WEEK 12: Pro-choice does not mean pro-abortion

The debate surrounding the issue of abortion has transformed dramatically over the course of history and still continues to transform.  All around the world women have used abortion to control their reproduction whether it has been illegal or not.

When abortion is made illegal it does not stop them from happening.  People still find ways to have an abortion, and they resort to extremely dangerous and unhealthy methods.

When people say they are "pro-choice" they are not saying they are pro-abortion.  Nobody LOVES abortions.  In short, being pro-choice means people should get to choose if and when they desire to terminate a pregnancy at any time.  Being pro-choice means a lot more than just this, though.  Being pro-choice means you understand that women are equal participants in this society.

Statistics show that one out of every three children placed in foster care are abused.  This means that this year over 133,334 children will be abused in our country.  This means that if we take all the children I know, all the children you know, all the children everybody in our class knows and add them all together, we still won't be any where near the number of children who will fall asleep in pain tonight.  

This is not a made up thing.  This is really happening.  

Being pro-choice means you understand that every single child deserves to be wanted, loved, and cared for.  

It's like some people care about the baby while its in the womb but once the baby is out they don't care anymore.  

You can not claim to be pro-life if you don't actively work to protect those already living.  Claiming to be pro-life and only actively working to protect people that are not born and not the children suffering in the foster system, or the children being separated from their parents at the border, or the families dying from inhaling chlorine gas in other countries then you are not truly pro-life. You can not be pro-life if you are not pro-all lives.  Pro saving lives.  Pro keeping people alive.  

We give people the choice to not vaccinate their children, to essentially kill their child AND OTHERS, but we don't give women the choice to save a child from being born into the world unwanted, extremely disabled, or into a corrupted foster care system.  

Being pro-choice essentially is being pro-life.  Being pro-choice means caring more about sentient women and children, and those children's quality of life.  Pro-choice means you care about the well-being and safety of children actually born into the world.  

Lastly, I would like to discuss the argument over fetuses having human rights.  Just because a fetus  has the "potential" to develop into a fully grown human does not mean it is the same as a functional human being.  As long as the fetus depends on the mother it is a part of the mother. When a fetus is capable of living outside of the mother, that is when they should have personhood. 

Nobody should be forced to be pregnant. 

To be pro-choice means to view every human on this earth as an equal.

To be pro-life means you are anti-women. 

You can not attempt to control women's bodies and sexualities and still claim to not be against women.  

Nobody should be punished for their sexuality.

To repeat myself, "pro-choice" is a political view that see women as equal parts of our society, and is based on the idea that all children deserve to be born wanted, loved, and cared for.