34 of 428

Yes

Write now Article Tools

There are few topics in America more polarizing than the topic of abortion rights. I am probably like many American women, who over the years, have struggled with this issue by weighing the pros and cons, hoping to come to a conclusion that I could defend with my own conscience.

Let me introduce myself. I am an alpha Baby Boomer who came of age in the turbulence of the 1960's and grew up during a time of enormous conflict within our country. I've lived the word "discrimination", felt harsh and unfair judgments made against me, and have grown into my senior maturity through my share of hard knocks. Through marriages and divorce, one choice I never had to make was the one whether or not to have a child. My body, with its inherited genetics, made that choice for me.

People cite all sorts of reasons "pro" or "con" when debating the right of a woman to abort a child from her body. When this issue first came into our national debate, I was firmly against it for what I thought were religious reasons, i.e. "the sanctity of life". As we all know, this has become the mantra by people choosing the "against" in this debate. But, then life came along I grew older, and I like to think perhaps wiser, and then the issue touched me personally through a friend.

Through my maturity, I came to realize how important empathy is in life. Certainly I appreciated it when I had my own challenges and friends and family empathized with me without judging. Yes, it certainly felt good to feel their support and unconditional love. Like many of the moral issues facing our society, I believe that to really be able to have an objective viewpoint, one must have the ability to "empathize". Simply put, this means having the ability to "put yourself in someone else's shoes." To try and feel the conflict as they do if you were in the same circumstances. Not everyone is capable or willing to perform this kindness when it comes to a woman who finds herself in an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy. Too many people prefer to blame game with accusations and punishment.

Men have a lot to say and a lot of power over the issue of abortion rights. But, can they honestly "empathize" with a woman facing this dilemma? As far as I know, no man has ever had the physical experience of birthing a child. As far as I know, no male minister, priest or rabbi has had to suffer the consequences within their own bodies because of failed or careless birth control. Experiencing fatherhood is not a qualification for believing

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Should a woman have the right to choose abortion??
We want to hear your view. Write now!