Of course, Jill Stanek was appalled that these women were standing here with each other, supporting something that meant that had any of their pregnancies been inconvenient (specifically, the daughter and granddaughter) they could have killed their child off. And they're all smiling about it. She finished off by saying that they were all "whacked" (side note: right after that last sentence, there is a list of Do's and Don'ts for Stanek's comment area...the first being DO criticize ideas, NOT people).
Clearly, I don't agree with Jill on this one. One reason being that I fully believe that PP provides a whole array of services to men AND women. Anyway, I saw this picture and I immediately noticed how young this little girl looks. She looks no older than 11 or 12 years old. Which brings the following question to mind: How old is old enough when it comes to explaining women's rights in regards to abortion?
This may be because I have a 5 year old daughter, and I know that eventually she will learn about these things. And I've always been a firm believer that when your child asks questions, you answer them. But in this case, if she happened to overhear something on the news regarding abortion and asked me about it, I don't think I'd feel comfortable explaining it to her yet. Part of me feels like this issue (abortion) should be handled when a girl (or boy) becomes sexually active. Wouldn't it fall somewhere in that conversation? Of course, that makes me think about all the little girls who have been raped and needed abortions at age 12. How awful! To be honest, I can't imagine when it would be the right time to discuss abortion with my daughter. But I know I wouldn't be comfortable with it ANY time soon.
So, the question here is...How old is old enough when it comes to the topic of abortion?
When I was fairly young, probably 8-10 years old, I saw several pictures (don't remember where, but the pics were together): a developing baby in the womb at ten weeks, with its tiny finger buds, limbs, head and other parts - and in another pic, those same parts, only scraped and torn apart into a bloody mess as the result of a first -trimester abortion. I remember wondering, "That's a baby. Why would anyone do that to a helpless baby?" After being informed, then, that some women "end their pregnancies" in an abortion, it logically followed: "You couldn't legally do that to a toddler! What can I do to help convince women not to hurt their babies?" And as I asked questions, I was given or found out little pieces of information at a time to help clarify my questions. I feel like I was given age-appropriate information, and I was old enough to have some understanding of how pregnancy, sex, relationships, blessings from good choices and consequences from unwise ones went together. Those pictures made a very strong impression on me, and I am thankful I based my decisions accordingly. Additionally, because I view the woman and the unborn as all equally and inherently valuable, I feel it is my (and society's) duty to participate actively in support and parenting programs, diaper drives, free or reduced babysitting, donations, and adoption. To sum it up, the message I have always been presented with is: everyone deserves better than abortion.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Programs need to be put in place to offer more help to single women and women who are not financially capable of raising a child. I think that that would GREATLY decrease the number of abortions. But unfortunately, the government doesn't offer enough help and most programs around cities now will offer you a box of diapers and a bag of clothes and send you on your way. It's a sad fact of life.
ReplyDeleteIMO, I think it's every woman's duty to do whatever she can to work towards solution. Abortion will always be a fact of life, for reasons other than convenience, and I support it for that reason. But there definitely needs to be the option of MORE help for those who do want to carry their babies to term.
Thanks for commenting!