OK, so it's been awhile since I've felt compelled to
blog. Well, not really but the other
compulsions are not something I feel the world needs to know about my life, as
it's between me and another person, not the internets (yes I said it wrong on
purpose, I will explain another day).
So I was browsing through my twitter feed while I was eating
my dinner and noticed a RT about abortion.
It said, "Not every woman gets pregnant by choice. Figuring out how
to handle it is HER choice, not YOURS."
My response, which did not fit into one tweet (limited to 140
characters) was "true, but if she made the CHOICE to have sex she should
be ADULT enough to live w that choice. It shouldn't be a form of BC ... now if
it's rape or something like that, then yes it should be a choice."
This started a firestorm of hell on my twitter. It's been awhile since I've had such a
debate, so it was entertaining and engaging.
However, due to the limited capacity to properly convey my thoughts on
the matter, which simply cannot be done in 140 characters, people began to
respond to bits and pieces. Often times
during this debate, picking out what they wanted to read and not my thought as
a whole.
So, I've decided to put it in a blog. I've been wanting to blog for awhile because,
well I like it. The topic that's been on
my mind is private so it will likely never see its way to an internet
blog. This topic is worthy enough of my
time however.
So, here goes.
I believe in personal responsibility and owning the
consequences of your actions. This
includes, most importantly, sex. I also
believe that no one has the right to tell another person what they can and
cannot do when it comes to both sex and abortion. I am a pro-choice kind of person. As much as I don't like the fact that a man
does not have a say in the matter of abortion of his own unborn child, the argument
that it is the woman's body not the man's is valid. However, there is a huge emotional toll on a
man if he wanted to have said child in his life. There is also a lifelong toll on a woman, I
know from personal experience. The
person I'm speaking of is not around any longer for me to ask if they care if I
share who they are, so I will not tell you how I know this directly. But, let's
forego my opinion that a man should have some say in whether or not he is
allowed to be a father for the moment.
That's a whole other topic. One
that I completely see the side of "it's the woman's body." I'm just saying, it's a man's emotions, and
yes some of us have them.
Either way, I'm getting off topic. So, the whole point of this debate was that I
was not allowed to tell a woman whether or not she could or could not have an
abortion. I agree. I also agree that the government should
protect their decision in Roe v Wade.
However, this does not mean that I think abortions should be had willy
nilly with no care in the world.
At some point in the debate, it was brought up that a particular
tweeters friend was married, with kids already, on birth control and aged
41. From what I gathered, and I'm sure
I'll get blasted if I misunderstood, this person is having to consider or has
already decided to have an abortion. The
reason, the pregnancy threatens their life.
For this reason, I am supportive of the decision and thankful they have
the right to make said decision.
Another situation was brought up that a woman became
pregnant as a result of a rape. For this
reason, I also agree an abortion is a valid option and I would support said
decision.
The only, and I do mean only, reason I would not support a
person who decided to have an abortion is if they were engaging in unprotected
sex without the use of birth control.
Meaning, they're being irresponsible about their life choices. Going back to my point about personal
responsibility, I do not feel it appropriate to just say "eh fuck it, we
can abort." You got pregnant
because you made a bad life choice, you should live with said
consequences. Perhaps maybe one
mulligan, but learn from that mistake. I
knew a female who was a very sexual woman.
Most people would call her a whore. I would not, despite a
"whore" related comment I made in a twitter response. I'll address that another day also. Sexual women are no more a whore than a
sexual man. There is nothing wrong with this, in my opinion. This woman, in the year and a
half I knew of her, had three abortions because she refused to use birth
control and said "condoms just feel gross." This is not a person who makes good life
choices. This is not a person I would
support nor associate with in my personal life because of this reason. Does she have the right to make that
decision? Yes. Should she have that
right? Yes. Do I agree with her decision? No. Does that viewpoint mean I think
I have control over her body? No. I just don't agree with her choice.
My view point on this is the same as that of religion. You should have the freedom to follow
whichever religion you wish to follow. Do I have to agree with your religious
view point? No. Do I agree with any
religious view point? No. That's a
completely different blog all together.
Now, to address one of my attackers. Yes I'm going to call
you attackers. Reason being is I was not given proper time to try and
communicate my complete thought in multiple 140 character responses. I was also called a coward because I "do
not hold deadbeat dads responsible for their children." On top of that, a few tweets were in a
condescending tone. So, as I see it I was attacked. I think this was the reason my thought was
not conveyed properly either.
First, I'd like to apologize on behalf the of the deadbeat
you mentioned. I feel he is a disgrace
to all men. Any man who does not provide
for, love and care for his children is a disgrace if you ask me. I have three children and regardless of what
may happen between me and their mother, I will always be there for my
children. I loathe, with an extreme
passion, men who skip out on their children.
Secondly, I was told I should do something more to hold
these kinds of men responsible. I do all
that I know to do, short of becoming a dictator (which can't happen in this
country) to make these kinds of men own up.
All I know to do is to vote politicians into office that will make laws
strict on these kinds of men and enforce them with the utmost strictness
provided by law. I do not associate with
men who are not involved in their children's lives, nor will I ever. I cannot force them to do anything they do
not want to do. I wish I could. I am, however, not a law maker nor in a
position to enforce the laws that are in place.
If I were, you can rest assured that I would hold these men accountable
for their actions. I am not sure how this makes me a coward.
This one man's actions does not mean all men are the
same. I can assure you I am nothing like
this man you speak of. As a matter of fact, one of my three children is
biologically not mine. Try and tell me
he's not my son and we will have a fight about it though. I look at him just as equally as his two
younger siblings. His biology does not
dictate who's child he is. I will forever be his father, as far as I'm
concerned. Which hits on another point
mentioned in this twitter debate, there is more to being a father than donating
the sperm to fertilize an egg.
It was mentioned by this same person, in response to a
comment I made that a man has no choice in whether a woman keeps his child or
not, that a man could wait until marriage to have sex. This is very true, but the same logic goes
for a woman. My point that a man has no
say in whether a woman keeps his child is this.
A woman controls her body, therefore as a man I have no choice if she
keeps my child. My comment was meant for
after the fact of the woman becoming pregnant, not preventing a pregnancy. As a responsible man, if a woman I have sex
with becomes pregnant, I will always provide.
That is my responsibility. I have three children of my own. They are my life. Without them, I would be lost. I do not understand how a man can walk away
from such a gift. I would also be devastated
mentally if their mother had decided without me to have an abortion. It would have been her right, but it would
have destroyed me. This is why I think a man should have some opinion about
whether or not a woman should be able to have an abortion. It is not just the physical drain of being
pregnant on the woman that abortion effects.
There are mental aspects to both the man and the woman that should be
considered. Ultimately though, all of my
"attackers" are correct, it is the woman's choice. I support that right. This is also, why in most of my tweets I did
not reference the man's role in a woman becoming pregnant. Ultimately, as you will all agree, we have no
say in the matter of abortion, so why make mention of us if we are irrelevant. What we as men have control over, is how we
respond to a woman having our child.
In response to my whole point that you should not have an
abortion if you are not responsible it was suggested that I lobby to make birth
control more readily available. I would
support this idea. I don't know that it
is something the government should get involved in, however I think it needs to
be more readily available for women who are interested in it. Who's footing the
bill for this is also a completely different blog. I will however respond to the suggestion I
lobby for this. I have three children to
support. I run my own business to do so.
I am also the sole earner in my
household. My time is very limited and
when I'm not running my business it is completely consumed by my children and I
would have it no other way. I do not
have time to lobby for such causes. I
will however, when I have the funds available, help out this cause. I will gladly sign my name to a petition
supporting this cause. I will not,
however, spend my days with a picket outside capitol hill telling politicians
to do so. I will, on the other hand,
make a phone call to tell my representatives I feel they should support this
cause. I will make voting decisions
based on a candidates stance on this matter.
My family is more important to me than whether or not someone else has
birth control.
There are other ways to have responsible sex. They are
called condoms. If you don't want to have children, use them. If you are not able to afford condoms and/or
birth control, perhaps you should consider the fact you are not in a place in
your life to have a child. Which means
you should probably not have sex. I know, that's horrible not having sex. There are, however, plenty of other ways to
get the exact same release you get from sex, without having vaginal
intercourse. Hands, mouths, anal (if
it's something you like), toys, etc. None of which produce children. If you are in this position, that of not
being able to take the measures to prevent becoming pregnant, and still decide
to have vaginal intercourse, I feel you should be responsible for having a
child. I do not feel that you should
just be allowed to have abortion after abortion after abortion just because you
are not capable of making smart life choices.
However, on that same coin, these types of people will likely end up on
the welfare system and my tax dollars will go towards supporting their
children. I guess it could be a double
edged sword really. This just reinforces
my statement you should make responsible life choices. Welfare is a completely different topic as
well, and some people deserve to be on it.
So please, don't twist my words on this either.
After a very winded rant, which I'm sorry for, my point is
simply this. Woman should not be told by
anyone that they do not have the right to decide to have a child. Especially so in cases of rape and life-threatening
pregnancies. If you take the appropriate
measures to prevent becoming pregnant, but still do, and feel that you
cannot have, nor want to have that child, that is your right. I think a man's feelings on the matter
should, at the very least, be considered in your decision but it's your body. However, I feel that you should not make the
choice to abort a child because "condoms feel gross and birth control
makes me fat." (as the woman I mentioned earlier stated.) As was stated on twitter, the decision to have
an abortion is not a cookie cutter topic.
There are a myriad of reasons as to why a woman may decide to have one,
most are very acceptable and valid. Just
don't expect my support of you as a person if you make that choice because you
are just irresponsible. As to the point
about the men in this matter, we should all provide for and be involved in our children's
lives.