Alright, here we go; my first MyTake. I couldn't have picked a better topic, right? 😂
With the recent leak of the upcoming SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v Wade, I've seen a lot of posts, primarily from men, that honestly sicken me.
I typically avoid subjects like abortion, because it honestly doesn't really concern me, but I felt compelled to share a few of my thoughts. I'll try to break this down by some of the reasons that I, as a man, have known women to get abortions.
1) Rape
Let's get this one out of the way early. Rape is beyond horrible, obviously. It's violent, violating, psychologically & physically damaging, and yes; it can result in pregnancy.
A woman should not be forced to give birth to a child that is the product of such an intimate violation. A child conceived by violence will always be a reminder of the unspeakable act that woman has gone through. What's even worse is that there are laws in place to give her rapist parental rights over that child, forcing her to associate with the man who took advantage of her.
Then there are literal children who are raped, some even by family, when they are barely old enough to conceive a child. Should a 12, 13, 14 year old girl be forced to carry an incestuous rape child? I certainly don't think so.
2) Ectopic pregnancies
Even if awoman chooses to have a child, there are certain complications that can arise, one of which is an ectopic pregnancy. This is when the fertalized egg implants outside the uterus. These pregnancies are almost always high risk, and almost never viable, meaning they won't survive until birth.
Forcing a woman to carry an unviable embryo, which can & will endanger her life, is not only morally wrong, but also robs her of the ability to make informed decisions about her own health care. She is essentially being forced to go through a painful, harmful medical condition, which has very little chance of producing a new life, because she is being denied the right to medical care.
This isn't even an abortion issue, but taking away a right that every other American citizen possesses, the right to life saving medical care, simply because it also happens to include a fertilized egg. That is abhorrent to me, and ethically wrong.
3) Birth control failures
Not every woman chooses pregnancy, and in fact, will go to great lengths to avoid it. Women can take the pill. There are IUDs, sponges, diaphrams, shots, etc. They can insist on condoms.
You know what, though? No birth control is 100% effective, all the time. Birth control can fail. Despite a woman's preparations, and precautions, it can still happen. Her partner may use the condom wrong, or it may have a hole in it. He could "stealth" her (i.e. remove the condom w/o her knowledge), and that would be rape.
Bottom line is: she can take every precaution, and still end up pregnant. Maybe she'll decide to keep the child, thinking it's a miracle, or "meant to be" but she shouldn't be forced to give birth in that situation. Maybe she'snot finacially secure enough for a child. Maybe she's not emotionally mature enough for a child. That's why she tried to prevent the pregnancy in the first place.
4) Medical emergencies
This can cover a broad number of possibilities, and I can't account for all of them. Essentially, however, sometimes shit happens. A woman could be pregnant by choice, but an emergency situation could develop that endangers that pregnancy, as well as the woman.
Maybe she has an accident, and the resulting injury makes her too compromised to carry to term. Maybe a complication arises from the pregnancy, itself (outside of ectopic pregnancy, which I've covered), that endangers her life.
If she's told that aborting the pregnancy could save her life, then it's her choice to make. Maybe she choosesto continue, but nobody should be forced to make that decision. Nobody should be forced to choose their own death, and it's unthinkable that someone would force that decision on her.
5) Her CHOICE
I had about 3 or 4 more headings lined up, but honestly, I don't think they're really necessary. At the end of the day, it's her choice. She has, or should have, autonomy over her own body. Every male in this country does, and no woman can force them to make a choice he doesn't want to me.
Yet some of those same men choose to take away the woman's right to choose. How is that right? How is that allowed. At the end of the day, it's none of our business WHY a woman chooses an abortion. It is a private concern between her, and her doctor. There are no other medical concerns out there that are anybody else's business, so why do we have to stick our noses into this one?
Final thoughts
Bottom line here is, women are human beings, and they should have the same rights and priviledges as any man, including health care. They are not incubation machines. They don't carry children, and give birth for men. They choose to carry children, and give birth, because they want to. If they decide, for whatever reason, that they don't want to, that's their business.
When men can give birth, then men can decide, but until that time, let the people who can actually give birth make the decision: women.
If a man is so concerned about the potential life that is being created, then newsflash guys: you don't have to have sex! I am tired of seeing men say "They didn't have to open their legs." While that is true, you also didn't have to have sex with her. You can't say, "It's her problem," and then try to take away her choices to deal with that "problem" that YOU helped to create.
So, fine, if you want it to be the woman's "problem" and her "consequences" but tell her she can't have an abortion, then the only choice she has is to not have sex with you, at all. If every woman in the country stopped sleeping with men, in order to protect themselves, we'd see how long those same men would be ok with that.
Most Helpful Opinions