Opinion

Avoiding the extremes in abortion

Both sides of the debate are filled with crazy zealots

By Amanda Levesque

Posted on April 27, 2006, at 12:00 a.m.

Women’s rights. Those two words can spark a debate on a number of issues, most of which have absolutely nothing to do with women’s rights.

It is truly amazing that 12 letters can bring about complete chaos and ignorance. For example: abortions. Pro-choice advocates say “It’s about a woman’s right to choose;” whereas pro-life advocates say “It’s about a baby’s right to live.” Most people form an opinion on one side or the other, but is it a true opinion?

I fall into the lonely position of neutral. I can’t say that I’m pro-choice, but I’m not exactly pro-life either. I’m stuck in the middle with my conscience and my morals-and we are quite happy here.

Abortions should be circumstantial. There is no way to create an absolute law; it doesn’t have to be illegal or legal, and there are always exceptions to everything. There are certain situations that people can get into that cannot be prevented. On the other hand, there are situations that are preventable but no effort is made to do so.

Women and men should be held accountable for their actions. In this country we are held accountable if we rob a bank, commit a violent crime or even cross the road without being in a crosswalk, so why aren’t we held accountable for having sex and becoming pregnant?

Accountability: That is the simple solution to the never-ending argument over the legality of abortions. If you do something you should be held accountable for it, including having sex. Don’t get me wrong though. Like I said, there are exceptions to everything.

If a woman is raped and becomes pregnant, she did not make the choice to have sex and therefore should not be held accountable for the pregnancy.

A close friend of mine, Nicole, was in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend, Steve, when she became pregnant. Nicole and Steve never used protection when having sex because they had been together for so long. Neither Nicole nor Steve took any precautions against pregnancy. Nicole was about to start her final year of college when she found out she was pregnant. She decided to put off college and have the baby, even though she knew how hard it would be. She held herself accountable for her actions.

Don’t get me wrong, women aren’t the only ones who should be held accountable for their actions regarding pregnancy; after all, they didn’t crawl up on themselves and get pregnant. But this is where it comes down to women’s rights. What about the men involved?

Is it a woman’s right to deny a man his child? I don’t think so. If a man wants to keep the child and raise it – with or without the help of the woman involved – he should be able to.

I know a couple, Paula and Jason; they have been married for six years. Paula has never wanted children, but Jason did. Despite his desire for children he stayed with Paula because he loved her. Although Paula was using birth control she became pregnant. Jason was excited at the thought of having a child, but Paula wasn’t. Paula aborted the baby and told Jason that she miscarried. Is that fair? No. He had a hand in making that baby and he should have had a hand in the decision to abort.

Women are often blinded by the term “women’s rights,” and I as a woman can relate. The fact of the matter is a man has just as much of a right to a child as a woman does. Men and women alike should be held accountable for their actions.

Amanda Levesque is currently raising a family of sea monkeys.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 27th, 2006, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.