people belonging. My personal opinion though was always to consider myself Anglican and of course I am a cradle Anglican. I tried never to impose any of my Anglican ideas on anyone nor was that visible in the Bulletin which I published for the minister.
But back to abortion as I did work in the hospital one summer when I was twenty years of age. I worked for my entire summer in the urinanalysis lab. It was fascinating work and I learned so much from the individual who managed that lab. Unfortunately he broke his arm in July so I was left on my own to run the lab and I actually did it very well for the remainder of the summer. But that doesn't affect abortion. One time I had to go down to the ER to collect a stat sample for a young woman/teenager whom I learned later had had a bungled abortion and she died. When I learned that I vowed that I would never stand in the way of any woman/teenager needing an abortion for her own personal reasons and I have consistently through my life supported any legislation that advocated for the right to an abortion.
Even after a miscarriage that I had here where we now live when my eldest was just two years of age and I had to have a D&C I did not budge from that belief. Following the D&C I was placed in a room with several young women who had just had abortions and were discussing it rather lightly. I started to shake and the nurse rushed me out realizing that I was shocked by their attitude which I was. I continue to this day to believe that it is a woman's right to make this decision but do pray that they consider carefully the act which they are undertaking and do not make light of it. This is an unborn child that you are aborting which it is your perfect right to do but do not pass it by as something to laugh about (I do find this idea that it is simply a bit of protoplasm particularly gruesome). Simply realize that your life decision has been made. After all one does not know what will come of that tiny little being; some abort naturally; some die young and others do not survive young adulthood.
So for me Abortion is always an interesting conundrum; something I personally never even considered but I firmly believe in a woman's right to decide for herself. I never want to hear of a sixteen year old (or any age really) dying from a botched abortion again.
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