I have to admit that there are some things in her life story that resonate with me. A mom who takes on politics to make a change in her community. It's a beautiful story.
How do you argue with a woman who made the choice to have a child that she knew would be born with Downs Syndrome? Easy, you acknowledge that she made the choice that was right for her life and her family. This is exactly what Roe V. Wade is all about. Case closed.
I pray my daughter never has to make such a choice. But I can't protect her from everything, so I pray that she has access to all aspects of medical care and medical information to make the choice that is right for her.
Okay, so back to Palin. How has she benefited from Roe V. Wade? That's easy, a physician laid her options out and she made a choice. Let's face it, that's why so many of those prenatal tests are performed. Why else would you need to know ahead of time if your child has a birth defect or medical condition?
For those who want to eliminate a woman's right to abortion, and contraception? Wouldn't some of those prenatal tests be moot? Why know ahead of time if your child has down syndrome, there is no cure or treatment for it.
Perhaps the Governor didn't realize that she could have refused the test and saved her insurance company some money. Since abortion would not have been an option no matter what the condition of the fetus, these tests only benefits physicians who bill insurance companies. Absurd, I know, but that is exactly my point.
Pro-choice is about exactly that... the right to make a choice. The Alaska Governor, chose to have this child and I applaud her decision. This is a very brave and heroic act. But she made a choice, just like I did in college. I chose to put education ahead of becoming a parent. She chose, and so did I at age 30, armed with a graduate degree, a career, and a stable partnership, I chose to finally become a mom. Now that I think of it, I guess she and I do have something in common even if she may never chose to admit it.
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mmob221 posted at August 29, 2008, at 10:14PM: "How do you argue with a woman who made the choice to have a child that she knew would be born with Downs Syndrome? Easy, you acknowledge that she made the choice that was right for her life and her family. This is exactly what Roe V. Wade is all about. Case closed."
Exactly!
mmob221 posted at August 29, 2008, at 10:14PM: "Let's face it, that's why so many of those prenatal tests are performed. Why else would you need to know ahead of time if your child has a birth defect or medical condition?"
Personally, I don't want to be a mom at all but I still could understand a pregnant lady who totally wants to have a baby no matter what also wanting to know ahead of time about birth defects or medical conditions. That way, she'd have more time to get used to the idea, get ready to offer whatever extra care the baby would need, etc. and not be shocked by the diagnosis right after giving birth on top of recovering from the birth and caring for a newborn.
mmob221 posted at August 29, 2008, at 10:14PM: "For those who want to eliminate a woman's right to abortion, and contraception? Wouldn't some of those prenatal tests be moot?"
I heard that's why some antiabortionists are already against pregnant women having ultrasounds.
I agree that knowing the prognosis certainly helps families make the preparations needed. My point is that Roe V. Wade is about taking control over one's life and reproductive activity.
We all currently benefit from having this right, even those who choose not to take part in the parenting process at all.
I have heard about individual doctors and even pharmacists limiting women's access to treatment and medication based on their own personal beliefs about abortion. What I want to know is whether these same individuals are restricting men's access to viagra and other medications that treat erectile dysfunction, based on the same religious beliefs?
Your post makes simple good sense.
I used to be extremely anti-choice, until I realised that:
pro-choice =/= pro-abortion.
Nobody I've ever met or talked to likes abortion. Nobody pro-choice I know thinks it's the "OMG, best thing ever!" for the woman who undergoes it.
For some women, it's a lesser evil than the alternative: beatings or emotional abuse by their families; cripplingly impoverished hand-to-mouth living that would endanger any child in the situation; or even conviction that one does not have the love or attention to give a child and should not force another human to suffer half-hearted or resentful parenting.
Choice has indeed benefited Sarah Palin, and more power to her for getting that benefit.
What about the rest of us, though?
So lets pretend for a moment that we could go on without access to safe and legal medical alternatives to unplanned pregnancy.
That is easy, we would work extra hard at preventing pregnancy. YEAH, HELL YEAH!!! Oh wait, they took away our access to contraceptives. Apparently we didn't know that contraceptives induce abortion. Wow I didn't see that one coming!
WELL, WE WILL HAVE TO ROLL UP OUR SLEEVES AND WORK HARD. Because they replaced my birth control pills with a healthy dose of pay equity, affordable health insurance, and quality childcare.
Wait, the GOP doesn't place place these issues high on their lists of priorities. Sarah went back to work 3 days after "giving birth" to little Trig. I wonder if this means we will lose FMLA too? Wait a minute, I smell a rat...