My story is bigger than this topic, but it undoubtedly has something to do with the fact that I changed my mind about a woman's right to choose an abortion.
I grew up in a small Christian church that took the bible very seriously. Nobody I knew was Pro Choice. I didn't think about it until one day, when we were asked to voice our opinions on abortion in class. I was on the most Pro Life end of the spectrum of opinions, which surprised me given that I had many religious class mates. None of them shared my point of view that abortions were never okay and always brutal and represented a murder.
Covid-19 changed everything for me. I had more time to think, was able to move away from my parents and when I picked up the bible and analysed it using bible scholars' resources, I realised that it wasn't what I had assumed it to be all those years; to me, the bible no longer is a book of prophecy that you should base your whole life upon, but rather, it's a mildly interesting reflection of the time it was written in. I've since distanced myself from the faith I grew up with as it holds no value for me personally anymore.
Shortly after realising that I don't have to take the bible as seriously as I had all these years, I felt like finally having sex with my boyfriend. I had always been curious and felt ready, so we did it when we both felt the time was right. I had a lovely first time, full of love and didn't feel used or vulnerable/hurt afterwards like people had always told me I would if I lost my virginity before getting married.
We use contraception, but I've had two pregnancy scares since becoming sexually active (where I simply didn't get my period on time) and since I know I couldn't have a baby, let alone a child right now (I have no money and don't want to have a baby that's born out of wedlock), I did my research on abortions.
I had never truly delved into what actually happens when you have an abortion, and I strongly believe that many Pro Lifers have an inaccurate image in their head when it comes to abortions. Almost all abortions occur below 12 weeks of pregnancy (in the first trimester, meaning 14 weeks after getting your last period) through either taking different pills or by a small vacuum device being inserted into the uterus while the woman is under anesthesia. Read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_the_United_States
Where I'm from, abortions are only legal in the first trimester and you have to have a talk with an independent source and wait a couple of days before getting the abortion.
Abortions at later points of pregnancy are very, very rare. In the US, only 1.4% of all abortions occur after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Talking about how abortions are conducted in the third trimester is emotional for many Pro Lifers, which is understandable when you envision a healthy mother bearing a healthy baby going through a third trimester abortion. That's not the case though. Third trimester abortions are not something you decide to do on a whim. It's something women reflect very deeply about and abortions at this late point of pregnancy are only to be considered if the baby were to be born dead, to potentially inflict physical or psychological harm on the mother or if the baby was significantly impaired (mentally or physically) if born.
My final words are that I strongly believe that those that are actually pregnant, not law makers, should have the final say when it comes to abortion.
I'm incredibly lucky to live in a country where getting an abortion is possible in the first trimester.
Most Helpful Opinions